Abstract

The Cambridge University German Society warmly invites you to our final talk of Lent Term as part of our Society Exchange Weekend with Oxford and London!

Professor Sir Richard J. Evans is Regius Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Cambridge and President of Wolfson College. His general area of research interest is modern German and European history since the mid-nineteenth century. He has worked extensively on movements of emancipation and liberation, crime and punishment, and the Third Reich and Holocaust denial.

Prof. Evans acted as principal expert witness in the high-profile David Irving libel trial before the High Court in London in 2000. The American historian Deborah Lipstadt was sued for libel by the British author David Irving after she referred to him as a ‘Holocaust denier’ in her 1993 book Denying the Holocaust. Prof. Evans who was hired by the defence to serve as an expert witness spent two years examining Irving’s work and played a key role in Lipstadt’s ultimately successful defence: he presented evidence that Irving had used forged documents, disregarded contrary evidence, and selectively quoted historical documents out of context, thus misrepresenting historical evidence in order to support his prejudices. [More on the David Irving libel trial: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_v_Penguin_Books_Ltd]

In his talk entitled ‘History and Holocaust Denial: a Trial and a Film’, Prof. Evans will speak about the David Irving trial and his own experience during that time. He will also discuss the critically acclaimed film Denial (2016) which was based on that case. [Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH7ktvUWaYo]

Please note that the talk will be held in English.

Everyone welcome! We look forward to seeing you there!