2024 Holocaust Memorial Lecture - "From Treblinka and Trawniki: Forensic Archaeological Investigations at Sites of Nazi Persecution"

"From Treblinka and Trawniki: Forensic Archaeological Investigations at Sites of Nazi Persecution" featuring Prof. Caroline Sturdy Colls

Lecture Description : The crimes perpetrated at Treblinka death camp are well documented by historians. However, despite its notoriety, investigations of the physical evidence connected to the camp and those who encountered it have historically been limited. Similarly, its wider landscape, comprising a labor camp, execution and work sites, has been poorly understood. In this lecture, Professor Caroline Sturdy Colls will demonstrate how forensic archaeological approaches have revealed new information about the mechanisms of mass murder at Treblinka and, in particular, how new understandings of the fates and experiences of the victims have emerged from the analysis of the material traces that they left behind. Professor Sturdy Colls will also discuss how her work at Treblinka led her to investigate the camp at Trawniki, where the “foot soldiers” who assisted the SS were trained.

Speaker Bio : Professor Caroline Sturdy Colls's pioneering research focuses on the application of interdisciplinary approaches to the investigation of Holocaust landscapes. She conducted the first forensic archaeological investigations at Treblinka Extermination and Labour Camps, the results of which will be presented in her forthcoming book, Finding Treblinka. She is also the author of several other books including Holocaust Archaeologies: Approaches and Future Directions (2015), the Handbook on Missing Persons (2016) and Adolf Island: The Nazi Occupation of Alderney (2022).

This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Register here.
Registration is available for both the livestream and in-person seating. Registration for in-person seating will close on 9/16 (or sooner if seats fill up).

This year's Holocaust Memorial Lecture is part of a 2024-2025 series on "Forensics and Genocide" being offered by the Cohen Center. Doors will open for registered guests beginning at 5:30pm. Please note that photography and videography are prohibited at this event. If you would like to make a gift to support this lecture or other Center offerings, please visit: https://giving.keene.edu/cchgs/

If you have any questions, please contact cohencenter@keene.edu. We look forward to seeing you in person or online for this fascinating lecture!

This event is part of the Cohen Center calendar.