The Führer and the Bard: Shakespeare and the Nazis

William Shakespeare’s plays counted amongst the most in-demand stage performances of the Third Reich. Between 1933 and 1943, over 12,400 individual performances took place on “German” stages. The Nazi regime, aided by German academics active in the field of Shakespeare scholarship, portrayed the English poet as an example of Aryan genius and a cornerstone of German cultural supremacy. Indeed, during the twelve years of the Third Reich, Shakespeare became an instrumental tool in disseminating Nazi ideology – and in staging opposition. During this talk, Dr. Dana Smith will discuss the recent archival research she undertook during her Fall 2024 sabbatical.

About the speaker: Dr. Dana Smith is Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, where she teaches Holocaust- and Jewish-history specific courses, including: The Holocaust, Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, Art and the Holocaust, Holocaust Memory in Popular Culture, Introduction to Jewish History, and a seminar on the history of antisemitism. She received her PhD from Queen Mary, University of London with the Leo Baeck Institute, London. Her first book, Jewish Art in Nazi Germany, came out with Routledge in 2022.

This event is hosted by the Cohen Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies in partnership with the Department of Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open, but seating is limited; you must register here.

This event is part of the Cohen Center calendar.