Comments on Into My Own: The Holocaust and Pedagogy in France--and Lessons ...

Hi Ohdave,I am really surprised by your stance as ...

2008-02-25T20:23:00.000-05:00

Hi Ohdave,

I am really surprised by your stance as an educator for Sarkozy's proposal. I am not against educating about the holocaust but I am definitely against the Sarkozy proposal which is based on one by one identification. The identification process you talk about when you read a novel or watch a movie is a transitory process, you can abstract your own Self from the process while letting it open to transformation by the identification experience wou live. The identification that Sarkozy is suggesting is one that goes to the heart of the construction of the Self because it is imposed and not freely chosen and it has a time intervalle similarity. When you watch a movie you see a life narrated during three hours. This helps the process of identfication and return to the own inner slef. Nothing is lost in the experince but we are enriched by this other self we encounter. Sarkozy wants the French children to live the experience of the dead child with a time inetrval similar to real life. How do you want a young child, with a fragile and unaccomplished self to be able to enrich himslef from this epxerience while at the same time being able to return to his own inner self ?

Sarkozy did not consult historians, psychologists, or educators before coming up with the proposal. I think it is pure madness.

Claude Lanzman, the author of 'Shoah', eloquently wrote against the proposal in Le Monde under the evocative title: 'Le mort saisit le vif' (The dead appropriates the living). He explained that he never asked his son to watch his own movie 'Shoah' and that his son did it at 12 from his own will and discussed the film later with his father.

I think two points make Sarkozy's proposal obscene in my opinion:
The first: it is cruel to ask children to bear the burden of the crimes of the older generation of French;
The second: Sarkozy's attitude toward Africa, Algeria, and colonialism. He refuses to apologize for France's colonial past which was particularly cruel in Algeria. This is at odds with his attitude toward the holocaust which is totally irresponsible.

I teach theories on the Self and my starting point for this critique is Ricoeur's 'Soi-même comme un autre'. From a psychological and philosophical point of view, Sarkozy's suggestion is totally unacceptable. Thank God it was met by such a resisrance, there are people who still have reason in France and among France's Jewish community.

I'm sure that if intelligent design had a foot hol...

2008-02-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sure that if intelligent design had a foot hold here in France with the far right, Sarkozy would try to promote it as an alternative "theory" to be taught.
The biggest problem with Sarkozy is that most of the ideas he has about the place of religion in France are born of appeasing verious groups.
It's too obvious that religion has very little to do with his personal life and beliefs.
I just read a very interesting editorial from Spain's most influential newspapaer that claimed that the Sarkozy presidency was over already. It was reprinted in Le Canarde Enchaine.
He is set to assume presidency of the European Union and has made many statements that have already caused great concern regarding his desire to extend his repressive immigration policies to all of Europe.
Already, England is openly defiant and announced their intention of granting 1,000,000 passports to "illegals" already in England, giving them the ability to move and live in Europe with impunity.

If any children should be "remembered" by French school children, perhaps a project which would benefit the living, today would be more appropriate:
The adoption of a child deported or separated from it's family because of the Sarkozy deportations.

There is a real living Resistance movement here involving thousands of French Citizens who are risking prison and fines for helping clandestines.

It's dead in the water because Sarko hasn't cultiv...

2008-02-20T11:09:00.000-05:00

It's dead in the water because Sarko hasn't cultivated enough allies. The radical ideas I fear being implemented by a GOP governor would have allies, including those in the MSM, who frequently report on Intelligent Design as being a question of "balance" with the teaching of evolution.

But I appreciate your thoughts Jeff.

Shalom Dave,I think the Sarkozy affair demonstrate...

2008-02-20T10:34:00.000-05:00

Shalom Dave,

I think the Sarkozy affair demonstrates just the opposite of your fear. The French people let themselves be heard on the idea and, as you note, it's dead in the water.

I would expect Ohio parents and others to be just as vocal if an educational idea displeased them.

Which would lead to a transparent process of public discussion on the idea through which elected officials would take steps informed by their constituents.

B'shalom,

Jeff Hess