The talk given by an assistant professor with tenure of psychology at Queensborough Community College at the City University of New York, Dr. Azadeh Aalai, aims to investigate the topic of women in the Nazi Concentration camps and Holocaust. First of all, Dr. Aalai represented the difference between the two terms “sex” and “gender.” She defined sex as a biological attribute of being male or female, while gender was described as a social construction. Then, she questioned what it is to be a female within the Nazi system.
It is important to consider that both gender and sex constructions influence our perception of the world in social contexts. In concentration camps, men and women are separated by their sexes (Waxman, 2017). Then, she mentioned race and ethnicity and informed that people are socialized to categorize according to a person’s race or ethnicity. To understand the ideology of the Nazis, Dr. Aalai reports about its ideas of superiority of Germans concerning Adolf Hitler. Nazi regime constructed its hierarchy from top to bottom, where the German race was at the top, and Jewish people are placed at the bottom of the system. This ideology assumed the creation of ample space for agricultural and other works through the enslavement of Jewish people or the commitment to the mass murder of Jewish victims. Concluding this idea, Dr. Aalai mentioned that sex and gender could not be separated in this ideology because men and women would be assigned different roles within this system.
Genocide intends to destroy a particular group of people, to destruct the family unit, and specific Nazi policies attempt to eradicate Jewish victims. Identity violation happened to live under a regime like Nazi because the genocide was not gender-neutral. The German women were central to this ideology because Hitler praised them for an ability to give birth to truly German children, as it will expand the population of the country. In particular, there was a threat for women because they were assumed to carry the next generation of Jews, targeted as mothers (Waxman, 2017). That is why forced sterilization policies and abortions were implemented. Jewish men were threatening the regime because males could resist or fight against Nazi threats potentially. That is why Jewish families created visas and sent their men overseas to protect themselves. Thus, Nazi policies threat to both sexes and everyone within a family.
In addition, people in concentration camps had their chance for survival if they could be helpful in this regime. Women and children were not because they are weaker, so they were sent to killing centers. People living in this system are not always victims or perpetrators. They also can be bystanders who can resist or help victims. Female bystanders were often underestimated because the person associated with force and heroism is usually a man. Although women also risked their lives, nobody saw them at the same level as men. One of the brightest examples is ‘Schindler’s list,’ where wives were shown just as facilitators. Nazi regime was also male-dominated in promoting stereotypical views of masculinity (heroism and deeds) and femininity (passivity, supporting cast). However, there were female auxiliaries in the German armed forces who served as guards, nurses, and doctors within the Nazi regime.
There were many actors of both genders who participated within the Nazi system. However, the fact is that almost all women’s voices were silenced. Mostly, females within this system remained unvoiced figures. Today many scholars continue to scrutinize Holocaust and the Nazi regime, revealing all horrors that victims faced and suffered. Many movies, books, articles, and researches are devoted to victims of the Holocaust and its investigation.
Reference
Waxman, Z. (2017). Women in the Holocaust: A Feminist History (1st ed.). OUP Oxford.