Transformation von Gedächtnis zwischen wissenschaftlicher Rezeption und Popularisierung: Die posthume Verleihung des Friedenspreises des Deutschen Buchhandels an Janusz Korczak

Abstract

This article focuses on analysis of the international controversy provoked by the posthumous awarding of the 1972 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade to the Jewish‐Polish physician, pedagogue and writer Janusz Korczak (1878/79–1942). The controversy, which centred around the recipient of the prize money, can be identified as an important catalyst both for the popularisation of the Korczak movement and for the institutionalisation of Korczak research in Germany, particularly in the field of pedagogical research. The article investigates the various interests and goals of memory policy actors in academia, business, politics and the media, and emphasizes the very strong link between Korczak's oeuvre and Holocaust remembrance, in the light of correspondences, manuscripts and press reports about this award ceremony. The mechanisms of the reciprocal transfer of attention between scholars and the public are examined from the perspective of memory studies and the history of science, particularly with regard to their specific influence on the establishment of German‐language Korczak research.