David Boder Research Seminar: Reflecting on His Work, Life and Legacy 80 Years After

Please join us for the David Boder Research Seminar on October 6–8, 2026, at the American University of Paris and online to reflect on the life, work, and legacy of psychologist Dr. David Boder, 80 years after his groundbreaking postwar testimony project.

View the seminar schedule here.

In the summer of 1946, psychologist Dr. David Boder began one of the first audio testimony projects with survivors of the Holocaust. He interviewed approximately 130 people, both Jewish survivors and non-Jewish bystanders, at displaced persons centers in four European countries. Most interviews were recorded in the language of the interviewee’s choice and later transcribed and translated into English.

Boder sought to raise awareness among the American public about the Holocaust and the experiences of Jewish displaced persons in Europe. He also understood his interviews as a record for future study. Reflecting on the people he interviewed, he wrote, “I did not interview the dead,” a phrase that became the title of his first book on the project.

As we mark 80 years since Boder’s innovative project, the seminar will consider his work in relation to early postwar Holocaust testimony and to fields including social psychology, ethnography, oral history, linguistics, literature, social history, refugee studies, and Jewish studies.

More information about Boder’s project and access to his postwar interviews with survivors are available through the Fortunoff Video Archive.

Registration is required for all guests outside of the American University of Paris (AUP) community.

In-person attendance is limited, and guests will need to
register by October 4 and present a valid ID to AUP security upon arrival. Online attendees will be able to listen to the discussions but will not have the opportunity to ask questions.

Register here for the David Boder Research Seminar.

The seminar is sponsored by the Diana and Eli Zborowski Center for the Study of the Aftermath of the Holocaust and the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem, the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University, and the George and Irina Schaeffer Center for the Study of Genocide, Human Rights and Conflict Prevention at the American University of Paris.