Robert Coleman
PhD Student
- Baker Hall 225C
225C Porter Hall
Education
- B.A. in History, William & Mary, 2025
Interest Area(s)
Holocaust Studies; Jewish history; Eastern European Studies; Social History; Oral History; Memory Studies; Gender and Sexuality Studies; Cultural Production; Antisemitism
I specialize in Eastern European Jewish history and am especially concerned with the history and memory of the Holocaust in the former Soviet Union. Currently, my work seeks to employ musical life during the Holocaust as a lense to study collective memory, everyday life, gendered experiences, social dynamics, and interethnic/class relations in the ghettos of Belarus and Ukraine. Also, I am currently developing a digital archive that aims to consolidate and centralize musical initiatives created by Jews under Nazi persecution. Ultimately, I hope to humanize and underscore Jews' and locals' experiences in order to contribute to our understanding of the Holocaust as well as other genocides and mass atrocities.