engleski

The intergenerational dynamics of family remembrances of World War II: Dalmatian refugees in El Shatt (1944-1946)

After the capitulation of fascist Italy in September 1943, a nazi German offensive resulted in a large exodus of civilians from Dalmatia, especially the islands. The transport of refugees was organised by Yugoslav Partisan leadership with Allied logistical support. Refugees were transported by ship via the island of Vis and southern Italy to their final destination—El Shatt refugee camp in Egypt. From February 1944 to March 1946, El Shatt refugee camp on the Sinai Peninsula was home to more than 30, 000 people. Despite the difficult living conditions in the desert, social life was organised in the camp, with a focus on adult labour and the education of children and youths. The camp also had a cemetery, where 715 refugees were buried. This research shall use semi-structured interviews. Our sample population consists of families whose ancestors were refugees in El Shatt. The general goal of this paper is to examine the methods and dynamics by which family remembrances of El Shatt are transmitted. We shall affirm respondents' views on memories of El Shatt, as well as individual and family interpretations of traumatic events from their family history ; we shall then examine how family remembrances are transmitted among older and younger members of the family. Finally, we shall observe the relationship of family memory towards modern politlcal narratives in the historical heritage of the local community. In order to encompass intergenerational transmission of practices and collective action among families whose members were refugees at El Shatt, we intend to use qualitative analysis to examine how family members' escape to El Shatt influenced their descendents' understanding of their own political participation. We are also interested in how refugees later transmitted and used practices they learned and used during their time in the refugee camp.

family, memory, WW2, migration, El Shatt, Dalmatia

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