Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This complex story is engagingly told through highly readable life histories and analysis, and provides much to think about concerning the aftermath of traumatic histories."—Francesca Merlan, Australian National University
"Jakob brilliantly traces the transgenerational impact of World War II, and the trauma and shame of Germany's dark past that still haunts individuals and scars families. A searing inquiry into the multilayered meanings of public rituals, social memories and emotional suffering of a generation—painfully struggling with the inheritance of war and loss. An outstanding achievement."—Assa Doron, Australian National University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Between 'Mastering' and 'Silencing' the Past –Public Commemorations of World War II
2. "Why do you Have to Dig Around in the Past?" –Conversations About World War II in German Families
3. Better 'Sick' Than 'Strange' –The Kriegsenkel Movement and the Desire to Legitimize Suffering
4. "Hooray, I am a Kriegsenkel!" –Suffering and Liberation in the Age of Therapy
5. The Invisible Wounds of War –Kriegsenkel Accounts of Transgenerational Transmission
6. The Losses and the Shame of War –Absence in Kriegsenkel Narratives
Conclusion
Appendix –Interview Structure and Sample Questions
Bibliography
Index
