Acoustic Assaults on the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concourse

Sonic violence was a deliberate and effective tactic used by SS guards at Auschwitz-Birkenau to instill fear, disorient prisoners, and ensure compliance during the deboarding process. The study reveals that amplified commands, antisemitic slurs, barking, beatings, and gunshots created a chaotic acoustic environment that inflicted both physical and psychological trauma on Jewish arrivals. Survivors' memoirs and interviews were analyzed using methods from sound and sensory studies to demonstrate how this sonic assault led to mental paralysis and lasting sensory memories of the genocide. The research underscores the profound impact of auditory violence in the perpetration of mass atrocities.

Sewell, S. A. (2024). Acoustic Assaults on the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concourse. Holocaust and Genocide Studies, 38(3), 340–359. https://doi.org/10.1093/hgs/dcae046