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Forging a new Heimat : expellees in Post-War West Germany and Canada

Maeder, Pascal. (2011) Forging a new Heimat : expellees in Post-War West Germany and Canada. Transkulturelle Perspektiven, Bd. 10. Göttingen.

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Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A5618449

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Abstract

In the aftermath of World War II, twelve million German expellees lost their homes in Central and Eastern Europe. The overwhelming majority came to occupied Germany. However, expellees found themselves also stranded in Western Europe, Africa and the Americas, which is often overlooked by researchers and the public. Going beyond the standard narratives of flight, vigilante evictions and transfers, this book follows expellees in West Germany and Canada and shows, for example, how German prisoners-of-war, exilees or immigrants experienced the expulsions in distant Canada. As the author illustrates making extensive use of oral histories, their experiences were an integral part of the multi-faceted expellee story even though they were physically absent from their homes. Juxtaposing the record of two countries with disparate public discourses on immigration, the author also reveals how in both countries expellees eventually adopted national identities which, based on their ethno-regional heritage, reflected their experience of extreme nationalism, war and expulsion as well as the initially difficult settlement into a new political, social and cultural environment.
Faculties and Departments:04 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > Departement Geschichte > Ehemalige Einheiten Geschichte > Historisches Seminar
UniBasel Contributors:Maeder, Pascal
Item Type:Book
Book Subtype:Authored Book
Publisher:V & R unipress
ISBN:978-3-89971-805-8 ; 3-89971-805-4
Number of Pages:296 S.
Note:Note: Thesis -- Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Authored book
Last Modified:21 Jun 2013 12:25
Deposited On:07 Dec 2012 13:01

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