ABSTRACT
During the “Third Reich,” attempts were made by various actors to establish an independent field of “Judenforschung” (research on the Jews) beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. This consisted of research on Jewish history and culture by non-Jewish academics, from a decidedly anti-Semitic perspective. It was initially fostered by the establishment of non-university institutions and a lively conference and publishing circuit, yet later came to be institutionalized within the universities themselves. Largely as a result of the war in combination with German occupation and alliance-building policies, such research became increasingly internationalized and saw the formation of various European networks. In Germany, as well, there was a policy of concentrating and more closely coordinating the various institutions for “Judenforschung” and anti-Jewish propaganda. In this way, the regime again sought to mobilize the unifying function of anti-Semitism towards the end of the war. Though attempts were continually made to distinguish science and propaganda, their borders remained fluid.
