ABSTRACT
Written in the midst of Nazi persecution, Holocaust diaries represent some of the most poignant sources of the era. Written from individual perspectives in real-time across the whole of occupied Europe, these writings prove particularly useful for studying and understanding the events of, and personal reactions to, the Holocaust. This chapter will discuss the recent development of historical studies which centre on Holocaust diaries, explain the various benefits of using diaries in Holocaust research, examine some of the limitations of these sources, and provide some sample methodologies of how scholars might approach Holocaust diaries in their work.
