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Returning Memories
Former Prisoners of War in Divided and Reunited Germany
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2015
About this book
Provides the first comprehensive analysis of the history of returning German POWs after the Second World War, explored as a history of memory both during Germany's division and after unification.
Millions of former German soldiers (known as Heimkehrer, literally "homecomers," or returnees) returned from captivity as prisoners of war at the end of the Second World War, an experience that had profound effects on German society and touched almost every German family. Based on extensive archival research and oral history interviews, this book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the history of the German returnees, explored as a historyof memory, both during Germany's division and after unification. At its core lies the question of how the experiences of war captivity were transformed into individual and collective memories. The book argues that memory of the experience of captivity and return is complex and multilayered and has been shaped by postwar political and social frameworks.
Christiane Wienand is a historian and works in Heidelberg, Germany. She holds a PhD in Historyfrom University College London.
Millions of former German soldiers (known as Heimkehrer, literally "homecomers," or returnees) returned from captivity as prisoners of war at the end of the Second World War, an experience that had profound effects on German society and touched almost every German family. Based on extensive archival research and oral history interviews, this book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the history of the German returnees, explored as a historyof memory, both during Germany's division and after unification. At its core lies the question of how the experiences of war captivity were transformed into individual and collective memories. The book argues that memory of the experience of captivity and return is complex and multilayered and has been shaped by postwar political and social frameworks.
Christiane Wienand is a historian and works in Heidelberg, Germany. She holds a PhD in Historyfrom University College London.
Topics
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Frontmatter
i -
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Contents
vii -
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Preface
ix -
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Abbreviations
xiii -
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Introduction: Writing the History of Returnees
1 -
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1: Depicting Returnees: Contested Media Representations in East and West Germany
24 -
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2: Negotiating Victim Status: The Presence of the Past in Compensation Debates
92 -
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3: Giving Meaning to the Past: Narratives of Transformation and Conversion
133 -
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4: Interacting with the Past: Memory Projects of Returnees
175 -
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Epilogue: Transmitting Memories— Shaping Postwar Presents
227 -
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Conclusion
229 -
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Notes
237 -
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Bibliography
309 -
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Index
339
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
February 5, 2024
eBook ISBN:
9781782045304
Original publisher:
Camden House
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781782045304
Keywords for this book
Former Prisoners of War; Divided Germany; Reunited Germany; German History; World War II; Memory; POWs; Postwar Germany
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
