the Aryanization of Jewish History under the Nazi regime

Despite continuing debates about the role played by German historians in the Third Reich, current scholarship examines the work that was conducted under the title of "Judenforschung" during the period of National Socialism merely as a marginal practice, or as a part of "Ostforscung". In that, it ignores the fact that this body of research, predominantly carried out in the humanities and the social sciences, established itself in the Nazi state with a number of institutions. Furthermore, it represents the most obvious intersection of historical research and anti-Semitic propaganda, as well as National Socialist anti-Jewish ideology and politics as expresses in practices ranging from expulsion to extermination. In light of the continued use of its findings, generalizing characterizations of Nazi and anti-Jewish research as "pseudo-scientific" seem to evade the subject rather than respond seriously to the challenges it poses. The article examines anti-Jewish scholarship in the Third Reich, its institutions and players, as well as its goals, themes and methods. It also analyzes the function and practices of anti-Jewish research within the coordinates of scholarships, propaganda, ideology and politics.