Die Leerstelle der Historiographie. Zur Praxis der Geschichtsreflexion im "Fall Eggebrecht"

The Historiographic Gap: On the Practice of Historical Reflection in the »Eggebrecht Case«
The »Eggebrecht Case« was characterized by strong reactions, heated debates and well-founded reflections by musicologists and historians. It showed that the Holocaust continues to challenge historiography and thus the academic concept of history, as it involves ethical motives, political interests and personal emotions. In this context, the »case« elicited different modes of argumentation, especially in German and American academic culture, in dealing with the history. In the light of all this, a reflection on the theoretical and material foundations of the discussion – its methods and sources – must show how its treatment is culturally conditioned, and takes effect in various, socially preconditioned perspectives of historical description.