Victoria Van Orden Martinez

Victoria Van Orden Martinez is a Researcher at Lund University's Department of History and Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, specializing in Holocaust studies, refugee experiences, and postwar knowledge production. Her work bridges history, migration studies, and gender studies, with a particular focus on how survivors of Nazi persecution who became refugees documented atrocities and shaped historical memory. She is affiliated with multiple research networks including NORAH (North European Center for Research on Antisemitism and the Holocaust), the Migrant Knowledge Network at the German Historical Institute, and the Nordic Jewish Studies Network.

Education:

• Ph.D. in History from Linköping University (2024)
• Dissertation: 'Afterlives: Jewish and Non-Jewish Polish Survivors of Nazi Persecution in Sweden Documenting Nazi Atrocities, 1945-1946'

Dr. Martinez's research centers on the intersection of Holocaust studies, gender, and refugee experiences, particularly focusing on how survivors became knowledge actors in documenting Nazi atrocities. Her work examines the Polish Research Institute in Lund (PIZ) archive, which was recently added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, analyzing how emotions functioned as vehicles of knowledge in survivor testimonies. She investigates how women survivors of Nazi persecution who were medical professionals navigated their careers after the war, and how displacement shaped historical memory and knowledge production.

Her scholarly output reveals a consistent focus on the materiality of Holocaust memory, the psychological dimensions of testimony, and the epistemic value of emotions in historical documentation. Martinez's work demonstrates how refugee communities created knowledge networks that documented atrocities while simultaneously processing trauma, with particular attention to how gender shaped these experiences. Her research bridges European and American scholarly traditions, connecting Swedish archival materials with broader Holocaust studies.

Scientific Awards:

• Nils Karlebys stiftelse för Skånsk Kultur och Historia, Stipendium (2025)

As an editorial board member of Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals and an Affiliated Non-residential Scholar at the USC Shoah Foundation, Martinez actively contributes to the development of methodologies for preserving and interpreting Holocaust testimony. Her work with the Ravensbrück archive at Lund University demonstrates her commitment to innovative approaches in historical research that center survivor experiences while examining the institutional frameworks that shape memory. She frequently presents at international conferences on topics ranging from Nazi concentration camps to refugee medical labor in postwar Sweden.

Dr. Martinez is deeply embedded in collaborative research networks including the Migrant Knowledge Network at the German Historical Institute and the National Network for Holocaust Studies in Sweden. Her work with the Polish Research Institute in Lund (PIZ) archive has positioned her as a key scholar examining how displaced persons documented their experiences and contributed to historical knowledge production. Through her participation in multiple international research initiatives, she continues to expand our understanding of how trauma, displacement, and knowledge intersect in the aftermath of genocide.