The anniversary celebration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be another occasion for the present to talk to the past. Artistic events, historical documentaries, TV programs, scientific lectures will open a public discussion with History and cause a strong emotional charge. Undoubtedly, the big problem posed from the outset by a highly controversial topic such as the Holocaust is nothing less than the cultivation of critical thinking among citizens. This challenge also constitutes the performative role of History.

The Holocaust has a special place in historiography, because there are still survivors who fill its pages with their personal testimonies and at the same time create their own distinct social group that carries a special symbolic reflection. Public conversation with these individuals placed the concepts of “experience” and “narrative representation” at the center of research considerations, thus shifting the focus from the strict rules set by the academically constructed historical past.

Such a public approach to History, which is not done by professional historians and does not have as a prerequisite the scientific validity of events, is aimed more at the emotions that can be mobilized by the historical event itself. Trauma, memories, conflicts, fears, longing, and even hope and fairy tales now come to the fore. Of course, this assumption in no way means that the Public History cannot be reliable in terms of the information it conveys. But from its recipient, it does not require verification of its reliability, but the presence of developed critical thinking in order to be able to assess the truth of the information being disseminated and not succumb to manipulation.

In our modern digital daily life, photographic materials, oral stories, television productions, cinematic broadcasts, experiential memories are part of our everyday images and, ultimately, are able not only to represent the past, but, above all, to determine how we experience History today and we think. about the future of us. Oral testimonies, traumatic experiences, festive anniversaries highlight historical symbols, try to morally correct the mistakes of the past and form the historical consciousness of citizens on a new basis. Historical consciousness arises not as a result of a simple knowledge of the historical past, but also has a visionary or emblematic dimension in the interpretive understanding of the relationship between the past and the present and at the same time the expectation of the future.

The historical study of the Holocaust has been met with extreme backlash since its inception, as it is, by its very nature, a controversial issue. In fact, its scope very quickly broke out of History, taking on a political dimension, causing parliamentary decisions and global action. In this context, it is easy to see that his approach cannot be made in an environment unaffected by moral imperatives. The Holocaust provides an excellent opportunity to teach a lesson in political education and reflect on the issues of prejudice, stereotypes, human rights violations, while emphasizing the importance of democratic consciousness, pluralism, tolerance and diversity.

Thus, the purpose of History is not and should not be a mere factual record of the past. Its fundamental goal is the development of historical thinking and the formation of historical consciousness, which ultimately leads to historical literacy. Historical literacy can be achieved only when a person is able to perceive the current development and place himself in it. A historically literate person is able to explore, study, judge, evaluate, think, construct complex concepts, and ultimately communicate. In other words, this is a highly fundamental situation in the development of a person into a citizen.

*Constantina D. Caracosta is a Ph.D. in the history of New Greece and a member of the New Democracy Political Committee.