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Collective Memory: American Perception as a Result of World War II Memorabilia Collecting

Monnin, Quintin M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1587402522418034

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, History.
The material culture of World War II has left a profound impact on American memory of the war at both a societal and familial level. This work examines psychological causes which motivated soldiers to collect battlefield souvenirs, as well as how those underlying psychological causes have affected American memory of the war at a familial and societal level. Five families which inherited World War II artifacts from family veterans were interviewed to ascertain the motivations of their veteran’s souvenir gathering as well as how the souvenirs impacted their memory of both the veteran as well as the war. To ascertain war artifacts’ impact at a broader societal level, surveys were distributed amongst militaria collectors asking them what initiated their collecting hobby and how war artifacts affect their interpretations of the war. The results of these interviews and surveys revealed two major unconscious motivations for World War II veterans’ souvenir hunting motivations as well as how the souvenirs impact American memory of the war both at both familial and societal levels. Veterans took war souvenirs primarily as a manner to seek revenge upon the enemies and war implements that traumatized them in the course of the war, and as a way to perpetuate their memories by symbolically living on through their artifacts. This revenge motive collecting is examined through the lens of trauma theory and soldiers’ attempts at recovery through it. The motive to collect to perpetuate memory after death is examined through the lens of terror management theory. The impact of these motivations, especially terror management, has led to the artifacts in family memory becoming catalysts for the “Good War” narrative of World War II in American memory. The artifacts, as viewed by families and collectors, perpetuate this narrative of veterans fighting the “Good War” in American history.
Walter Grunden, Ph.D (Advisor)
Rebecca Mancuso, Ph.D (Committee Member)
171 p.
American History; History; Psychology
WWII; World War II; Material Culture; Memory; War Trophies, War Souvenirs; Good War; Artifacts; terror management; trauma; Veterans; Soldiers; Collecting; Memorabilia

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Monnin, Q. M. (2020). Collective Memory: American Perception as a Result of World War II Memorabilia Collecting [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1587402522418034

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Monnin, Quintin. Collective Memory: American Perception as a Result of World War II Memorabilia Collecting. 2020. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1587402522418034.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Monnin, Quintin. "Collective Memory: American Perception as a Result of World War II Memorabilia Collecting." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1587402522418034

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1587402522418034
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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.