Abstract

Of the thousands of children and young adults who fled Nazi Germany in the years before the Second World War, a remarkable number went on to become trained historians in their adopted homelands. By placing autobiographical testimonies alongside historical analysis and professional reflections, this richly varied collection comprises the first sustained effort to illuminate the role these men and women played in modern historiography. Focusing particularly on those who settled in North America, Great Britain, and Israel, it culminates in a comprehensive, meticulously researched biobibliographic guide that provides a systematic overview of the lives and works of this “second generation.”

Andreas W. Daum is Professor of History at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has authored several books on German and international history. A former John F. Kennedy Fellow at Harvard University, he is the recipient of fellowships from, among others, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Hartmut Lehmann became Professor of Modern History at the University of Kiel in 1969. He was the founding director of the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC, Director at the Max Planck Institute for History in Göttingen, and a research fellow at the University of Chicago, Princeton University, and the Australian National University in Canberra. He is a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“The contributions to this volume manage impressively to show the interconnections between life and work, describing the professional developments against the background of emigration as well as demonstrating the influence of the refugee experience on their historical works.” • Zeitschrift für Geschichtswissenschaft

“This book sheds new light on a hitherto little-researched subject and will remain a standard work for years to come. It provides an admirable overview of the very heterogeneous second generation in the USA, and will certainly stimulate further research in the field.” • German Historical Institute London Bulletin

“Especially the systematic approach turns the volume into an impressive stock-taking of a research area that should be examine further with innovative methods and original questions.” • H-Soz-Kult

“This book represents a deeply personal, intellectually challenging, and historically important undertaking. I cannot recommend highly enough a book that packs so much learning and passion, tragedy and promise, between two covers.” • James Retallack, Professor of History, University of Toronto; Killam Research Fellow 2015-17

“This volume brings together memoirs from key second-generation historians, reminiscences from colleagues and students, and a detailed reference section containing critical biographical and professional information. It is a valuable resource.” • Marion Deshmukh, George Mason University

James J. Sheehan is Dickason Professor in the Humanities and Professor of History Emeritus at Stanford University. He has written five books, most recently Where Have All the Soldiers Gone?: The Transformation of Modern Europe (2009). He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Orden Pour le Mérite. In 2005 he served as president of the American Historical Association.