Clark Professor to Give Talk on ‘Belonging and Genocide’ During World War II

Thomas Kuehne, associate professor and Strassler Family Chair in the Study of Holocaust History at Clark University, will give a talk titled "Belonging and Genocide: A German Story, 1914-1945" on April 19 at 4 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The talk is free and open to the public.

Kuehne is interested in synthesizing new approaches to the history of mass violence. His recent research deals with the social and cultural history of the Nazi war and its place in the 20th century. His forthcoming book focuses on the myth of comradeship and its impact on the actions and experiences of German Word War II soldiers. Comradeship served as the social cement in the German military as well as in the German nation. It held together a variety of practices and emotions as diverse as aggression and altruism. Comradeship combined male bonding through criminal means with in-group "humanity," and it was the model of a shame culture, deeply anchored in German 20th century society.

The event is sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture as part of the Kraft-Hiatt lecture series. The Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding supports campus and community-wide educational initiatives that foster understanding of Judaism and Jewish culture, and dialogue between Jews and Christians.