THE PREDICAMENT OF TESTIMONY

THIS PAPER DEALS WITH THE CONCEPT OF WITNESS LITERATURE, FOCUSSING ON THE COMPLEX PREDICAMENT OF POST-TOTALITARIAN TESTIMONY. ONE IMPEDIMENT ORIGINATES IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL BACKGROUND2 UNDERMINING THE CONCEPT OF SUBJECTIVITY ITSELF, BY THE DESTITUTION OF THE SUBJECT OF ITS AUTHORITY TO INTERPRET THE HISTORIC EXPERIENCE OF CONTEMPORARY MAN, ESPECIALLY THAT OF TOTALITARIANISM ELIMINATING TESTIMONY BY ACTUAL EXTERMINATION OF WITNESSES. THE ERASURE OF ALL PROOF AGAINST THE PERPETRATING TOTALITARIAN POWER AND THE TYPE OF EXPERIENCE ITSELF POSE FURTHER LIMITATIONS: EXPERIENCING THE CONCENTRATION CAMP OR THE COMMUNIST POLITICAL PRISON BECOMES DIFFICULT TO RECALL, SINCE IN EXTREME SITUATIONS OBLIVION BECOMES AN INSTINCTUAL PROTECTION REFLEX. ANOTHER OBSTACLE IS THE FACT THAT MOST POTENTIAL WITNESSES ARE NOT LEFT ALIVE, THUS UNABLE TO TESTIFY. THE SURVIVOR OF TOTALITARIANISM MUST TESTIFY BOTH FOR HIMSELF AND FOR MOST OF HIS COMPANIONS SILENCED BY DEATH. HIS INCAPACITY TO ACCOUNT FOR THE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE IS DENOMINATED BY CURRENT CRITICISM AS THE LACUNA OF TESTIMONY. THERE ARE FAR LESS SURVIVORS OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMP OR OF THE COMMUNIST PRISON COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL WITNESSES WHO HAVE PERISHED BUT THIS VERY IMPAIRMENT ONLY PLACES ADDITIONAL EMPHASIS UPON THOSE FEW SURVIVING WITNESSES, UPON THOSE TESTIMONIES THAT CAN BE SHARED.

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