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‘We became British aliens’: Kindertransport refugees narrating the discovery of their parents’ fates

‘We became British aliens’: Kindertransport refugees narrating the discovery of their parents’ fates
‘We became British aliens’: Kindertransport refugees narrating the discovery of their parents’ fates

This article utilizes a thick description to explore the post-war lives of Kindertransport refugees. In particular, it examines the spatial dimension of discovery: how the Kinder learnt of their parents’ murders or were reunited with them following years of separation. The article argues that distance and proximity are key to how the Kinder frame these difficult memories. While the parents may be absent in the public memorials dedicated to a redemptive portrayal of the scheme, they are certainly present within the Kinder’s own narratives. And it is these narratives we need to be more attuned to.

difficult stories, distance, families, Kindertransport, oral history, proximity
1750-4902
395-417
McDonald, Chad
fd9f9d68-ad7a-4e82-a88d-a2dbc623ce91
McDonald, Chad
fd9f9d68-ad7a-4e82-a88d-a2dbc623ce91

McDonald, Chad (2018) ‘We became British aliens’: Kindertransport refugees narrating the discovery of their parents’ fates. Holocaust Studies, 24 (4), 395-417. (doi:10.1080/17504902.2018.1428784).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This article utilizes a thick description to explore the post-war lives of Kindertransport refugees. In particular, it examines the spatial dimension of discovery: how the Kinder learnt of their parents’ murders or were reunited with them following years of separation. The article argues that distance and proximity are key to how the Kinder frame these difficult memories. While the parents may be absent in the public memorials dedicated to a redemptive portrayal of the scheme, they are certainly present within the Kinder’s own narratives. And it is these narratives we need to be more attuned to.

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28 06 2019 We became British aliens Kinderstransport - Version of Record
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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 31 January 2018
Published date: 2 October 2018
Keywords: difficult stories, distance, families, Kindertransport, oral history, proximity

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 432059
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/432059
ISSN: 1750-4902
PURE UUID: 0d4b3c4d-b6f2-4265-9d7d-95a7f95ca6fa

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Date deposited: 28 Jun 2019 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 12:29

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Author: Chad McDonald

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