Leo ·
No I think you would be surprised if someone attempted genuine scholarship and it was clear they weren't biased, trolling or worse. If they approached the topic with the right amount of solemnity and respect I believe they would be able to have an open dialogue with historians about the facts.
Its not appropriate to assume some of the harsh response we see for holocaust deniers and revisionists is an indication of harmful bias at a systemic level that wouldn't allow genuine scholarship. You have to take into account that the following could both be true:
a. most of the holocaust deniers have been bad actors and were not doing genuine scholarship but were clearly biased and possibly knowingly propagandizing for a dangerous ideology.
b. there are groups and individuals actively fighting a propaganda war intentionally trying to push a historical narrative with the intention of harming a particular community or politically empowering their own dangerous community.
Given these, its understandable why many might resort to a default negative attitude towards this topic leading to rejection and marginalization. But you would have to prove that this attitude precludes genuine scholarship.
If someone thought they had an interpretation of the evidence that challenged the currently accepted narrative, and they presented it with the respect, thoroughness and care it deserves, I think they would get by with nary a scratch.
If you have evidence otherwise, of seemingly genuine attempts at scholarship leading to negative consequences, lets review it