16–18 November 2023: Austria’s biggest professional development course for teachers on Holocaust and National Socialism
Every year the OeAD organises the biggest annual professional development course for teachers on the Holocaust and National Socialism under the title “Central Seminar”. From 16 to 18 November 2023 Austria's education agency OeAD, together with QWIEN – Centre for Queer History Vienna, hosts a three-day professional development course for teachers at the Urania in Vienna within the framework of its ERINNERN:AT programme. This year ERINNERN:AT focuses on the persecution and murder of homosexuals during the Nazi era and the teaching about this topic at schools. The OeAD implements its programme ERINNERN:AT on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF). All presentations and panel discussions will be broadcast live via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/96955368498
Women and men who were persecuted as homosexuals during the Nazi era also experienced discrimination and persecution after 1945. Not only were they not recognised as victims of National Socialism after Austria’s liberation but same-sex acts and relationships were criminalised, persecuted by the law and socially ostracised for decades. The "total ban" on homosexual acts was only lifted with the "minor criminal law reform" in 1971. The state of research and the general knowledge about the persecution of homosexuals by the Nazis is still rather poor in 2023; and there are also few memorials in the culture of remembrance when it comes to this group of victims. In the last few years a young generation of historians has done research and published papers on this subject. Thanks to the QWIEN Centre’s research activities valid results are already available for Vienna.
State of research, teaching materials and excursions
The event will present the current state of research and approaches to teaching this topic in the classroom. The OeAD itself has developed two new teaching materials, one of them in cooperation with the USC Shoah Foundation in Los Angeles. Excursions lead to selected places of remembrance, such as the "Arcus" memorial in Vienna's Resselpark, which was opened in June 2023.
Civil society actors and representatives from the education administration will engage in discussions with the participants. They all make it clear that the marginalisation of and discrimination against homosexuals and intersex and trans people are still topical issues in 21st century Europe that schools should address.
"This year's annual focus of ERINNERN:AT is on the persecution and murder of homosexuals during the Nazi era in Austria. Especially in times like these an active discourse on this topic is particularly important among young people and at our schools. Our provision of new, innovative learning materials that are based on video interviews with survivors and witnesses of national socialism and the holocaust is aimed precisely at this and manifests our commitment to this central topic," emphasises the minister for education, science and research, Martin Polaschek.
Jakob Calice, the OeAD’s managing director, says: "According to a parliamentary study 18 percent of young people in Austria would be somewhat or very bothered by having gays or lesbians as neighbours. This is almost one in five young people. This result shows us that although a lot has been achieved in the last few years when it comes to equality for homosexuals society sometimes still lags behind this development. By examining the history of the persecution of homosexual women and men during the Nazi era we at the OeAD want to contribute to greater acceptance of homosexuals and trans people in today’s society. This is also in line with our mission to promote inclusive and equal education."
Patrick Siegele, head of Holocaust Education at the OeAD, adds: "For the first time we offer teaching materials within the framework of ERINNERN:AT that teachers can use in the classroom to deal with a long-forgotten and underrepresented group of victims of the Nazi regime. They are the result of close cooperation between research and educational activities."
Hannes Sulzenbacher, co-director of QWIEN: "For QWIEN – library, archive and research centre for queer history – it is very gratifying that this group of victims of National Socialism can now be included in school lessons thanks to the collaboration with the OeAD. The queer victims of National Socialism were only legally recognised as such in 2005, and the path to social awareness and recognition was also a long one. Their fate was characterised by legal persecution and social ostracism. Telling their biographies today is an attempt to perhaps give them back some of the dignity they were denied for so long."
Austria’s biggest professional development course for teachers on Holocaust and National Socialism
Under the title "Central Seminar" the OeAD organises the biggest annual professional development course for teachers on the Holocaust and National Socialism. In 2023 the annual event takes place in Vienna and is dedicated to the persecution and murder of homosexuals during the Nazi era and the teaching of this topic in the classroom. The event is aimed at teachers of all school types and subjects, in particular teachers of history and political education, from all over Austria. It is regarded as professional development as defined by the BMBWF. The "Central Seminar 2023" is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, the Municipality of Vienna (MA7), the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism and the Future Fund of the Republic of Austria.
Historical background of the theme of the year
Homosexual men and women were persecuted in Austria long before the so-called "Anschluss" of Austria to the German Reich in March 1938. Under National Socialist rule, however, the situation worsened drastically. § 129 Ib of the Austrian Criminal Code of 1852 remained in force after 1938 and, unlike the rest of the German Reich, also criminalised female homosexuality. Different authorities took those persecuted to court, to prisons, concentration camps or psychiatric wards. Many of them did not survive the persecution.
https://www.erinnern.at/themen/jahresthema-2023-ns-verfolgung-homosexueller