Discursive Construction of History

HANNES HEER works in Hamburg, Germany as a writer and exhibition organizer. From 1993 to 2000 he worked at the Hamburg Institute for Social Research, directing the first Wehrmacht exhibition. He has written numerous publications on National Socialism, the Wehrmacht and post-war recollection. WALTER MANOSCHEK is Professor of Political Science and chairs the Department for Government at the University of Vienna, Austria. His research and publications focus on politics of the past, the political system of National Socialism and Holocaust Studies. ALEXANDER POLLAK is Re

• Notes on Contributors Preface with Acknowledgements; H.Heer, W.Manoschek, A.Pollak & R.Wodak Preface to the First Edition: 'How History Is Made' - The Origins and Aims of the Project; R.Wodak Introduction: Collective Memory, National Narratives and The Politics of the Past; H.Heer & R.Wodak PART 1: THE WEHRMACHT AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE MEMORY OF THE WAR GENERATION The Crimes of the Wehrmacht in the Second World War; W.Manoschek The Holocaust as Recounted in Wehrmacht Soldiers' Letters from the Front; W.Manoschek The Attitudes and Beliefs of Austrian Soldiers in the German Wehrmacht 1938-45: W.Manoschek 'That is What is So Terrible - That Millions of Soldiers Were There, Yet Today They All Claim They Never Saw a Thing'; H. Heer PART 2: THE WEHRMACHT IN COLLECTIVE MEMORY AFTER 1945 Defining the Victims of Nazism; G.Sandner & W.Manoschek The Myth of the 'Untainted Wehrmacht'; A.Pollak 'The Appalling Toll in Austrian Lives...'; S.Loitfellner All that Remains of the Second World War; A.Pollak PART 3: REACTION TO THE WEHRMACHT EXHIBITIONS Crime Scene: Wehrmacht Exhibition; A.Pollak & R.Wodak The Head of Medusa; H.Heer Interpreting the 'War of Annihilation'; H.Uhl Glossary Print Media References Index

'Ruth Wodak and her interdisciplinary team shed light on the Wehrmacht crimes during WWII as well as their subsequent reception and representation. The volume gives an excellent overview of this important part of the history and aftermath of the Holocaust. Its specific layout and structure can also serve as a paradigm for comparable studies.' - Dirk Rupnow, Forum: Qualitative Social Research ...the questions of collective memory and public discourse raised in these empirical studies are...of the highest importance...This book, rich in detail and ethical clarity, deserves a wide readership.' - John D.H. Downing, Southern Illinois University, Discourse and Society '...an accomplished collection of articles written on a high level with findings of scholarly interest.' -Jewish Political Studies Review 'The book under review is welcome as a contribution to the history of the exhibition in particular and thus of German "memory politics" in general, as well as to discourse analysis and historical society. It is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking volume.' - Journal of Genocide Research