Commemorating the Children of World War II in Poland : Combative Remembrance

This book explores contemporary debates surrounding Poland's 'war children', that is the young victims, participants and survivors of the Second World War. It focuses on the period after 2001, which saw the emergence of the two main political parties that were to dictate the tone of the politics of memory for more than a decade. The book shows that 2001 marked a caesura in Poland's post-Communist history, as this was when the past took center stage in Polish political life. It argues that during this period a distinct culture of commemoration emerged in Poland - one that was not only governed by what the electorate wanted to hear and see, but also fueled by emotions.-- Provided by publisher Preface 5 Acknowledgements 15 Contents 18 List of Figures 19 1 The Three Concepts: Childhood, Emotions, Memory 20 Childhood 21 Public Memory 27 Emotions and Combative Remembrance: The Book’s Argument 34 2 Children in World War II: Poland and Beyond 40 Displacement 41 Imprisonment and Annihilation 48 Resistance 57 The Children of Europe: From Destruction to Survival 60 3 Pensive Sadness: The Forgotten Children’s Camp in Litzmannstadt/Łódź 70 A Penitentiary or a Concentration Camp? 71 The Making of Pensive Sadness: Survivors and the State 74 Unpicking Pensive Sadness: The Children of Survivors 80 No More Pensive Sadness: NGOs and Citizens 86 Individuals and Sadness 90 Conclusion 92 4 Moral Panic: The Child Soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising 95 Children in the Warsaw Uprising 96 Venerating the Little Insurgent 102 Moral Panic Ensues 107 Moral Panic and Edutainment 110 Moral Panic Subsides 114 Conclusion 118 5 Morbid Pleasure: Children in Death Camps 121 The Pedagogy of Memory: Education at Former Death Camps 124 Children at Majdanek Death Camp 127 “Elementarz” 130 Conclusion 140 6 Jingoistic Rage: The Kindertransport Memorial in Gdańsk 142 Gdańsk and the Remnants of the Past 143 Local Citizens Express Dissatisfaction 146 Poland Makes Orphan Culture 150 The Surge of Jingoistic Rage 155 The Absence of Children 158 Conclusion 161 7 Afterword: From Commemorative Frenzy to Commemorative Fatigue 164 Bibliography 170 Index 187 Front Matter ....Pages i-xxi The Three Concepts: Childhood, Emotions, Memory (Ewa Stańczyk)....Pages 1-20 Children in World War II: Poland and Beyond (Ewa Stańczyk)....Pages 21-50 Pensive Sadness: The Forgotten Children’s Camp in Litzmannstadt/Łódź (Ewa Stańczyk)....Pages 51-75 Moral Panic: The Child Soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising (Ewa Stańczyk)....Pages 77-102 Morbid Pleasure: Children in Death Camps (Ewa Stańczyk)....Pages 103-123 Jingoistic Rage: The Kindertransport Memorial in Gdańsk (Ewa Stańczyk)....Pages 125-146 Afterword: From Commemorative Frenzy to Commemorative Fatigue (Ewa Stańczyk)....Pages 147-152 Back Matter ....Pages 153-175 "This book expolores contemporary debates surrounding Poland's 'war children', that is the young victims, participants and survivors of the Second World War. It focuses on the period after 2001 which saw the emergence of the two main political parties that were to dictate the tone of the politics of memory for more than a decade" -- back cover