The Occupation Chronicles: Private Records of Public Stories in WWII France

FAIN: FT-57570-10

Nathan Bracher
Texas A & M University, College Station (College Station, TX 77843-0001)

My project, The Occupation Chronicles: Private Records of Public Stories in WWII France, will touch on questions of national identity, political ideology, personal ethics, and the relation of public affairs to private lives. I will complete a book on private journals telling various stories of history, ranging from their authors' own experiences of the war and the Occupation to reflections on the global conflict between the Allies and the Axis. Throughout the World War II era, many French people chronicled the vicissitudes of their personal lives while at the same time reflecting on the momentous upheavals of the time. My book will explain how these writings, which up until now have been largely neglected, provide a set of uniquely valuable insights into the French experiences of defeat, occupation, and liberation. Instead of focusing on the anecdotal, however, I will analyze the various ways in which journal writers tell their stories of history.