Between Memory and Oblivion: The Holocaust in Ukrainian History Textbooks

• In Event: Contested Histories: History Education and the Struggle for Democratic Resilience in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

This study examines how the Holocaust is portrayed in Ukrainian history textbooks and how this narrative has changed, especially in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war. It identifies a pattern of "triple avoidance"—minimizing trauma, maintaining Ukraine’s victim status, and resisting multiple perspectives on national history—which leads to the omission of many Holocaust-related events. The paper highlights how forgetting plays an active role in shaping official historical narratives and collective identity.

Author

• Denys Kiryukhin, Lund U (Sweden)