Memory and World War II: An Ethnographic Approach

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.

Table of Contents:
Foreword--Michael Lambeck * Introduction--Francesca Cappelletto, University Of Verona, Italy * Remembering the Resistance in Popular Theatre: A Basque Controversy--Sandra Ott, University Of Nevada, Reno * War Remembrance and Social Relations in the Village of Ziakias--Riki Van Boeshoten, University of Thessaly, Greece * Public Memories and Personal Stories: Recalling the Nazi-Fascist Massacres in Central Italy--Francesca Cappelletto, University Of Verona, Italy * The Anecdote in the Concentrationary Memory--Laurent Vergne, CNRS, France * Reconstructing Life In Violent Eras: A Comparison of Emigre and Native Narratives--Roger Petersen, MIT * World War II Comes to an Istrian Village--Rudolph Bell, Rutgers University * Memory Making among Gentry in Poland--Longina Jakubowska, University of Amsterdam

About the Author :
Francesca Cappelletto is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Verona.

Review :
'This is a rich and readable collection, full of vivid, moving vignettes from the memories of sufferers. The contributors also raise many significant questions about memory, violence and interpretation of civilians' experiences of occupation and its aftermath in bitterly divided countries'.Elizabeth Tonkin, Professor Emerita of Social Anthropology, Queen's University of Belfast'A very important and thought provoking international collection of essays. At a time in which mass destruction and terror are once again a daily experience for countless people in many parts of the world, these essays can help us try to make sense not only of the past but also of our own traumatic present.'Alessandro Portelli, Professor of Anglo-American Literature, University 'La Sapienza' Rome'First hand accounts of World War II will soon themselves be a thing of the past. This timely volume presents a range of empathetic yet critically sophisticated studies of ordinary people's memories of th