Poland and Ukraine during and after World War II in the Records of the International Tracing Service Collection
August 6–10, 2012
Washington, DC
The deadline for applications has passed.
The Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies invites applications for the 2012 International Tracing Service Seminar: Poland and Ukraine during and after World War II in the Records of the International Tracing Service Collection.
The fifth in a series of programs created to encourage the use of the recently opened archival holdings of the International Tracing Service (ITS), this year’s seminar seeks to acquaint doctoral students and faculty specializing in Poland and Ukraine with the substantial parts of the ITS collection that relate to these countries. Applications are welcome from doctoral students and faculty in all relevant academic disciplines, including history, political science, literature, Jewish studies, psychology, sociology, geography, and others.
ITS Records at the Museum
The records of the ITS relate to the fates of more than 17 million people who were subject to incarceration, forced labor, and displacement as a result of World War II. Digital copies of these records are in the process of being transferred in their entirety to the Museum; currently, the Museum holds digital copies of more than 100 million pages of documents spanning the period of 1933 through the mid-1950s. These documents include prewar and wartime prisoner arrest, incarceration, and transport records from German concentration camp and police authorities; prewar, wartime, and postwar records concerning foreign and forced laborers in the German war economy, generated by the Nazi state, individual German firms, and postwar Allied occupation authorities; and postwar Allied records of individuals and families seeking support as displaced persons. Major portions of the ITS collection relate to the experiences of Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, and other nationalities.
The Seminar
During the seminar, staff scholars will assist participants in exploring portions of the ITS collection relating to Poland and Ukraine. Participants will focus especially on records concerning (1) forced and slave laborers in the German war economy; (2) Nazi Germany’s expansionist and genocidal policies; and (3) the postwar experiences of displaced persons and refugees from Poland and Ukraine. Participants will also have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the Museum’s library and archival resources and to explore the ITS collection.
Application Process
Doctoral students and faculty from all relevant academic disciplines based at North American colleges and universities are invited to apply.
Applications must be submitted in English and include:
Please address inquiries and applications to:
Dr. Eric C. Steinhart
Curt C. and Else Silberman International Tracing Service Research Scholar
Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW
Washington, DC 20024-2126
E-mail: itsseminar2012@ushmm.org
Tel: 202.314.7814
Fax: 202.479.9726
You may submit application materials via mail, fax, or e-mail attachment. Recommenders must submit signed letters on their institution’s letterhead under separate cover. All materials must be received by April 13, 2012. The Center will notify selected participants by early May 2012.
For non-local participants, awards include (1) a stipend toward the cost of direct, economy-class travel to and from his or her home institution and Washington, DC; (2) lodging for the seminar’s duration; and (3) $350 toward the cost of meals, local transit, luggage surcharges, and other incidental expenses, which will be distributed via direct deposit after the seminar’s conclusion. Local participants from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area receive a stipend of $150.
Participants are required to attend the full duration of the seminar.
Our Supporters
The seminar is made possible by the major support of Betty-Jean and David Bavar and the Curt C. and Else Silberman Foundation, with additional support from Edie and David Blitzstein, in memory of Kurt and Thea Sonnenmark, and K. Peter and Yvonne R. Wagner.
