Holocaust industry? The (American) debate on the instrumentalization of the Shoah at the turn of the century

Abstract

In three books published at the turn of the millennium, the authors talk about the phenomenon of the pronounced presence and significance of the Holocaust in American society: Hilene Flanzbaum?s Americanization of the Holocaust (1999), Peter Novick?s Holocaust in American Life (1999) and Norman Finkelstein?s The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering (2000). These works describe (and criticize) the post-Holocaust memorial world which is characterized by the commodification, commercialization and instrumentalization of the culture of remembrance. Even though each of these authors invoked/understood the term differently, the effect of their works was the introduction of the term ?Holocaust industry? into the public discourse. Today, it has has become an umbrella metaphor for a whole range of practices that represent the instrumentalization, commercialization and commodification of Holocaust remembrance. The paper deals with the process of (political-economic) instrumentalization of the Holocaust, its normalization, naturalization, normativization and mechanization - in Western societies - and criticism of that process. The aim of the paper is to shed light on what is meant by the Holocaust industry and to open space for further reflection and problematization of the Holocaust discourse in the light of the warning that its current commodification and industrialization sends us.