Abstract

The quarter of Kazimierz provides an anchor for the memory of Jewish life in Poland. The tangible nature of the quarter promotes different modes of remembering. This ethnographic study investigates the role of material sites, objects and photographs in remembering the Jews of Kazimierz. First, the physical landscape of the quarter is introduced through a walking tour. The tour is supplemented with narratives of three Holocaust survivors who all share personal connections with Kazimierz. Also, the trade in Judaica and its role in the commemoration of Polish Jews is examined. In an exploration of three different categories of objects, their agency is problematized and accentuated. Lastly a photographic narrative of the quarter is presented. Through this visual record the construction and maintenance of the quarter as a place of memory is considered. The following include some of the notions this thesis incorporates: material culture, remembrance, collective memory, consumption and photographic representation.