Overview

This book explores the material traces of mass crimes committed by Nazi Germans in Gdańsk Pomerania, Poland, during the Second World War, offering a unique archaeological perspective on these atrocities and their enduring impact on social memory. This book is the first example of using an archaeological approach to study the material traces of mass crimes in Gdańsk Pomerania and the social memory of these tragic events. The work is based on several years of intensive desk and field research, which led to the discovery of the remains of about 1,000 victims and the recovery of thousands of pieces of material evidence of the crimes. The applied research methodology and data analysis used within the book are informed by dozens of ethnographic interviews, participant observations and the analysis of several thousand historical documents. The monograph highlights the achievements of Polish archaeology of the contemporary past and introduces a new framework for perceiving and examining mass crimes from the Second World War. The active, inclusive, social and cultural value of archaeology in the context of the investigation of mass crimes is part of the theoretical and practical framework of the book. Providing a comprehensive resource for anyone seeking to explore the intersection of archaeology, history, and the legacy of mass crimes, this book is intended for students and researchers of archaeology, history, cultural anthropology and forensic anthropology interested in mass crimes, mass graves, the Second World War, and the materiality and social memory of historical atrocities.

Full Product Details

9781032733265

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Reviews

""No project on modern conflict archaeology is as necessary today as Dawid Kobiałka’s. His rigorous, multidisciplinary research on the Nazi crimes in Poland shows that there is still much to be learnt on the topic and that archaeology has something crucial to say about it: about the violence itself, about the victims and about the strategies of concealment. The archaeology of mass crimes is driven by a quest for memory, justice and knowledge. In a time when war crimes are becoming normalized again, reading this book is a must."" Alfredo González-Ruibal, Senior Researcher, Institute of Heritage Sciences, Spanish National Research Council. The Archaeology of Mass Crimes: Nazi Extermination in Gdańsk Pomerania, Poland is the first comprehensive archaeological investigation of Nazi mass crimes in Gdańsk Pomerania, transforming atrocity research from archival reconstruction into a forensic exploration of environment, artefacts, and memory. This book stands apart for demonstrating how the material remains of atrocity – bullets, rosaries, cufflinks, and wedding rings engraved with initials – can re-inscribe the dead into history and reorient the ethical responsibilities of the living. It is not only a regional case study but also a methodological landmark that sets a new standard for the archaeology of the contemporary past, genocide studies, and historical justice. Ewa Domańska, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland

Author Information

Dawid Kobiałka is an Associate Professor at the University of Łódź, Poland. He has published many works in the fields of contemporary archaeology, forensic archaeology, and modern conflict archaeology. He is the author of several books on this subject and dozens of scientific articles.

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