Remnants of Auschwitz: the witness and the archive

176 Pages·1999·6.7 MB·English

by  Giorgio Agamben

11omo Sacer Ill
Translated by Daniel Heller-Roazen
Re1nnants of Auschwitz
The Wit11ess and the Archive
Giorgio Aga1nben
ZONE BOOKS· NEW YORK
1999
0 •9.'i9 Giorgie> Agamben
ZONE P.OOKS
611 llroadw;~y, Sult~ 6o8
New York, NY to£JJ1
All rightJi t~served.
No part <lf thi~ book may he reproduced, slored. in a
l'drleval sy::otem, or tran~1nlt1ed in :any form or by any
mean:;, includillg dc!cttollk, mechanical, phottx<npying,
mi<•rnfilming, lecordiug, or otherwi.~e. (P.Xcf':pt for that
mpying permitted by s~ctious !O"J and 108 of the u.s.
Copyright Law 11ncl e:xr.ept by te\·iewer:s for the p11hlk
pres~} without written ptl'n\l~lon from the :Publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
D:istribnted by The MIT l'ress,
Camhridge, M-llsr>achttsl'HS, and Londm1, England
Library of Congre-.~s C<~taloging·in-Puhltc.ation Data
Agamht~n, Giorgio, l9.P·-
!Quel ch;: r;:.~sta di Aust:hwitz. English]
Remnants of Auschwitll'i :the witness ut1hbe
archive / Giort,rio Agamheo: ; translate<! hy
Daniel Heller Roazt>-11.
p. •:m.
lndudt'.'! bihliographical rcfC".renct\8.
ISDN l·8_9o9,r;f-H)-l (cloth).
I· Holo<:au.~t. Jewish (1939-194-S)-P4!r~cm~l na:rra·
lives-Histtiry and criticl$m. !. Holocau~t. Hwish
(1939·194-5)-Moral and e:thk-al a.sped3 :J· Auschwitz
(Com:_e;ntration camp) 4· l'oststrurtma1iw. J. Title.
Dl!o4.195·AB '20QO
Contents
.Pr~j'ace 1 1
Tite Witness 15
li "l11e A1uselmann 4 t
III Shame, or On the Subject 8 7
IV The Archive and Te~tirnony 137

In memoriam
Bianca Casalini Agambcn
"To he exposed to everything is to be t~apahle of everything:'
To Andrea. Daniel. and Guido who, in discussing these pages
with me, allowed them to come to light.

And then it shall t:()me to poaEs .in t.hat day~ that t:he
remnant Qf h:rael, and .such as are eSt:al•¢d. ,,f the hou~e
of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that !!mote
them; bl1t shall .stay upon the Lord, the.Holy One of
lsrad, ii1 truth.
The remnant shall he $4Vcd, even the remnant of
Jacob, unto the mighty God.
I:sai<th 10: 20-22
P.w!n .so then at this present tinu~ also there is tl
remnant ac<:onling t<:J the elcctiott (Jf grace, ... and so
all fsraeJ ~hall be s;wed.
RomaiL~ H: 5-·26