Steffi de Jong

The Witness as Object

Steffi de Jong

In recent years, historical witnessing has emerged as a category of «museum object.» Audiovisual recordings of interviews with individuals remembering events of historical importance are now integral to the collections and research activities of museums. They have also become important components in narrative and exhibition design strategies. With a focus on Holocaust museums, this study scrutinizes for the first time the new global phenomenon of the «musealization» of the witness to history, exploring the processes, prerequisites, and consequences of the transformation of video testimonies into exhibits.