Memory, Politics, and Pedagogy: A Framework for Interpreting Genocides in U.S. Holocaust Museums

Abstract

This study examines how U.S. Holocaust museums interpret genocides and atrocities beyond the Holocaust, while preserving the specificity of the Holocaust implied in their organizational mission. Using interviews with museum professionals and document analysis from three case study institutions, the research identifies four main strategies used by Holocaust museums: mission-bounded expansion, abstraction, survivor-centered authority, and the strategic use of public statements. Drawing on the Southern Poverty Law Center's "Hard History" framework, this study proposes a "Hard Histories" approach for representing genocide and mass violence in museum spaces. The findings suggest that Holocaust museums navigate competing political, ethical, educational, and communal pressures as they balance contemporary relevance with commitments to Holocaust remembrance and historical specificity. Together, these strategies allow museums to address broader issues of genocide, human rights, and contemporary violence without displacing the Holocaust as their central interpretive focus.