Between east and west : Romanian German identities since 1945

This thesis traces the development of Romanian German identity since 1945. It will deal with the way many of the major currents of post-war European history has forced Romanian Germans to reconsider their identity as a group. By looking at this very distinctive and much ignored community, this thesis will thus offer new insights into minority groups, identity formation, European cold war history, the study memory cultures and oral history. It will do so by initially examining how older narratives were invoked for telling stories about Romania German experiences during and after World War Two. It will examine, using oral history as its main source, the ways in which the experience of World War Two, fascism, communism. mass emigration and European Union enlargement have forced members of this community - both those in Romania and those who emigrated to West Germany - to redefine their group identity, through an examination of the types of stories which this community has told about itself.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo