Protocol No. 008. Solidarity, vulnerability, and the survivor testimony as a post war battlefield of memory

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the aftermath of the Second World War, a number of Polish concentration camp survivors came to Sweden as part of a rescue action. The Polish Research Institution (PIZ), collecting evidence of the Nazis’ crimes, interviewed some of them. In one of the interview protocols, Protocol No. 008, PIZ assistants added a note voicing strong criticism of the interviewee’s memory of lack of solidarity between camp prisoners. Providing a micro-analysis of the battle over the memory of solidarity in Protocol No. 008, its context and dissemination in archives and museums, the article shows that vulnerability is an important underlying issue.