Memory and World War II An Ethnographic Approach [Paperback]

Foreword by Michael LambekThe death and destruction of war leave behind scars and fears that can last for generations. This book considers the connections between memory and violence in the wake of World War II.Covering the range of European experiences from East to West, Memory and World War II takes a long-term approach to the study of trauma at the local level. It challenges the notion of collective memory and calls for an understanding of memory as a fine line between the individual and society, the private and the public. International contributors from a range of disciplines seek new ways to incorporate local memory within national history and consider whether memories of extreme violence can be socially transformed. Personal testimony reveals the myriad ways in which communities react to and reconstruct the horrors of war. What we learn is that terrifying experiences reside not only in memories of the past but remain embedded in present-day lives.Francesca Cappelletto is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Verona.

Foreword--Harvey Whitehouse * Introduction--Francesca Cappelletto * Remembering the Resistance in Popular Theatre: A Basque Controversy--Sandra Ott * War Remembrance and Social Relations in the Village of Ziakias--Riki Van Boeshoten * Public Memories and Personal Stories: Recalling the Nazi-Fascist Massacres in Central Italy--Francesca Cappelletto * The Anecdote in the Concentrationary Memory--Laurent Vergne * Reconstructing Life In Violent Eras: A Comparison of Emigre and Native Narratives--Roger Petersen * World War II Comes to an Istrian Village--Rudolph Bell * Memory Making among Gentry in Poland--Longina Jakubowska