Holocaust testimony as sources for (a) cultural history of the holocaust: The Anecdote as an analytical tool

This paper suggests using Joel Fineman's 1987 concept of the Anecdote as an analytical tool for the historical interpretation of Holocaust testimonies and witness accounts. While the theory of the concept is introduced and elaborated in sections II and III, the argument is framed by a double contextualization of the need for such an approach. Section I argues for the current historiographic relevance of an anecdotal approach. Section IV considers the practical importance of Anecdotes in survivor testimonies through the testimony of the late Dr. Jacques Stroumsa ("The Violinist from Auschwitz"). The final section suggests that Anecdotes relate to the (historical) Reality through the field of the uncanny.