MACMILLAN Family Life, Trauma and Loss in the Twentieth Century: The Legacy of War

This book uses personal memoir to examine links between private trauma and the socio-cultural approach to death and memory developed within Death Studies.  The authors, two key Death Studies scholars, tell the stories that constitute their family lives. Each bears witness to the experiences of men who were either killed or traumatised during World War One and World War Two and shows the ongoing implications of these events for those left behind. The book illustrates how the rich oral history and material culture legacy bequeathed by these wars raises issues for everyone alive today. Belonging to a generation who grew up in the shadow of war, Komaromy and Hockey ask how we can best convey unimaginable events to later generations, and what practical, moral and ethical demands this brings. Family Life, Trauma and Loss in the Twentieth Century will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines including Death Studies, Military History, Research Methods, Family History, the Sociology of the Family and Life Writing. Review “Family Life, Trauma and Loss in the Twentieth Century is a rich and engaging memoir that can be accessed by all, regardless of professional background or specialty. Indeed, its wide scope means that it will appeal to anyone interested in genealogy, material culture, military and social history, as well as death studies.” (Laura Towers, Mortality, Vol. 24 (1), 2019) Review “As so much has been written about death […] this particular genre offers new scope. It is, within itself, complex, yet graspable.” (Douglas J. Davies, Durham University, UK) “Hockey and Komaromy are two of the leading theorists of Death Studies and their extensive work in this field make this monograph not only profoundly interesting, but crucially important to the historical and sociological disciplines.” (Grace Huxford, University of Bristol, UK) “A hugely original and significant contribution to the field of death studies and related interests in loss and trauma.” (Arnar Árnason, Aberdeen University, UK) From the Back Cover This book uses personal memoir to examine links between private trauma and the socio-cultural approach to death and memory developed within Death Studies.  The authors, two key Death Studies scholars, tell the stories that constitute their family lives. Each bears witness to the experiences of men who were either killed or traumatised during World War One and World War Two and shows the ongoing implications of these events for those left behind. The book illustrates how the rich oral history and material culture legacy bequeathed by these wars raises issues for everyone alive today. Belonging to a generation who grew up in the shadow of war, Komaromy and Hockey ask how we can best convey unimaginable events to later generations, and what practical, moral and ethical demands this brings. Family Life, Trauma and Loss in the Twentieth Century will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines including Death Studies, Military History, Research Methods, Family History, the Sociology of the Family and Life Writing. About the Author Carol Komaromy is Visiting Research Fellow at The Open University, UK, where she has worked since 1994. Jenny Hockey is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Sheffield, UK.