– Societies under German Occupation –

Experiences and Everyday Life in

WORLD WAR II


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Societies under German Occupation

Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II

The international research and editorial project Societies under German Occupation – Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II brings together leading academic institutions and renowned scholars from 15 European countries, in order to investigate the everyday experiences of local populations throughout Europe who lived under German occupation during the Second World War

The project Societies under German Occupation – Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II is led by Professor Tatjana Tönsmeyer (University of Wuppertal) and Professor Peter Haslinger (Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe – Institute of the Leibniz Association/University of Gießen).

Queue of „Postimees“-customers in Estonia in spring 1943, Bildarchiv Herder-Institut Inv.nr. 156159
societies under german occupation - Queue of „Postimees“-customers in Estonia in spring 1943, Bildarchiv Herder-Institut Inv.nr. 156159

News

Societies under German Occupation –
Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II

Herder-Institut, Marburg. Bildarchiv.
Societies under German Occupation - Reading in Hamburg
Societies under german occupation - Members of the project network during the annual meeting
Societies under german occupation - occupied societies in western europe: conflict and encounter in the 20th century

Project Description

Societies under German Occupation –
Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II

What we say about the project

Šis inovatyvus projektas labai naudingas Lietuvai. Jis padėjo surasti daug iki šiol nežinomų pirminių šaltinių, leidžiančių naujai pažvelgti į Antrojo pasaulinio karo kasdienybę. Šis projektas taip pat svarbus tuo, kad Lietuvos mokslininkai gali semtis patirties iš labiau patyrusių užsienio kolegų.

Dr. Darius StaliunasSupervisor for Lithuania

Het project brengt ongekende individuele bottom-up perspectieven op de bezettingservaring naar boven, opent nieuwe perspectieven voor comparatief onderzoek en haalt de Belgische ervaring uit de nationale kaders.

Dr. Dirk LuytenSupervisor for Belgium

Okupacja wszędzie była zła, ale w Busztegradzie jeszcze odrobinę gorsza” – pisał Czech Ota Pavel w swojej najbardziej znanej książce „Śmierć pięknych saren” (Tod schöner Rehböcke).  Jest bowiem rzeczą normalną, że każde społeczeństwo zwraca uwagę na własną przeszłość i własne cierpienia, z trudem zauważając i doceniając losy i tragedię innych. Projekt pokazuje rzeczywistość całej okupowanej Europy odwołując się nie do narracji historyków, lecz do dokumentów. Ich lektura pozwoli na wyciągnięcie własnych wniosków i stworzenie własnego, wolnego od mitów i niewiedzy obrazu wojennej przeszłości.

Prof. Dr. Jerzy KochanowskiSupervisor for Poland

International Network

Societies under German Occupation –
Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II

The project Societies under German Occupation – Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II is led by Professor Tatjana Tönsmeyer (University of Wuppertal) and Professor Peter Haslinger (Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe – Institute of the Leibniz Association/University of Gießen).

They are joined as General Editors by Professor Włodzimierz Borodziej (University of Warsaw), Dr. Stefan Martens (German Historical Institute Paris) and Professor Irina Sherbakova (MEMORIAL Moscow).

The wider international network comprises the following experts who supervise the research on the corresponding countries and regions:

Project Leaders

Prof. Dr.
Tatjana Tönsmeyer

University of Wuppertal · supervisor for Bohemia/Moravia (Protectorate) | Slovakia
 

Prof. Dr.
Peter Haslinger

Herder Institute Marburg/University of Gießen · supervisor for Hungary
 

As general editors they are joined by

Prof. Dr.
Włodzimierz Borodziej (1956-2021)

University of Warsaw ·
Poland
 

Dr.
Stefan Martens

German Historical
Institute Paris ·
supervisor for Channel Islands
 

Dr.
Irina Scherbakova

Moscow MEMORIAL ·
supervisor for
Russia

Staff

Dr.
Agnes Laba

Project Coordinator
University of Wuppertal ·
Germany

M.Sc.
Francis Ipgrave

Managing Editor
University of Wuppertal ·
Germany

International network

Dr.
Kusma Kozak

Belarusian State
University Minsk ·
supervisor for
Belarus
 

Dr.
Dirk Luyten

Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society Bruxelles/CEGESOMA ·
Supervisor for
Belgium
 

Prof. Dr.
Karl Christian Lammers

University of Copenhagen ·
supervisor for
Denmark
 

Prof. Dr.
Anu-Mai Köll

Södertörn University Sweden ·
supervisor for
Estonia
 

Prof. Dr.
Olivier Wieviorka

Ecole Normale
Supérieure de Cachan ·
supervisor for
France
 

Prof. Dr.
Gustavo Corni

University of Trento ·
Supervisor for
Italy
 

Dr.
Darius Staliunas

Lithuanian Institute of History Vilnius ·
supervisor for
Lithuania
 

Prof. Dr.
Benoît Majerus

University of Luxembourg ·
supervisor for
Luxembourg
 

Dr.
René Kok

Institute for War, Holocaust- and Genocide Studies Amsterdam/NIOD·
supervisor for
Netherlands

