Those collecting artifacts may not be whom you expect.
The very concept of "Nazi memorabilia" is a misapprehension of these artifacts, a mistreatment of a fraught material history; it relies on and feeds an insidious distortion of World War II, which is flattened into a tale of victors and vanquished. |
 | | O.O.P.S. |
|
It's a long story — one that can fill an entire book, in fact — but a few years ago, I embedded with Polish treasure hunters. The holy grail was Nazi gold, but mostly what they were after were Nazi artifacts — helmets, guns, coins, whatever else they might find. Many had amassed considerable collections, which they were very proud of, and which they loved to show me. |
It was startling to encounter chests or closets or even whole rooms full of Nazi artifacts. But I had spent a lot of time with these men, and I knew they weren't sympathetic to Nazi ideologies or Nazis at all — as patriotic Poles, they hated Nazis as passionately as anyone I'd ever met. Their relationship to these artifacts was complex: They were not markers of identity but something akin to trophies, plunder from a fallen enemy. |
When I began reporting on the market for Nazi memorabilia, my starting point was not the sort of visceral outrage I think most people have when confronted with objects bearing swastikas. I understood there was room for something more nuanced, that being interested in or even owning Nazi artifacts did not necessarily mean you were a Nazi. |
As a part of my reporting, I went to the United States' biggest militaria show at a convention center in Kentucky, and saw thousands of Nazi artifacts arranged neatly behind glass and on velvet mats, tagged with prices and short descriptions. It made me uneasy — not regarding the artifacts, per se (I was inured), and not regarding the collectors (they were very friendly and not at all Nazi-like), but the scale, the commerciality. This was not anything like the treasure hunters' collections; this was merchandise. |
In a guest essay for Times Opinion, I attempt to articulate that sense of unease. I take a look at who these collectors are and what appeals to them: What is their motivation? What does it mean that there's a robust private market for artifacts that arguably belong to a public history of the Holocaust? This extensive trade, I found, is as widespread and lucrative as it is disturbing. |
| READ MENACHEM'S FULL ESSAY HERE | | |
| THE WEEK IN BIG IDEAS Editors' Picks | | | | | |
Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment