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The M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff in German Memory Culture: A Case Study on Competing Discourses

Ennis, Michael J
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1396530744

Abstract Details

2014, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Germanic Languages and Literature.
The sinking of the German M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff in the Bay of Danzig on January 30, 1945 is by many accounts the deadliest maritime disaster in recorded history. Although the ship was a valid military target within the context of World War II, most of the passengers were German civilians fleeing the Soviet advance. For many years, the survivors and their advocates argued that a focus on National Socialism and the Holocaust had complicated and politicized any attempts at publicly remembering and mourning the Gustloff in Germany. Recently, however, the ship has received increased attention in German high and popular culture, leading many to claim that a taboo has been broken. The dissertation investigates the shifts in textual and audio-visual representation of the Gustloff from the time of its sinking to the present in an attempt to locate and understand this cultural phenomenon within the greater context of a society perpetually coming to terms with its dark past.
Richard Schade, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Sara Friedrichsmeyer, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Harold Herzog, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
328 p.
Germanic Literature
Wilhelm Gustloff; Memory Culture Cultural Memory; Memory Discourse; Germans as Victims German Wartime Suffering; Vergangenheitsbewaeltigung; Aufarbeitung der Geschichte

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ennis, M. J. (2014). The M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff in German Memory Culture: A Case Study on Competing Discourses [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1396530744

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ennis, Michael. The M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff in German Memory Culture: A Case Study on Competing Discourses. 2014. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1396530744.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ennis, Michael. "The M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff in German Memory Culture: A Case Study on Competing Discourses." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1396530744

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1396530744
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This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.