Collective Guilt, Denial, and Punishment in Austria

Abstract This article argues that “collective guilt” about the Holocaust operates as an emotional complex, largely inscribed within experiences of Austrianness and Germanness, which affects public opinion and policy about Palestine and Palestinians. Israel’s mobilization of this emotional complex is a key component of its realpolitik strategy, serving as legitimization to inflict “collective punishment” on the Palestinian population and to remain uncensored. Besides, the article shows how collective guilt informed a compromise after ww 2 that created a new European subject, which informed international institutions claiming to act for humanity. The article concludes that “collective guilt” is at the root of the denial of Palestinian suffering in the German-speaking context, and the exponential criminalization and repression of pro-Palestinian expressions that especially target political activists and academics. The article also concludes that an efficient praxis to re-inscribe Palestinians (and others) within European notions of humanity needs to focus on both realpolitik and affect.