Representing a difficult past: Examining contemporary Holocaust memorials in Berlin

This thesis explores memory and memorial in Germany through a close reading of five contemporary Berlin Holocaust memorials. These sites include the Jewish Museum, the Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under Nazism, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Topography of Terror Memorial, and Sachsenhausen Memorial. In examining composition, this thesis will argue that these five sites all incorporate abstract and representative elements. Abstraction in memorials has been well researched, in particular the use of architectural abstraction to evoke emotional responses in viewers. This thesis will argue that the abstraction of these sites is supplemented by representational elements such as written documents, photography and video. Direct representation in contemporary Holocaust memorials has been largely ignored in academic research, and this thesis will provide much-needed analysis of representational elements and its importance in providing historical context for viewers experiencing these abstract architectural sites.