Empire of Rags and Bones: Waste, War, and the Nazi Machine A Conversation with Dr. Anne Berg and Dr. Josh Andy

Join  CWB for a compelling conversation between Dr. Anne Berg and Dr. Josh Andy as they explore the themes of Empire of Rags and Bones: Waste and War in Nazi Germany. This discussion will delve into the critical intersections of environmental history, war economies, and Nazi ideology, examining how waste, recycling, and resource scarcity played a pivotal role in the Nazi regime’s war effort and broader vision. Dr. Berg’s groundbreaking research uncovers the hidden narratives of material consumption, exploitation, and destruction, offering fresh insights into the relationship between war, industry, and the environment. Don’t miss this thought-provoking dialogue on an overlooked aspect of World War II history.

Dr. Anne Berg studies the histories of waste and recycling, film and cities, racism and genocide. Trained as a historian of modern Germany and Europe, Anne increasingly ventures into more global terrain. Her research proceeds along a number of parallel tracks, connected by a sustained interest in the visual, the spatial and the material. Her first book, On Screen and Off: Cinema and the Making of Nazi Hamburg (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022) examines the processes by which local actors from welfare workers, cultural experts, to administrators transformed Hamburg into a Nazi city, using film and film discourse to articulate their ideas about how Nazism ought to work. Anne has published articles on the history of waste in Nazi Germany, the United States and South Africa. Currently, she is working on a book project that examines the disturbing connections between waste management and genocide in the Third Reich, entitled Empire of Rags and Bones: Waste and War in Nazi Germany. At Penn, Anne teaches courses on the history of National Socialism, world history, environmental history and the history of garbage.

Dr. Josh Andy is a passionate and accomplished educator whose journey into Holocaust education and Jewish history is both inspiring and unique. A member of the 2024 class of Righteous Among the Neighbors honorees—an award founded by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh to recognize allies combating antisemitism—Dr. Andy is deeply committed to raising awareness about genocide and fostering understanding.

While pursuing his doctorate in Russian and Eastern European history at the University of Birmingham, England, Dr. Andy discovered a profound personal and academic connection to Jewish history and culture. This journey deepened when a DNA test revealed his own Eastern European Jewish ancestry, further enriching his commitment to Holocaust education.

Since earning his doctorate in 2011, Dr. Andy has been teaching at Winchester Thurston School, where he leads a groundbreaking course on genocide with a strong emphasis on the Holocaust. He brings a vibrant and humanizing approach to his teaching by highlighting Jewish life before the Holocaust, emphasizing resilience, culture, and community. His curriculum evolves each year, shaped by the passions and interests of his students.