Prof. Dr.
Guri Hjeltnes

Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities Oslo ·
supervisor for
Norway

Prof. Dr. hab.
Jerzy Kochanowski

University of Warsaw ·
supervisor for
Poland
 

Dr.
Violetta Hionidou

Newcastle University ·
supervisor for
Greece
 

Prof. Dr.
Gelinada Grinchenko

Karazin Kharki National University ·
supervisor for U
kraine
 

Prof. Dr.
Milan Ristović

University of Belgrad ·
supervisor for former Yugoslavia
 

Former network members

Prof. Dr.
Tanja Penter

University of Heidelberg ·
former supervisor for
Ukraine

Prof. Dr.
Hagen Fleischer

University of Athens ·
former supervisor for
Greece

Hybrid Edition

Societies under German Occupation –
Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II

In order to cater for a diverse international audience, the edition will be published in hybrid form. This combines the advantages of a multiple-volume, printed publication in English with a digital project portal which presents the sources both in English and the original languages. The sources are transcribed, annotated and translated according to project-specific guidelines which ensure the highest scholarly standards.

The digital edition will include a number of facsimiles, in order to convey the visual and material qualities of selected sources, and advanced interactive search functions. The project portal will also offer additional, specifically developed features for teaching purposes. Preparations for the online edition are being made with the Trier Center for Digital Humanities which will be the main project partner for the digital implementation of the edition, and with the support of the Interdisciplinary Center for Edition and Documentation Studies (University of Wuppertal) and the Center for Media and Interactivity (University of Gießen).

socities under german occupation - rural-population-of-the-generalgouvernement-receiving-fabrics-with-special-rationing-cards-of-the-ernteerfassungsaktion-im-generalgouvernement-28-xi-1942
Rural population of the Generalgouvernement receiving fabrics with special rationing cards of the “Ernteerfassungsaktion im Generalgouvernement” which the German occupying powers introduced as rewards for the submission of agricultural products, 28.XI.1942, Collection CEGESOMA
 

Sample Sources

Societies under German Occupation –
Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II

The following sources offer an insight into the diverse genres, languages and visual qualities of the documents presented in the edition Societies under German Occupation – Experiences and Everyday Life in World War II. A number of facsimiles like these will be included in the digital edition. Transcriptions of the sources selected for the edition are produced on the basis of the digital copies obtained from the archives; the resulting transcriptions are then annotated and translated with reference to the original facsimiles.

Report on the “Situation and tasks of agriculture”, by. J. Andersons, head of the Latvian agriculture administration, [1942]

Report on the “Situation and tasks of agriculture”, by. J. Andersons, head of the Latvian agriculture administration, [1942]

Bundesarchiv Berlin (Federal Archive Berlin); R-92/477.

Writing of the command of Kaunas economy of August 2, 1941 to the commissar of the Kaunas city circuit regarding setting of ration to the civilians

Lietuvos centrinis valstybės Archyvas (Lithuanian Central State Archives); LCVA Fond R-615 Inv. 2 File 2, p. 11r).

Head-Office of Agiculture (Landwirtschaftliche Zentralstelle) in Cracow

Archiwum Akt Nowych w Warszawie (The Central Archives of Modern Records); AAN, LZ, 467, p. 11.

Report of the arrest on the Belgrade railway station of the peasant and his customer during the illegal sale of two piglets. Belgrade, 27 November 1941

Arhiv Srbije (Archives of Serbia); AS-G-6, F-37, nr. 8795.

KdS Litauen, Status report August 1943

Lietuvos Centrinis Valstybės Archyvas(Lithuanian Central State Archives); R 1399-1-61, Bl. 166-168.

The instruction of department of prices in the administration of Generalgouvernement about the fight with black market

Derzhavhyi arkhiv L’vivs’koi oblasti (DALO) (State Archive of Lvov Region); GALO, f. R.35, op 2, d.109, l. 10-11.

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Herder Institut Marburg
Für historische Ostmitteleuropaforschung – Institut der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
Gisonenweg 5-7 | 35037 Marburg


Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Fakultät für Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaften – Geschichte
Gaußstraße 20 | 42119 Wuppertal
Dr. Agnes Laba
Project Coordinator
Phone: +49 (0) 202-439 3201
E-Mail: laba@uni-wuppertal.de
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