Proposal information

The third generation survivors, grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, have started to tell the stories of their grandparents' experiences during the Nazi dictatorship. The grandchildren use various forms of communication to share their stories in a public context. In their storytelling, they incorporate their own testimonies of contemporary antisemitism, either directed towards themselves during their school years or towards the Jewish minority in Sweden.

At the same time, the Swedish educational system, from preschool to high school, has an explicit democratic and value based mission, which is formulated in the curriculums. The school's mission regarding democracy and values is regulated by laws and regulations, including the Education Act. It is also governed by anti discrimination legislation clarifying how educational institutions should act governed by something called ”active measures” against discrimination (see Sarri Krantz, 2023). Legislation against discrimination and offensive treatment clarifies how educational institutions should implement active measures against discrimination. At the same time, research shows that students are subjected to discrimination and offensive treatment in the Swedish educational system (Sarri Krantz, 2018, Gillander Gådin & Stein, 2017, Gyberg et al., 2021).

The purpose of this paper is therefore to investigate how the stories of the third generation survivors can be used in educational contexts to create awareness of human diversity based on the idea presented by Nussbaum (1997, 2010). Ultimately, the goal is to create a more democratic and inclusive education.

2. Theoretical framework

In this paper, I want to call attention to the incorporation of the stories of the third generation survivors concerning their grandparents' experiences during the Holocaust, and their own experiences of contemporary antisemitism. By working with these stories one can create what Nussbaum calls "narrative imagination" (1997, p. 10).

In the effort to create an education system free from discrimination and racism, there is the opportunity to establish a school based on the idea of a liberal education and the possibility to shape future global citizens (Nussbaum, 1997). During the school years, it is crucial that a young person's personal development takes place. Nussbaum pinpoints the idea that education that cultivates a critical approach to different cultural expressions is essential for bringing about change in the individual. Art, literature, music, and film produced by individuals from diverse religious, cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds can foster a "narrative imagination" (Nussbaum, 1997, p. 10). "The narrative imagination" means that education provides opportunities, and works towards a deeper understanding of students, in order to change their perception and of their understanding of the world.

The purpose emphasized by Nussbaum is to create an education that promotes an attitude that helps students develop essential components such as understanding other people's perspectives, feeling empathy and sympathy, countering stereotypes related to other people, and, above all, developing critical thinking and a critical approach so that discriminatory acts are not left unchallenged (Nussbaum, 1997, 2010).

To train students in this work, Nussbaum argues that ongoing exercises in critical thinking need to be carried out continuously. This should be done by expanding the mission to educate critical thinkers to a variety of subjects, so that teachers collectively and broadly take on the task. Nussbaum criticizes traditional teaching methods where students are passive listeners, and considers this demoralizing and weakening. Instead, she advocates for an education where students are active, engaged, and proactive. They need to learn to investigate and evaluate facts and develop the ability to present their own arguments as well as analyze existing arguments (2010). The goal is to create critical and reflective students who are “active, critical, curious, capable of resisting authority and peer pressure.” (Nussbaum, 2010, p. 73). 

Method During the 2010s, I conducted anthropological fieldwork in Stockholm, Sweden, studying Jewish life and Jewish identity specifically focusing on the grandchildren of the Holocaust survivors. The methods used were observations and in-depth interviews (Aull Davies, 2008). In this research, presented in the thesis (Sarri Krantz, 2018), it became evident that the third generation themselves were engaged in a narrative that was unique to them. They combined their grandparents' stories, as they had been recounted by the older generation, with their own experiences of contemporary antisemitism. Therefore, it was a natural progression to complement anthropological research with studies of the narratives of the third generation. This study has been characterized by analyzing the themes chosen by the third generation primarily aiming to call attention to their grandparents' experiences during the Holocaust. At the same time, their narratives also address what it means to belong to the Jewish minority in contemporary Sweden where antisemitism is prevalent, highlighting this from a current situation. The grandchildren's stories serve as time documents of the Jewish minority's situation from a historical and contemporary perspective, while also being valuable for educational purposes for global citizens of tomorrow. Authors, titles and thematical perspectives Lichtenstein, Moa, “Bagage från läger 99”: life during persecution, historical antisemitism Schreiber, Johanna, “Brev till min farfar”: historical antisemitism, contemporary antisemitism Verständig Axelius, Natalie, “Det var inte jag som skulle dö”: historical episodes during the Holocaust, war versus peace, survival

In order to dismantle discrimination and racial injustice the school system in Sweden, together with school systems around the world, can implement a shift of focus and listen to the stories of the third generation survivors, and other narratives from a variety of voices. On the basis of a clear judicial governance from the state, providers of education, and especially school principals, can construct educational possibilities using the stories in highlighting human experience. This can enrich individual and personal development for students and at the same time have an impact on classroom discussions. In the long run, we can thereby accomplish a narrative imagination enabling students, and staff, to develop an understanding and respect for the diversity of human experiences. The relevance of the paper is to show and discuss the narrative of the Jewish minority, focusing on historical and contemporary antisemitism, and what educational possibilities such a narrative can have for students and staff in schools. The relevance of the paper is also to highlight the legislative obligations for the providers of education and what can be developed using the ideas of narrative imagination in order to safeguard the human rights for the next generation.

References Aull Davies, C. (2008). Reflexive Ethnography A guide to researching selves and others, Routledge. Bagage från läger 99. (2019). Moa Lichtenstein, P1 documentary, Producer: Martin Jönsson, Swedish radio, P1 18 August. Gillander Gådin, K. & Stein, N. (2019). Do schools normalise sexual harassment? An analysis of a legal case regarding sexual harassment in a Swedish high school. Gender and Education. Vol. 31, nr 7, 920-937. Gyberg et al. (2021). Discrimination and its relation to psychosocial well‐being among diverse youth in Sweden. Child & Adolescent Development. 1–19. Nussbaum, M. C. (1997). Cultivating Humanity: A Classical Defense of Reform in Liberal Education. Harvard University Press. Nussbaum, M. C. (2010). Not for profit Why democracy needs the humanities. Princeton University Press. Sarri Krantz, A. (2018). Tredje generationens överlevande - en socialantropologisk studie om minne, antisemitism och identitet i spåret av Förintelsen, dissertation. Sarri Krantz, A. (2023). Kulturen i skolan och skolans kultur in (eds.) Johansson, N. & Baltzer, C. Rektors praktik i vetenskaplig belysning: framgångsrikt, hållbart och närvarande ledarskap - är det möjligt? Liber. Schreiber, J. (2015). Brev till min farfar. (ed) Lomfors, I. et al. I skuggan av Förintelsen De överlevandes barn och barnbarn. Judiska museet. 85 – 91. Verständig Axelius, N. (2019). Det var inte jag som skulle dö. Natur och kultur.