BROADCASTS.com

Every semester when I get to the point in World Civ when we\u2019re talking about Nazi Germany, I ask my students to guess how many camps and ghettos there were. I get guesses anywhere from a few, to a few dozen, to a couple thousand. When I tell them that the true number is above 40,000, I get astonished stares and a barrage of \u2018your kidding\u2019 (and stronger words).\n\nThe camps and ghettos were an essential part of the Nazi system.So today we\u2019re beginning a five part series dedicated to the camps and ghettos in Germany, the areas Germany controlled and in Germany\u2019s allies. Later this summer we\u2019ll hear from Sarah Helms, Nik Wachsmann, Dan Stone and Shelly Cline.\n\nThe series starts, however, with an interview with Geoff Megargee. Geoff is the general editor of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum\u2019s Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos (Indiana University Press 2009-).This is a monumental project. Each of the first two volumes runs well over 1000 pages and includes an enormous amount of information. Once the series is done, it will probably exceed 10,000 pages.\n\nThe result will be an almost unprecedented addition to our understanding of the Holocaust. I\u2019ll talk with Geoff about the process of creating the Encyclopedia and about how the accumulation of knowledge about specific camps can reshape our understanding of the Holocaust as a whole.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/genocide-studies