"Places for the displaced"

Mehr zum Buch

Kittel's selection of ten biographical case studies, chosen based on the principle of 'maximal differences,' reveals not only contrasts and similarities but also the nuances and fractures in the retrospective reflections of concentration camp survivors. The interviews are summarized with critical attention to current research, offering a clear and vivid portrayal. Kittel's sensitive interpretation of the women's fears and self-doubts highlights the potential of oral history as a scientific method, showcasing the complexity and ambiguity of biographical self-reflection. The focus is on the survivors' experiences in concentration camps and their lives post-trauma, based on interviews with Jewish women from Poland, Hungary, Germany, the Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia, who emigrated to the USA as 'displaced persons' after World War II. At the time of the interviews, they were aged 66 to 87. Their narratives encompass their entire lives, addressing both their time in Ravensbrück and their subsequent experiences. The study centers on how these women reconciled their traumatic pasts with the pursuit of 'normality,' exploring their ability to build lives and families after profound identity loss. It examines the alignment of their self-image with their actions, considering individual fates, gender, nationality, and social structural factors.