Simo Muir

Simo Muir serves as Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at Uppsala University's Department of History, specializing in Yiddish Studies and Holocaust Studies with particular focus on Nordic Jewish communities. His current research examines early Holocaust testimonies collected in Sweden through multiple cultural lenses.

His primary research investigates Yiddish-language witnessing in post-Holocaust Sweden, analyzing diverse expressions including survivor testimonies, memoirs, artistic creations (poetry, drama, songs), and diaries. He explores how these acts of witnessing functioned within survivor communities through journals, performances, concerts, and commemorative events, with special attention to psychological rehabilitation processes and trauma processing. His work critically examines both organized historical commissions and private initiatives documenting Holocaust experiences.

Recent publications reveal consistent focus on cultural memory preservation, particularly examining Yiddish theatre production in Sweden and Holocaust survivor music as forms of testimony. These works demonstrate how artistic expression served as psychological lifelines while creating enduring historical records of the "surviving remnant" in Swedish contexts.

Dr. Muir currently serves as Co-Investigator in the Swedish Research Council-funded project 'Witnessing for the Future. Holocaust, Sweden and Forgotten Early Testimonies' (2024-2026), collaborating with Professor Andrej Kotliartchouk and Associate Professor Karin Kvist Geverts of the Institute for Holocaust Research in Sweden. This major grant supports systematic analysis of previously overlooked early testimonies collected in Sweden.