Sarah Ernst (they/them/theirs) is a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Southern California's Van Hunnick History Department under the advisement of Wolf Gruner. Their current dissertation project, “(Un)Belonging: Queer(ing) Life in the Holocaust and Beyond,” uses categories of estrangement and belonging to conceptualize the different layers of community and understandings of self that emerge when many identities are persecuted on various levels. Delving into the experiences of queer individuals in 20th-century Germany, special focus is given to the narratives of those living during the Third Reich who were targeted by the Nazis in mass killing programs, including Jewish, Sinti/Roma, and disabled individuals.

 

Their dissertation research has been supported through various workshops and conferences. They have also received funding support from the German Historical Institute’s Fritz Thyssen Pre-Dissertation Fellowship, the Beth and Arthur Lev Student Research Fellowship, and the USC Ralph and Jean Hovel Memorial Summer Travel Award, among others. 

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During their time as a PTL Project Advocate, Sarah research, wrote, and produced a profile resource kit on Annette Eick, a Jewish lesbian who fled Nazi Germany. The profile will be added to our LGBTQ+ Stories from Nazi Germany page soon. 

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Reflecting on their motivation to join the PTL Project, Sarah states, "Ever since reading Pink Triangle Legacies and then learning about the Project, I wanted to get involved. My dissertation work aligns directly with the call of the project to think about queer lives during the Third Reich, so I jumped at the chance to get involved here! In the world we live in now - especially where I am based in the USA - public history is needed not only to document the lows but the highs of people existing as they are, in all their LGBTQ+ identity. I hope my involvement will help to continue to spread not only awareness, but spark some more fruitful conversations between public history, the academic side of queer Holocaust history, and activism/community action."