Quantifying the archives: leveraging the norms and tools of data science to conduct ethical research on the Holocaust

Abstract

ABSTRACT Holocaust archives have traditionally been the scholarly territory of the humanities. However, given the tremendous increase in the number of testimonies and documents available, especially in collections like the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive and the Arolsen Archives, it is necessary to evaluate the applicability of a numerate approach. Not only could a quantitative lens disrupt traditional ways of housing, organizing, and analyzing data on the Holocaust, but quantitative tools may also revolutionize the way this genocide is taught and remembered. Above all, this article advocates for a careful and ethical approach to Holocaust research in the digital age.