Even 65 years afer the end of World War II teaching about National Socialism and the Holocaust still is seen as a strong pedagogical challenge. Tere is no simple answer and no "best practice" which can be identified. Based on qualitative interviews which were conducted in the context of a study on current challenges in Holocaust Education I interpreted that especially in Germany teachers seem to struggle emotionally with this sensitive topics: Teir own vulnerablity, their wishes and their family biographies seem to influence the way they perceive both the pedagogical situation and their pupils. In this context, a social psychological interpretation also suggests, that large group identities are at stake, that is German teachers are confronted with unpleasant sides of being a German and, in part, try to get rid of these unpleasant feelings: I was surprised to find many simplistic statements on "Turkish pupils" with teachers falling behind their own abilities to differentiate. We interpreted these statements as projective tendencies, by which the "Turks" were symbolically excluded from the group of "our pupils". The article argues that it would be helpful both for pupils and teachers to acknowledge that Holocaust Education cannot but evoke complicated feelings. © Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen 2010.

Psychosocial studies Projection Large group identitiy Holocaust education Immigration

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