Elie Wiesel and A Legacy of (Post-)Witnessing

This article explores how the relationship between a victim/survivor in a Shoah testimony and the audience (e.g., the listener, reader, or scholar) is shaped by the account, and inquires how the relationships may evolve when there are no survivors left. I argue that survivor testimonies pass the role of witness to the audience, thus intertwining the processes of witnessing (i.e., experienced by a victim or survivor) and post-witnessing (i.e., experienced through testimonies or other first-person accounts)-especially in the case of scholars. This study uses the survivor Elie Wiesel's work as a case study to demonstrate that the role of a witness can become a transferable legacy. To examine this topic, I draw on current post-witnessing theories, Affect Theory, a hermeneutic approach to Wiesel's testimony, and a particularly evocative passage by Primo Levi that depicts gazing on someone which inflicts shame in the one looking.

Automated summary

This article explores how survivor testimonies pass the role of witness to the audience, intertwining the processes of witnessing and post-witnessing, especially for scholars. Through a case study on Elie Wiesel's work, the author demonstrates that the role of a witness can become a transferable legacy. The study draws on post-witnessing theories, Affect Theory, hermeneutic approach, and a particularly evocative passage by Primo Levi.