Research project Learning German in the Shadow of the Holocaust

Although several studies show that learners of German associate Germany with World War II and the Holocaust, little research has been conducted about its implications on teaching and learning German. The aim of this study is therefore to analyze how cultural learning in the context of German as a foreign language is influenced by learners’ awareness that Germany is responsible for incommensurable crimes against humanity. The study will be conducted with students of German at Stockholm university: interviews and audio-recorded group discussions as well as reflections will be used to collect qualitative data. The project draws upon research in the field of foreign language teaching which is based on cultural studies and the sociology of knowledge. The aim of cultural learning is defined as the learner’s ability to adequately interpret and participate in discourses in the foreign language. The findings have a practical, theoretical and societal relevance: empirical research on learning processes is the prerequisite to improve the design of language and culture teaching. Theoretically, the research project will help to develop tools to empirically analyze cultural learning, something that is still in its infancy. Based on the assumption that the Holocaust, as a global memory space, is a starting point to promote democracy, tolerance, and human rights, the project will also deepen our understanding of how a given group in Swedish society perceives the Holocaust.