• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF REFORM AT A GERMAN PRISONER OF WAR CAMP IN A CANADIAN NATIONAL PARK DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (1943–1945) A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Adrian Myers May 2013 © 2013 by Adrian Timothy Myers. All Rights Reserved. Re-distributed by Stanford University under license with the author. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/ This dissertation is online at: http://purl.stanford.edu/yc370rj6066 ii I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Barbara Voss, Primary Adviser I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Ian Hodder I certify that I have read this dissertation and that, in my opinion, it is fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Ross Jamieson Approved for the Stanford University Committee on Graduate Studies. Patricia J. Gumport, Vice Provost Graduate Education This signature page was generated electronically upon submission of this dissertation in electronic format. An original signed hard copy of the signature page is on file in University Archives. iii ABSTRACT During the height of the Second World War pressure from Great Britain resulted in the transfer of thousands of German prisoners of war (PoWs) from British to Canadian control. To house them, Canada built a system of PoW camps, including Riding Mountain Camp in southwestern Manitoba. The PoWs sent there soon realized their good fortune: they lived in warm barracks, ate abundant food, and were able to purchase goods from a mail order catalog. But while the PoWs were well treated, they were at the same time subjected to a concerted reeducation campaign organized by the Allies. This reveals that these Canadian camps were not merely warehouses for the PoWs, but in fact, classic reforming institutions. Initially subjected to ideological training under Nazism, the PoWs were next subjected to another kind of education under the Canadians. Evidence collected from oral history interviewing, archival research, and three seasons of field archaeology combine to reveal that material culture was a key nexus in this competition for the minds of the PoWs. In addition to providing books and teaching courses on history and political science, the Canadians introduced the PoWs to a democratic, capitalistic way of life by familiarizing them with North American consumer goods and by allowing them to fraternize with Canadian civilians. The Nazi bureaucracy, in turn, used material things to try to keep the PoWs from turning to the other side. For example, by sending them crisp new Wehrmacht uniforms from Germany, heartening Christmas cards, and packages filled with German goods adorned with Nazi symbolism. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Though clichéd, it is also the plain truth that the completion of this project was not a solitary effort and plainly would not have been achieved without the support of what can only be described as a fabulous array of mentors, colleagues, friends and family. I state here without hesitation that the first mention must go to my primary thesis adviser at Stanford, Dr. Barbara Voss. Since it is impossible to explain everything she did for me in the five years, I will distill it thus: Dr. Voss is, simply put, the consummate graduate adviser. Any success I have had at Stanford, any kudos for completing this PhD relatively efficiently, is owed to her in equal part. Thank you Barb. In addition to Dr. Voss, through my postsecondary scholastic journey I have been blessed with generous guidance from both formal and informal advisers hailing from four institutions in three countries. For their support over five or more years I must thank Christopher Friedrichs at the University of British Columbia, Ross Jamieson at Simon Fraser University, John Schofield at the University of York, and Ian Hodder, Lynn Meskell, Mike Wilcox, and James Sheehan at Stanford University. Without family, I may have never surmounted the emotional toll of completing a project of this size. To my wife Stephanie this dissertation is dedicated, since she has stood by me from beginning to end. She was there when I was first discussing the very idea of going to graduate school, and she is still here as I complete the project half a decade later. Though she is not an archaeologist or an academic, her sharp thinking many times corrected my erring trajectory. To my father, Paul, I owe great thanks in particular for his many years of coaching on my writing. Anything that I can do with words I owe to him. My mother Letizia and sister Emily supported me through the years by listening and asking questions about me and my research, by hosting family dinners, and by visiting me in California. And to Lawrence and Daisy, and