Besetzte Räume: Alltag und soziale Interaktionen unter luxemburgischer Besatzung in Bitburg (1945–1955)

Translated title of the contribution: Occupied Spaces: Everyday Life and Social Interactions in Luxembourgish-occupied Bitburg (1945–1955)

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Abstract

The participation of Luxembourgish troops in the Allied occupation of Germany remains a blank spot in the historiography of 20th century Europe and has been hitherto completely ne- glected by international research on military occupations in general. This paper seeks to ad- dress this historiographical gap by providing a first archive-based case study of everyday life under Luxembourgish rule in the city of Bitburg. By drawing inspiration from the history of everyday life (Alltagsgeschichte) and history from below, this contribution puts everyday en- counters and social interactions between Luxembourgish occupiers and German occupied at its heart. In doing so, it strives to reassert the agency of the occupiers and occupied in their quo- tidian life instead of understanding them as mere passive receptors of top-down Allied politics. Based on an analysis of three different contested spaces – public space, semi-public space and private space – this paper not only uncovers the complex power dynamics between Luxem- bourgish occupiers and German occupied in their daily lives, but also aims to pave the way for a re-evaluation and supplementation of the rigid dichotomy of »occupiers« and »occupied« by proposing more nuanced categories of historical analysis that could be fruitful to further stud- ies on military occupations in general.
Translated title of the contributionOccupied Spaces: Everyday Life and Social Interactions in Luxembourgish-occupied Bitburg (1945–1955)
Original languageGerman
Pages (from-to)381–403
JournalFrancia. Forschungen zur westeuropaeischen Geschichte
Volume49
Publication statusPublished - 2022

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