New Books in Psychoanalysis Jan Borowicz, "Perverse Memory and the Holocaust: A Psychoanalytic Understanding of Polish Bystanders" (Routledge, 2024)
May 21, 2025
Jan Borowicz, a cultural studies scholar and psychotherapist from the Institute of Polish Culture, shares his insights on Holocaust memory and Polish bystanders. He discusses the indifference to violence and its psychoanalytic implications, drawing parallels between historical and current humanitarian crises. Borowicz explores the complexities of denial and memory and how they shape Polish identity amid transgenerational trauma. He emphasizes the importance of confronting painful histories to foster empathy and prevent societal indifference.
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Current Border Crisis Echoes Holocaust
- Jan Borowicz observed the brutal treatment of immigrants at Poland's border today.
- This contemporary crisis helped him understand Holocaust-era bystander denial and disavowal in Poland.
Perversion in Holocaust Memory
- Perversion in Holocaust memory involves sexualized violence, protective denial, and dual realities.
- Perversion creates simultaneous knowing and not knowing, allowing acknowledgement without emotional engagement.
Indifference to Violence Is Impossible
- Indifference to violence is impossible; it leaves an enduring impact on the witness.
- Witnessing violence infiltrates society and individual memory, challenging the notion of detachment.