Teaching the Holocaust to minoritized students: when is recasting difficult history as redemptive a problem?

Introduction and Analytic Framework: This study explores practices of educating about the Holocaust (EaH) among minoritized students in Florida, U.S. It critically examines how teachers, and the educational systems that guide them, employ EaH as a tool for a specific type of enculturation. The research draws on the concept of “difficult history,” comparing it to “survival history,” and discusses the ethos of self-redemption within American character education to analyze how the Holocaust is taught to these students. Methods: Twenty-six in-depth narrative interviews were conducted with Holocaust educators who predominantly teach minoritized students in South Florida. The teachers’ narratives were analyzed using an interpretive cultural thematic analysis. Findings: The educators tended to draw parallels between the Holocaust and their personal experiences. Many of them focus EaH goals primarily on character education, engage the classroom by linking Holocaust lessons to the students’ own hardships, and impart lessons centred on redemption. Notably, some educators “marketed hope” through EaH, suggesting to minoritized students that if Holocaust survivors could “rise from the ashes,” they too can overcome adversity. Conversely, a minority of educators employed alternative methods that focused on exploring historical facts and promoting social justice. Discussion: We argue that this prevailing approach to educating about the Holocaust, while deeply caring towards the students, may not only distort historical realities but also unintentionally deprive minoritized students of tools to navigate the systemic nature of oppression and discount social action. An alternative approach is proposed to better equip educators in ethically and effectively engaging minoritized students with the history of the Holocaust.