The (Non)Political Taboo: Why Democracies Ban Holocaust Denial
The (Non)Political Taboo: Why Democracies Ban Holocaust Denial
Author(s): Max SteuerSubject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Jewish studies, Government/Political systems, History of Antisemitism, Inter-Ethnic Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Sociologický ústav - Slovenská akadémia vied
Keywords: Freedom of speech; Holocaust denial; justifications; parliamentary discourse; Czech Republic; Slovakia; Hungary;
Summary/Abstract: This article unpacks the controversy that surrounds criminal law restrictions on Holocaust denial in democracies. By applying insights from postmodernist and post-structuralist theories on amendments of criminal legislation in three Central European democracies, I aim to understand the interplay between politics and truth in introducing legal bans on Holocaust denial. Through a comparative analysis of parliamentary discourse, I demonstrate that the various justifications in favor of such bans all postulate that truth should be separated from politics. In turn, this effort to transform the Holocaust into a taboo outside of politics has consequences on the nature of its remembrance.Sociológia 2017, Vol. 49 (No. 6: 673-693)
Journal: Sociológia - Slovak Sociological Review
- Issue Year: 49/2017
- Issue No: 6
- Page Range: 673-693
- Page Count: 21
- Language: English