Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Committee Chair
Melissa Bingmann
Committee Co-Chair
Joshua Arthurs
Committee Member
Robert Blobaum
Abstract
During the Holocaust the company of J.A Topf and Sons refocused their production to produce and improve a design for corpse incineration ovens. Their contributions streamlined the efficiency and performance of the death camps adding to the mounting death toll. Years after these evens the company grounds were abandoned and then given life again by a leftist youth movement. The squatter’s reinterpreted the history, led tours and utilized the grounds to create a third place for community, art and music. When the city decided to recognize the history of the company, the squatters were forcefully removed, and the building transformed into Topf and Sons Historical Museum. This research explores how different groups utilize Holocaust memory to pursue divergent political and social goals. The research highlights the evolving perspectives on historical responsibility and collective memory in Germany, revealing the tensions between grassroots activism and institutionalized commemoration
Recommended Citation
Martin, Ebony Taylor, "Political Agency in the Occupied House: Reconstructing Memory through Squatter Resilience at Topf and Sons Historical Museum" (2024). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 12600.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12600
Included in
European History Commons, Holocaust and Genocide Studies Commons, Public History Commons