Barnabas Balint

Research Topic

Accelerated Development into Adulthood: The Changing Roles of Young Hungarians During the Holocaust

Supervisor: Zoe Waxman

I am a Doctoral candidate in History at Magdalen College, with a specific interest in the history of the Holocaust and its impact on society. Before starting my DPhil, I completed my undergraduate degree in History at the University of Exeter in 2019 and my master’s at Oxford in 2020. My multi-lingual research (in English, French and Hungarian) combines the history of childhood, gender and identity to explore Jewish youth responses to persecution during the Second World War. I am currently focsuing on the experiences of Jewish youth during the Holocaust in Hungary under the supervision of Dr Zoe Waxman.

I have written, published and presented internationally on aspects of the Holocaust across Europe. I am also committed to having an impact outside the academy and have organized major outreach conferences for schools at the Universities of Exeter and Oxford. Furthermore, in support of Holocaust education and commemoration I have led ceremonies, written blog posts, conducted training sessions and spoken to UK national leaders including the Chief Rabbi, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and Prime Minister.

Activities

At Oxford, I convene the Holocaust Studies Reading Group, an informal community of students researching issues relating to the Holocaust that meets four times a term to discuss the latest scholarship and research. I am also co-convening an international workshop entitled Rallying Europe: Intersectional Approaches To Youth In The Mid-Twentieth Century at the University of Vienna in 2021 with proceedings to be published as a special issue of an Historical journal. As President for the Oxford History Graduate Network, I support students and help provide opportunities for us all to share and disucss our research interests. Outside of the academy, I am convening an Oxford Online Lecture Series for Holocaust Memorial Day 2021, bringing together members of the University, school and sixth form students, and members of the public to learn about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance.