Ellena Matthews

Home Front Heroism

Civilians and Conflict in Second World War London

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Home front heroism investigates how civilians were celebrated as heroic during the Second World War, . It explores how conflict altered the relationship between the civilian and state, and how this shift created unique opportunities for civilians to behave heroically and be framed as heroic. From acts of life-risking bravery to displays of endurance, it illustrates how constructions of Home Front heroism were flexible and malleable, and directly linked to the impact of war. As the first comprehensive study of Home Front heroism, the volume surveys the spatial, material, corporeal and ritualistic dimensions of heroic representations. With a focus on London, it examines how heroism was manufactured through the way civilians occupied spaces of production and danger; the use of uniforms and gallantry medals; and in the way civilians were wounded and killed during periods of bombardment. It also interrogates why certain individuals or virtues were identified and raised as heroic, and the motivations behind such constructions. Drawing on a range of sources, including films, posters, art, legislation, government correspondence, newspapers, diaries and memoirs, this study reveals that Home Front heroism was produced on a national, local and personal level. It provides a valuable contribution to the study of heroism and promotes new ways of thinking about the meaning and value of heroism during periods of conflict. It will appeal to anyone interested in the social and cultural history of the Second World War as well as the sociology and psychology of heroism.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Lund University Press
• Seitenzahl: 328
• Erscheinungstermin: 4. Juni 2024
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781526162120
• ISBN-10: 1526162121
• Artikelnr.: 69727296

Autorenporträt

Ellena Matthews is a historian and civil servant