Every-day War Beyond Collaboration and Resistance: Sport and Violence in West and East Europe Occupied by the Germans During World War II

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Anke Hilbrenner
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: from 2016 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 282942337

Sport during World War II in the territories occupied by the Germans executed a violent rule of occupation. It stabilized a fragile social order relying on military dominance and a racist world view. Those (im-)moral concepts were constructed by the meaning of sports and mediated by athletes, sport officials, and spectators. Under the circumstances of destruction, fundamental shortage of shelter and supplies, and the establishment of a racist social hierarchy as well as repression and mass murder, sport displayed a pretence of normalcy that was desired by occupants and the occupied alike. Sport thus became an agency (in terms of 'Eigensinn'). To take part in spectator sports could offer better supplies or other privileges within an environment of fear and need. Sport was part of the military drill. On the other hand it opened up scope for deviant behaviour, protest or subversion. Therefore the research of sport sheds light on the multi layered experience during war and occupation. The project aims at the research of experiences during World War II beyond the division in between collaboration and resistance. We want to reconstruct every day life during the occupation from a multitude of perspectives (beyond the devision in between occupant and the occupied). Occupation is contextualized as a transnational experience. Therefore we want to overcome the devision of European history of World War II in between East and West. The project thus targets at the integration of East and West European experience with war and occupation, therefore the case studies are located in transnational European borderlands: Alsace and Upper Silesia. We will thus research actors and circumstances of sport and occupation, using the methodology of every day history, intellectual history and new political history in transnational environments. Not only the historical experience of occupation is transnational, but also the memory of war and occupation. Therefore the project team relies on Mercator Fellows from different national backgrounds (Poland, France and Great Britain). Moreover we will organise workshops in Germany, France and Poland in order to transcend national scientific communities (as well as communities of memory) and create new international networks for the research of the complex topic of occupation during World War II beyond collaboration and resistance.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants