REVIEW THE BOOK OF SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE HOLOCAUST HISTORIOGRAPHY

Review by Dr. Milan Koljanin, Institute for Contemporary History, Belgrade

 

Jovan Ćulibrk, Historiography of the Holocaust in Yugoslavia
A measure of the level of development of any historiography is its awareness of
its own achievements, its reflection on itself, which is able to determine its own position
within general historiography, thematically and methodologically. A mass and organized
violence of XX century, a “century of extremism” that reached its own pick during the
years of Second World War in the “death industry“, certainly is one of the key themes of
contemporary historiography. Within that framework, a theme of Holocaust is surely one
of the most important, although its significance exceeds the scope of historiography. It is
also a kind of cultural litmus test, thus any serious analysis of historiography of
Holocaust necessarily has to deal with it as with a first -rate social phenomenon.
In his work titled Historiography of Holocaust in Yugoslavia Jovan Ćulibrk
approached the themes of Holocaust and writing on Holocaust just in the above manner.
Starting with the premise that the Holocaust study in Yugoslavia was “destined to
deal with the perceptions of Yugoslavia and its own history” (page 8), the author
emphasized that his main goal was to answer the two key questions: whether the
Holocaust researchers were aware of development of model—criteria of Holocaust
researches, and does the version of such criteria exist for the case of Yugoslavia. He
structured his work in accord with requirements; he begins with the Introduction, which
is the first chapter at the same time: Criteria, Context, Politics (pages 1-33). Discussing a
social context of Holocaust researches in the 1990s in Yugoslavia’s successor- countries,
the author concluded that ‘historiographycal’ obsession with genocide and Holocaust in
the Balkans at the end of XX century did not succeed to produce Holocaust research but
only obsession with obsession (page 32).
Quite reasonably, the analysis of Holocaust historiography follows not only its
dynamic, but also its broader social context and achievements. On that basis the
periodization in this presentation was made, analyzing the period between the wars, the
war years, the period since the end of the war until 1948, then the period ending with the
death of Tito, which was followed with the period ending in collapse of Yugoslav state.
The last period started in 1991 and was finished in 2007.
In this comprehensive but concise work, the author has analyzed Holocaust
historiography in Yugoslavia very successively, and more than that. Although the author
remains focused on Holocaust historiography, his work is also a concise presentation of
the Yugoslav historiography history. This history did not end in the year when the
Yugoslav state ended, because the author is meticulously analyzing the Holocaust
researches in post-Yugoslav states, alongside with the role they played during this bloody
destruction of that state. The analysis included virtually all relevant works dealing with
the Holocaust theme.
Seemingly aside of the basic course of discussion, the author offers extremely
important observations and indications of some significant facts and events. Endorsing
the mainstream of Holocaust researches, the author quite reasonably pointed out the
request placed before the Holocaust researchers in Yugoslavia: it is not adequate to study
it only within separate areas of occupation, thus losing the insight into its entirety, and it
is necessary to study Holocaust in Yugoslavia within the framework of the general course
of “Final solution of the Jewish question”.
Within final section of the second chapter entitled “The Gates of Maturity” (pages
138-178), the author offers one of the key points of his evaluation: Yugoslav communist
historiography school ended tragically just when it was supposed to bring the fruits of its
own liberation from ideological ballast (page 160). His conclusion under the indicative
title Neither Le Peau de Chagrin nor Leopard Skin, the author argues that [Yugoslav]
researchers of Holocaust did not succumb to its narrative and never departed from its
actual context, the Second World War.
The three articles were added to main work, three essays on the books dealing
with Holocaust, out of which two were related to the Holocaust in Yugoslavia, while the
third refers to the phenomenon of the Holocaust from the perspective of its revisionists
and deniers. These contributions well illustrate the author's methodological approach and
nicely complement the main text.
The book also included an extensive selective bibliography on the historiography
of the Holocaust in Yugoslavia, but there are also the most important book titles
belonging to the general history of the Holocaust. It is needless to point out how much
the researchers would use this bibliography, because it included the works written not
only in main world's languages, but also in Hebrew.
At the end of the book there are registers of personal names and geographical terms.
With this work by Jovan Ćulibrk historiography has got a thoroughly and
conscientiously written study, which will have to be consulted by anyone wanting to get
acquainted not only with the subject of Holocaust historiography in Yugoslavia but also
with the subject of Holocaust itself, because this book is also a valuable contribution to
Holocaust historiography in general. Such works are rare even within much more
developed historiographies. The special value of this study is that it was written in accord
with contemporary methodological requirements, and trends in Holocaust historiography.
Due its clear and attractive style this book will be read not only by scholars but
also by general public interested in this topic.
On the base of all these qualities, I feel free to recommend the work by John
Ćulibrk entitled Historiography of the Holocaust in Yugoslavia to be published.

In Belgrade, August 10, 2011
Dr. Milan Koljanin
Research Associate
Institute for Contemporary History
Nikola Pašić Square 11, Belgrade

 

 

Review by Simon Еpstein, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

It is a pleasure and a honor for me to write some words about Jovan Ćulibrk's
book.
I know him since he came at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and I have
read most of his writings. He has a very broad and deep knowledge about the Jewish
people and the State of Israel. His knowledge in Jewish History – ancient and modern
– as well as in Jewish national culture, is impressive.
Jovan Ćulibrk is an outstanding specialist of the relations between the Serbian
people and the Jewish people. The period he mainly deals with is naturally the Second
World war. The Jews were persecuted and exterminated all over Europe, and the
Serbs were victims of a systematic and cruel ethnocidal policy. This historical
"community of fate" generates special links between our two nations, links which find
their expression in a wide range of political, diplomatic, cultural and intellectual
matters.
Jovan Ćulibrk's writings are in absolute conformity with all the fundamental
principles of academic research. They are rationally conceived, clearly presented and
solidly argumented, and all the classical rules of objectivity are meticulously
respected. This "community of fate" between Jews and Serbs, which is so significant
for him, strengthens his work with a stimulating dimension of concern and empathy.
Last but not least, I would like to add a remark about Jovan Ćulibrk's personal
itinerary. He is a perfect scholar, and his writings are extremely interesting. But he is
also a priest, and in the past, he was a soldier. His rich experience of life confirms an
old maxim: if you want to be a good scholar, you have to be more, much more than a
scholar.

Simcha Epstein
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
August 9, 2011