Summary
In this presentation, I will explore how geographic principles enhance Holocaust education, emphasizing spatial thinking, geographic inquiry, and geospatial technologies. Drawing from professional development courses and curricula, I will highlight three key themes: the varying scales of the Holocaust, the geographies of camps and ghettos, and the spatial ideologies behind Nazi policies. Maps, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and visual tools will be essential for examining these topics. I will discuss the Holocaust within its geographic and historical contexts, illustrating how geography frames the spatial organization of Nazi genocide— from ghettoization to extermination. I will also show how geospatial technologies and mapping reveal patterns and offer insights at both city and national levels. Finally, I will address the role of spatial thinking in Holocaust commemoration, connecting geographic education to civic engagement and historical reflection.
Session Focus
Secondary/High School | World History | Geography of the Holocaust, GIS
Conference Room
Lewis
Meet the Presenter
Alberto Giordano is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Texas State University. He has served as President of UCGIS, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science and is the current Interim Director of the Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education at Texas State University. Alberto is a founding member of the Holocaust Geographies Collaborative, a network of researchers and scholars interested in bringing geographical approaches, methods, and perspectives to the study of the Holocaust and other genocides.
