Traumatic Memories of the Second World War and After

This collection investigates the social and culturalhistory of trauma to offer a comparative analysis of its individual, communal,and political effects in the twentieth century. Particular attention is givento witness testimony, to procedures of personal memory and collectivecommemoration, and to visual sources as they illuminate the changing historicalnature of trauma. The essays draw on diverse methodologies, including oralhistory, and use varied sources such as literature, film and the broadcastmedia. The contributions discuss imaginative, communal and political responses,as well as the ways in which the later welfare of traumatized individuals isshaped by medical, military, and civilian institutions. Incorporatinginnovative methodologies and offering a thorough evaluation of currentresearch, the book shows new directions in historical trauma studies.

Peter Leese is Associate Professor of History at theUniversity of Copenhagen, Denmark. His publications include Shell Shock:Traumatic Neurosis and the British Soldiers of the First World War (2002), andBritain Since 1945: Aspects of Identity (2006). Together with Jason Crouthamelhe is also the co-editor of?Psychological Trauma and the Legacies of the FirstWorld War (2016).

Jason Crouthamel is an Associate Professor of History atGrand Valley State University, USA. He is the author of An Intimate History ofthe Front: Masculinity, Sexuality and German Soldiers in the First World War(2014) and The Great War and German Memory: Society, Politics and PsychologicalTrauma, 1914-1945 (2009). He is also the co-editor, with Peter Leese, ofPsychological Trauma and the Legacies of the First World War (2016).