to Michelle, Amanda and Brandon, thank you for accepting me into your family! My thanking task is here made slightly easier by the fact that many of my closest friends are also archaeologists who served the double duty of simply being friends, v and of being able to discuss my project with ready keen input. In this regard special thanks are owed to Morgan Ritchie and Brent Fortenberry, my closest friends and my closest interlocutors on all things archaeology, in Canada and the United States respectively. For their questions and discussions about archaeology and all manner of things, and for moments of relaxation over many years, my heartfelt thanks also go to David Clark and Bruce Ledingham. A very particular and special thank you must go to Jerram Ritchie, who has supported this project in various ways since its inception: he was there as my assistant through two field seasons, he built and managed the project website, and he assisted with all manner of computer tasks. Easy conversation with Jerram and his stoic outlook in the field helped me get through long drives, difficult field conditions, and perplexing computer problems. A second special thank you goes to Michael O’Hagan, who has graciously helped me from his home base in Manitoba ever since I first contacted him about this project nearly five years ago. His knowledge of the history of PoWs in Manitoba is unparalleled, and his facility with the archival records made our week in Ottawa both fun and efficient. My fellow Stanford graduate students’ collegiality made the PhD program enjoyable and surmountable. Bryn Williams provided guidance to me over the full three years that I was on campus at Stanford. Brian Codding, Tim Wilcox, Stefanie Bautista, Alexandra Kelly, Bruce O’Neil, Patrick Gallagher, Maria Escallon, Adam Nazaroff, Trinidad Rico, Eleanor Power, Claudia Liuzza, Ian Simpson, Joshua Samuels, Rob Stephan and others were there to meet for a coffee or a pint or just talk in the halls many times over the years. Guido Pezzarossi and Lindsay Montgomery have been constant companions in the program at Stanford, and I owe them each deep debts of gratitude for much discussion, strategizing, and plain merriment. These two know how to step back and just laugh at it all. vi For discussion and advice and all manner of help I thank fellow young scholars Brent Fortenberry, Stacey Camp, Douglas Ross, Gabriel Moshenska, Daniel Contreras, Michael O’Hagan, John Chenoweth, Tim Dodson, Michael St. Denis, and Josh Allen. From the more established category of scholars and researchers, I thank Stan Copp, Fabio Amador, Bonnie Clark, Alfredo González-Ruibal, David Carter, Robert Henderson, Jeff Schutts, Richard Pollay, Ed Stozek, Bill Waiser, Michael Shanks, Ian Robertson, Chris Madsen, Eleanor Casella, and Jonathan Vance. For endless assistance in the bureaucratic realm at Stanford I thank Shelly Coughlan, and the rest of the Anthropology staff. This project was only possible due to the enthusiastic and generous support of the Parks Canada Agency, and particularly by the staff at Riding Mountain National Park and the Western and Northern Service Center in Winnipeg. Marty Magne was my first contact at Parks Canada—he encouraged me and put me in touch with the right people. Endless thanks are owed in particular to the indomitable Melanie Hindle, park ranger extraordinaire. At the Service Center, this project was supported in particular by Donalee Deck, Debbie Cochrane, Jennifer Hamilton, and Paul Downie. My deepest thanks to these excellent federal employees and to all Parks Canada staff. Major financial support was provided by Stanford University in the United States, and by The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in Canada. Additional support was provided by the National Geographic Society / Waitt Foundation, the University of Winnipeg Spletzer Family Foundation and The Royal Canadian Artillery Museum in Canada, and The Graduate Research Opportunity Fund and the Stanford Vice Provost for Graduate Education, The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, The Office of Community Engagement and the Haas Center for Public Service, The Department of Anthropology, and The Archaeology Center, all at Stanford University. In-kind support in the form of equipment, work space, and logistical assistance was provided by: Parks Canada and Riding Mountain National Park, The Stanford Archaeology Center, The Stanford Shared Field Measurement vii Facility, Brandon University, Simon Fraser University, and The GeoEye Foundation. Finally, support for travel to a conference was provided by The Society for Historical Archaeology. I received immense help from various libraries, archives, museums, private collections, and other repositories.

Load more

  306

Copy Link