Fathoming the Holocaust: A Social Problems Approach (review)

In Fathoming the Holocaust, Ronald J. Berger brings a sociological perspective to key issues in Holocaust history in a new and insightful manner. He applies "a general theory of social problems construction" (p. 1) to his study of the "Final Solution," from its origins to the emergence of conflicting postwar collective memories. In so doing, he broadens our understanding of this dark chapter of modern history.

Berger's synthesis of sociology and Holocaust history moves beyond the confines of some of the traditional debates, reframing them in new and important ways. As he notes, "the Holocaust begs for sociological insight" (p. 9), which he provides by applying both social problems and social movements theory. In Fathoming the Holocaust, Berger links Holocaust history to current sociological ideas about how social problems are defined in the public arena and how they form the basis for collective action. Equally important, this book brings sociological theory and analytical tools to historians, demonstrating the utility of these tools in the explication of important questions in Holocaust history.

In the first chapter, Berger provides a brief but critical overview of the relevance of the work of classical social theorists such as Marx (on class structure), Weber (on bureaucracy), and Durkheim (on the collective conscience and moral order). He then introduces the theoretical linchpin of the book: social problems constructionism. Typically, a social problem, or "a social condition that is perceived as troublesome or wrong," is assumed to exist in society as some objective condition, such as deprivation or inequality. But it is critical that readers understand that social problems are "also constituted by subjective definitions, that is, by the ways in which we interpret and assign meaning to the world" (p. 16). Social problems constructionism thus analyzes social problems as the activities, or the "social problems work" (p.17), of individuals and groups seeking to create or assert a grievance or claim about some perceived social wrong.

Claims-making activities tend to follow a natural history, beginning with the creation and emergence of a group's claim (in which the group identifies and defines the "social problem"). Then these activities shift over to efforts to build formal and/or informal public support for the claim (in which the group persuades others that a problem exists and that remedial action is needed, and provides a series of practical proposals for the problem). These efforts are typically followed by the emergence of counter- claims and actions by groups resistant to the activities, definitions, or proposals of the claims-making group. Using a contextual rather than a strict constructionist approach, Berger carefully evaluates claimsmakers' assertions and activities, as outlined above, in relation to the sociohistorical context of the Holocaust and conditions of the time. He thereby avoids the problems of excessive subjectivity and relativism inherent in many postmodern and strict constructionist views.

In the following chapters, Berger analyzes the social construction of the "Jewish Problem" and developing Nazi solutions (chapter 2), the social organization and bureaucratic implementation of the Final Solution (chapter 3), the problems of resource mobilization for resistance by Jews, Germans, and third parties (chapter 4), the politics of postwar construction of national Holocaust memory in Israel and Germany (chapter 5), and the popularization and Americanization of the Holocaust in recent years (chapter 6). In each chapter, the author shows how major issues and historical controversies may be cast in terms of the construction of social problems and of claims-making activities. He encourages readers to reflect broadly on the scholarly literature of the Holocaust and to weigh some of the classic and ongoing debates in a new light. These chapters are interesting, persuasive, and well-written.

For example, in chapter 2 Berger delineates how Nazi claims against the Jews emerged from traditional Christian antisemitism and shifted politically over time to incorporate claims based on German nationalism and pseudoscientific racial theory (p. 24). The author explains how the Nazi party, like other successful social movements, was able to...