You are cordially invited to the Institute’s seminar featuring a talk entitled “Distortion of the Holocaust and Populist Politics in Central Europe” by Barbara Lášticová.
The seminar will present the results of an international research project funded by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Yehuda Bauer Grant, coordinated by the Center for Research on Prejudice at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, in collaboration with the Institute for Research in Social Communication of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Social Groups and Media Research Lab at ELTE Budapest. The project focused on how people in the region understand the history of the Holocaust and how these perceptions relate to contemporary social and political attitudes.
The results of a representative survey conducted in six countries (Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany) suggest that distorted views of the Holocaust are relatively widespread in the region. For example, many people believe that their own nation suffered more than Jews during World War II, while also significantly overestimating the extent of help provided to Jews by the majority population.
These distortions appear to be closely linked to so-called populist attitudes—namely, the belief that “the people” are in conflict with elites, and that history should primarily serve national interests. Nearly half of respondents think that interpretations of history should support the country’s current interests, and some even agree that certain historical facts should be concealed in order to protect the image of the nation.
An important part of the project also involved interviews with teachers in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. These revealed that the way the Holocaust is taught is strongly influenced by the current social and political climate. Teachers sometimes face pressure from parents or the broader school environment and may choose to omit or soften certain topics.
The seminar thus concludes the project and offers an overview of its main findings, as well as implications for practice—particularly for education and for teachers working in the fields of history and civic education.
If you are interested in online participation, please fill out this simple form: https://forms.gle/y2NjQ7tCMQDBsrE9A
Link to FB event: https://fb.me/e/dpc0lGfqQ
The seminar will take place on 18.5.2026 at 14:00 in a hybrid format (UVSK + online). This seminar will be in Slovak.
Registration is possible until May 15, 2026.
You will receive the access data for the online meeting on the day of the seminar.