Lara Fricke

Department: Palestine Studies
Discipline: Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies

Project Summary

My current research (PhD) is exploring the "denial of Palestinian narratives, trauma and identity in post-Holocaust Germany". The thesis hypothesis that the perception of the connection between Israel, Germany and Palestinians being a “moral triangle” has been considered taboo, because the role of the Palestinians in this dynamic is widely denied. Even though Palestinians are the indirect victims of the Holocaust and the occurrence of the Nakba (the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in historic Palestine in 1948) follows the logic of a post-Holocaust chain of events, the commemoration of the Holocaust, influenced by a claim of uniqueness, leaves no space for the acknowledgement of other traumatic histories, particular of the Palestinians.

This research uses Critical Discourse Analysis and draws upon literature from the fields of sociology, memory studies, and decolonial studies. 

Supervisory Team

My first supervisor is Prof. Ilan Pappe (IAIS Exeter) and my second supervisor is Dr. Charles Masquelier (Sociology, Exeter).

Wider Research Interests

In addition to Palestine Studies, my main interest is Gender Studies, which was an important part of my MA education and my current teaching practice. 
As part of my PhD, I am learning more and more about Memory Studies and Decolonial Studies, which is something I would like to pursue further.