Rund zwölf Millionen Deutsche verloren nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg ihr Heim in Mittel-und Osteuropa. Der größte Teil davon kam ins besetzte Deutschland. Meist bleibt in Forschung und Öffentlichkeit unbeachtet, dass sich auch Deutsche aus den Vertreibungsgebieten in Westeuropa, Afrika und Amerika befanden. Dieses Buch richtet seinen Blick auf Vertriebene in Westdeutschland und Kanada und zeichnet damit Erfahrungen nach, die in den Standardnarrativen zu Flucht und Vertreibung nicht vorkommen. So dokumentiert der Autor die Vertreibungserfahrungen von deutschen Kriegsgefangenen, Exilanten und Einwanderern, die in der Ferne Kanadas ihr Hab und Gut verloren. Auch derartige Erfahrungen gehören zur facettenreichen Geschichte der Vertreibung. Der Autor verglicht zwei Länder mit grundlegend unterschiedlichen öffentlichen Diskursen zur Einwanderung. Er stellt außerdem dar, wie in Westdeutschland und Kanada Vertriebene schließlich nationale Identitäten aushandelten, die, basierend auf ihrem regionalen Kulturerbe, ihre Erfahrungen mit extremem Nationalismus, Krieg und Vertreibung wie auch die mit einigen Hürden versetzte Anpassung an das neue politische, soziale und kulturelle Umfeld reflektieren.

Auteur
Dr. Pascal Maeder ist Assistent am Lehrstuhl für die Geschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts an der Universität Basel.

Texte du rabat

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, often overlooked by researchers and the public, expellees found themselves also stranded in Western Europe, Africa and the Americas. 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.

Échantillon de lecture
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.