Rebecca Wittmann

Rebecca Wittmann is an Associate Professor of History in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research focuses on the Holocaust and postwar Germany, trials of Nazi perpetrators and terrorists, and German legal history.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in History, University of Toronto (specializing in Modern Europe, Germany, and the Holocaust)

Professor Wittmann's research centers on the Holocaust and its aftermath in postwar Germany, with particular emphasis on the trials of Nazi perpetrators and terrorists. She examines how the German legal system confronted the crimes of the Nazi regime and the challenges of prosecuting individuals within a bureaucratic machinery of destruction. Her work also explores the role of survivor testimony and the construction of historical narratives in legal settings.

Professor Wittmann's scholarly output demonstrates a consistent focus on the intersection of law and history in the context of Nazi crimes and their aftermath. Her articles, published in leading journals such as German History and Central European History, analyze the complexities of the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial and other postwar trials, exploring themes of legal accountability, historical memory, and the challenges of narrating the Holocaust within judicial frameworks. Her research also extends to comparative studies of terrorism trials and the process of Vergangenheitsbewältigung (coming to terms with the past) in divided Germany.

Her contributions to the field have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including:

• Fraenkel Prize in Contemporary History for her book Beyond Justice: The Auschwitz Trial
• Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
• Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
• Fellowship from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Fellowship from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)

Professor Wittmann has received significant research support through fellowships from major institutions, as listed above. While the text does not enumerate her current graduate students, as an Associate Professor in the Department of Historical Studies, she is actively involved in supervising graduate research in her areas of expertise.