Polityka Historiczna: Debating Holocaust Remembrance in Poland

On February 6th, 2018, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed “the amendment to The Act on the Institute of National Remembrance,” or as some in the western media called it, Poland’s “Holocaust law.” Such an amendment struck many outside Poland as a surprise act of revisionist history by the far-right, nationalist party in power. This project argues that this amendment must be placed in the greater context of Polish post-communist struggle to form a national narrative that includes the events of the Holocaust.The path to the enactment of the amendment can be traced back over a decade. While its passage signals a new step by the party in power to close debate, many in Poland are not supportive of such a stance. This project also seeks to provide optimism, as such a lively debate signals that the memory of the Holocaust may be more alive in Poland than much of the world