‘Illicit antiquities’? The collection of Nazi militaria in the Channel Islands
Change log
Authors
Carr, Gillian https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6683-5778
Abstract
This article explores the collection of Nazi or German militaria in the Channel Islands and the change in meaning that this practice has held for four generations of islanders from 1945 to the present day. Focusing on the role of children in building this trade in militaria, it examines why they have been the primary agents of collection and asks what meaning or value such objects hold for them. This article proposes the concept of ‘inherited nostalgia’ to explain the desire of the third and fourth generations for such objects. It also presents German militaria as ‘postmemorial objects’, and their display as a ‘postmemorial project’, as a way of understanding their meaning in this particular formerly occupied part of Europe.
Description
Keywords
Nazi militaria, childhood, value, inherited nostalgia, Channel Islands, looting
Journal Title
World Archaeology
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0043-8243
1470-1375
1470-1375
Volume Title
48
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Publisher DOI
Sponsorship
The fieldwork associated with this research was funded by the British Academy under Grant SG-45141, and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.