Doris Bergen
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Doris Leanna Bergen (born October 19, 1960) is a Canadian academic and
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
historian. She is the Chancellor Rose and Ray Wolfe Professor of Holocaust Studies at the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, the only endowed chair in Canada in Holocaust history. Bergen is also a member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust, dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of the Holocaust. Opened in 1993, the museum explores the Holocaust through p ...
. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2018.


Early life and education

Bergen is of German and Ukrainian descent and was raised a
Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
in Saskatchewan. While her parents fled Ukraine in the early 1920s, Bergen had family in Europe who witnessed
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. After earning her
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
from the
University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...
, Bergen was educated at the
University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...
and
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
. While writing her PhD dissertation in North Carolina, Bergen studied under the direction of
Gerhard Weinberg Gerhard Ludwig Weinberg (born 1 January 1928) is a German-born American Diplomatic history, diplomatic and Military History, military historian noted for his studies in the history of Nazi Germany and World War II. Weinberg is the William Rand Ke ...
, a professor with a focus on World War II.


Career

Bergen began her academic career at the
University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...
in 1991. While teaching there, Bergen was also a visiting instructor at the Universities of
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
,
Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...
, and
Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
. In 1996, Bergen was hired by the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
in their history department. She specialized in 20th century German history, with an emphasis on the Nazi era and the Holocaust, and European women's history. During this time, Bergen published ''Twisted cross: the German Christian movement in the Third Reich'' which focused on the
Protestant Church Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes justification of sinners through faith alone, the teaching that salvation comes by unmerited divine grace, the priesthood of all believers, and the Bible as the sole infallible sourc ...
's response to Nazism. A year later, in 1997, Bergen held a Fellowship for Archival Research at the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust, dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of the Holocaust. Opened in 1993, the museum explores the Holocaust through p ...
. In 1999, Bergen was a fellow at the Institute on the Holocaust and Jewish Civilization at
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
. Bergen would later note that her interest in Holocaust studies grew from her personal connection to Mennonite communities. While keeping a strong focus on the stories of Jews during the Holocaust, Bergen was also interested in the oft-forgotten Holocaust victim groups such as the disabled, the Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and Polish civilians. After returning to Notre Dame, Bergen published ''War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust'' in 2003. This book analyzed the varying experiences of violence of different groups of perpetrators, victims, and other participants during the Holocaust. She later edited a book on military chaplains, published by
University of Notre Dame Press The University of Notre Dame Press is a university press that is part of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The press was founded in 1949, and claims to be the largest Catholic university press in the world. The ...
. In 2006, before taking a leave of absence, Bergen was elected Chair of the University Committee on Women Faculty and Students. In 2007, Bergen was named a full professor at the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
. She also replaced Michael Marrus as the Chancellor Rose and Ray Wolfe Professor of Holocaust Studies at the University of Toronto. This is the only endowed chair in Canada in Holocaust history. The following year, she was awarded the Graduate History Society Distinguished Service Award. After the 2009–10 academic year, Bergen was elected a senior fellow at
Massey College, Toronto Massey College is the postgraduate University of Toronto#Colleges, college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The college was established, built and ...
. In 2012, Bergen was awarded U of T's Ludwik and Estelle Jus Memorial Human Rights Prize and named a member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. While assuming this role, she was also selected by
Jason Kenney Jason Thomas Kenney (born May 30, 1968) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta from 2019 until 2022, and the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) from 2017 until 2022. He also served as the member o ...
as an Advisory Council Members for the International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. Two years later, in 2014, Bergen was named to the National Holocaust Monument design team. This monument in Ottawa was recognized with the 2018
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...
New York Design Award. In 2015, Bergen was selected as a final juror for the Laura Shannon Prize. Two years later, Bergen collaborated with photographer Edward Burtynsky to produce ''Chai'', a book featuring images from various Holocaust sites in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary. Following this, Bergen was one of eleven U of T professors elected to the
Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...
and sat on U of T's 2018–19 Policy Committee. She also serves on the Editorial Advisory Board for the
University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calendar. Its first s ...
' ''Genocide Studies International''.


Selected publications

*''Women, Gender, and the Church Struggle: The German Christian Movement's Quest for a Manly Church'' (1992). *''Twisted Cross: The German Christian Movement in the Third Reich'' (University of North Carolina Press, 1996). *''The Sword of the Lord: Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Centuries'' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2004). *(ed.), ''From Generation to Generation'' (''Lessons and Legacies'' v. 8) (Northwestern University Press, 2008). *''The Holocaust: A New History'' (History Press Ltd, 2009). * ''Alltag im Holocaust: Jüdisches Leben im Großdeutschen Reich 1941–1945'' (Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag: 2013). * ''War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust'' (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016). * ''Between God and Hitler: Military Chaplains in Nazi Germany'' (Cambridge University Press, 2023).


References


External links


Homepage
University of Toronto. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bergen, Doris L. Living people 1960 births Writers from Saskatoon Canadian Mennonites Mennonite writers University of Saskatchewan alumni University of Alberta alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto University of Vermont faculty University of Notre Dame faculty Canadian women academics Canadian women non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Canadian women historians Historians of the Holocaust