Awards
- Commended for W. Bruce Lincoln Book Prize 2023 (United States)
- Winner of Ernst Fraenkel Prize (United States).
- Winner of Ernst Fraenkel Prize 2020 (United States)
Overview
How do states and societies confront the legacies of war and occupation, and what do truth, guilt, and justice mean in that process? In Ghosts of War, Franziska Exeler examines people's wartime choices and their aftermath in Belarus, a war-ravaged Soviet republic that was under Nazi occupation during the Second World War. After the Red Army reestablished control over Belarus, one question shaped encounters between the returning Soviet authorities and those who had lived under Nazi rule, between soldiers and family members, reevacuees and colleagues, Holocaust survivors and their neighbors: What did you do during the war? Ghosts of War analyzes the prosecution and punishment of Soviet citizens accused of wartime collaboration with the Nazis and shows how individuals sought justice, revenge, or assistance from neighbors and courts. The book uncovers the many absences, silences, and conflicts that were never resolved, as well as the truths that could only be spoken in private, yet it also investigates the extent to which individuals accommodated, contested, and reshaped official Soviet war memory. The result is a gripping examination of how efforts at coming to terms with the past played out within, and at times through, a dictatorship.
Full Product Details
Author: Franziska Exeler
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.80cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.907kg
ISBN: 9781501762734
ISBN 10: 1501762737
Pages: 360
Publication Date: 15 April 2022
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Ghosts of War is a major achievement and should lend itself to wide use in classrooms and by researchers. It is poised to become standard reading for anyone interested in the Soviet postwar period. * The Russian Review * Overall, Exeler provides a multifaceted and well-narrated overview of Belarusian society during World War II and its aftermath * Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs *
Ghosts of War is a major achievement and should lend itself to wide use in classrooms and by researchers. It is poised to become standard reading for anyone interested in the Soviet postwar period. * The Russian Review * Overall, Exeler provides a multifaceted and well-narrated overview of Belarusian society during World War II and its aftermath * Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs * Ghosts of War well-researched and impressive work that deserves extensive attention. * Journal of European Studies * A well-researched and impressive work that deserves extensive attention. * H-Soz-Kult *
Ghosts of War is a major achievement and should lend itself to wide use in classrooms and by researchers. It is poised to become standard reading for anyone interested in the Soviet postwar period. * The Russian Review *
Author Information
Franziska Exeler is Assistant Professor of History at Free University Berlin. She is also a Research Fellow at the Centre for History and Economics, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge.
