After World War II, many European societies were in ruins, exhausted economically and often defeated mentally. Existing political systems fell, new ones were constructed and national borders were redrawn. Not even the “winners” of war could expect to return to pre-war “normality” – the war had inevitably and permanently altered societies and cultures. The transition to peace can be described as a new crisis facing society as a whole, as well as its individual members. In addition to the problems of politics, economics and reconstruction at a national level, “the crisis of peace transition” profoundly affected the lives of individuals and different social groups. The memory of war and its reinterpretations have carried the legacy of war to the present-day: it has been claimed that the European post-war era ended only in 1990s.

The War That Follows Peace is a joint research project of the University of Jyväskylä and Åbo Akademi University, Finland, funded by the Finnish Academy. We invite researchers and postgraduate students of History, Ethnology and other subjects of the Humanities or Social Sciences to present papers at the seminar COPING AFTER WAR, Transition to Peace and Challenges Facing Societies and Individuals in Europe after World War II. Papers which address state-level post-war management or grass-root experiences are welcomed. Papers may deal with the post-war experiences of any European region, nation or ethnic group.

The seminar will be held at the University of Jyväskylä, August, 13 and 14, 2007. The workshops and seminar themes have been provisionally divided as follows:

A. Social and Economic Issues

The war created economic and social issues that required immediate attention after the war, but which often took years or even decades to resolve. Urgent issues included the situation and status of veterans, widows, orphans, evacuees and other displaced people and groups. The often chaotic and unstable final stages of war and its aftermath resulted in restlessness within society. This restlessness manifested itself in crime and other norm breaking behaviours, which were often defined as “social problems”. The management of post-war social issues has been important in the creation of twentieth-century social security/welfare systems. Papers could address the following themes, for example:

- Re-integration of veterans and prisoners of war
- Social provision and social services for victims of war
- Social problems such as crime, alcoholism, prostitution
- Social work in post-war society
- Displacement and resettlement of refugees and ethnic minorities

B. Issues of Gender, Family and Sexuality

It has been observed that existing gender orders within societies are challenged by war, and one aim of the post-war society in Europe has been to restore the pre-war gender order. As well as questions of the distribution of work, this restoration has also been concerned with “the wounded masculinity” – especially in cases of defeat and invalidism. The sexual morals of men and women were supposedly loosened during the war, and the post-war era thus also witnessed the restoration of heteronormativity and the control of sexuality. Family life has been considered to be a major source of stability and continuity in post-war society. Themes for this workshop could include:

- Post-war gender order and the gendered distribution of work
- The “wounded masculinity” and restoration of the “militant manliness” among former soldiers
- Role of the family in post-war society
- “Loosened sexual morals” and reconstruction of normative sexuality

C. Issues of Myth, Memory and Trauma

World War II is central to both the collective remembrances of societies and individual, autobiographical memories. National myths were constructed as a result of the war and the memory of the war is constantly given new meanings. Memories of massive human losses, and the experience and memory of the holocaust have been embedded within post-war culture. A specific question has been raised about “the traumatic memories” of war: could the experience of loss, violence and defeat create “a traumatic past” for individuals and even entire societies? Papers in this workshop could discuss, for instance, the following themes:

- National myths of World War II
- Private recollections and public remembrance
- “Traumatic memory” of war and genocide
- Changing interpretations of war in “history-writing”

D. Issues of Readjustment and Post-War Identities

Not only war, but also post-war actions of the state and society affected people’s readjustment to civilian life. Returning to “normality” posed several challenges to people’s identities, physical and mental condition, and future prospects. Different coping strategies and experiences were reflected in society and culture, for example, in form of new political identities. Papers in this workshop could discuss, for instance, the following themes:

- Altered expectations and future prospects in post-war society
- New identities created by the war
- Mental problems during readjustment
- Return to normality vs. continued “rootlessness”

Proposals for papers should be submitted by April 2, 2007. Proposals should be one page and attached should be a short (maximum one page) description of the writer’s Ph.D. or any other ongoing research project relevant to the seminar’s themes.

Final workshop papers (maximum five pages) should be submitted by July 13, 2007. Enquiries, paper proposals and final papers should be preferably e-mailed as a Word or rtf file to:

Ville Kivimäki, Åbo Akademi University
ville.kivimaki@abo.fi

or

Kerttu Tarjamo, University of Jyväskylä Tarjamo@campus.jyu.fi