The history of Egyptology in the Third Reich has long been tabooed and never been the subject of academic analysis. Based on extensive archival research in Germany, this lecture will provide an overview of personal biographies of Egyptologists under National Socialism. It will assess the range of their adaptation or opposition to the new regime and Nazi ideology– from the emigrants and those persecuted to scholars who saw themselves as "political leaders", actively militated for the new ideology and helped to implement it. The lecture will also demonstrate how some Egyptologists attempted to align Egyptology - the study of a "non-Aryan" civilization - with Nazi doctrine; in addition, the German Archaeological Institute in Egypt played an important role in Nazi propaganda in the Middle East. The history of Egyptology under National Socialism is an example of how tenets of academic and professional integrity succumb to political pressure; it also is essential in order to understand the present state and academic interests of the discipline.

Thomas Schneider is Professor of Egyptology and Near Eastern Studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, and Editor of NEA will be the speaker for this lecture. 

This lecture will take place at the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation located at 1245 East 2nd Street. Parking will be available at 2nd street garage. This event is free and open to the public.