Ресурсы

This study is based on interviews conducted among teachers from the French-speaking cantons of Switzerland to determine how the history and memory of the Shoah are transmitted in the schools: it is at the intersection of the teaching of history and of social perception. The interviews reveal the high standards the teachers set for themselves. Consequently, they are caught between their own perception of the uniqueness of the Shoah and their concern that its exceptional nature might not be shared by their students. Thus, the combination of the exceptional nature of the subject and the teachers’ concern becomes a veritable pedagogical leitmotif that translates both the strength of their conviction and their difficulty in expressing it through effective teaching strategies. It is one of the factors that lead certain teachers to compare the Shoah with other genocides. And yet, when these teachers broach the subject of genocide in a comparative way, the uniqueness of the Shoah stands out, in their eyes, and is reinforced by the strong identification that a majority of them feel with the victims. (By the author)