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THE INCORPORATION OF WORLD WAR II EXPERIENCES IN THE LIFE STORIES OF ALUMNI FROM THE VRIJE UNIVERSITY IN AMSTERDAM: AN EXPLORATION AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN NARRATIVE, IDENTITY, AND CULTURE A Dissertation by ROEMER MAARTEN SANDER VISSER Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2007 Major Subject: Educational Human Resource Development THE INCORPORATION OF WORLD WAR II EXPERIENCES IN THE LIFE STORIES OF ALUMNI FROM THE VRIJE UNIVERSITY IN AMSTERDAM: AN EXPLORATION AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN NARRATIVE, IDENTITY, AND CULTURE A Dissertation by ROEMER MAARTEN SANDER VISSER Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Co-Chairs of Committee, M. Carolyn Clark G. Patrick Slattery, Jr. Committee Members, Jamie L. Callahan Tazim Jamal Head of Department, Jim Scheurich August 2007 Major Subject: Educational Human Resource Development iii ABSTRACT The Incorporation of World War II Experiences in the Life Stories of Alumni from the Vrije University in Amsterdam: An Exploration at the Crossroads Between Narrative, Identity, and Culture. (August 2007) Roemer Maarten Sander Visser, M.A., Vrije Universiteit Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. M. Carolyn Clark Dr. G. Patrick Slattery, Jr. For this study, twelve life stories of alumni from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, who were enrolled during the Nazi Occupation between 1940 and 1945, were collected and analyzed. Besides exploring the extent to which the interviews were co-constructed jointly by the interviewer and interviewees, this study addresses three questions. First, it acknowledges methodological concerns associated with an overabundance of narrative data, and suggests a new method for arriving at a core narrative based on the distribution of time. This core narrative can then be analyzed further. Second, it is suggested that early memories serve as identity claims; because of their congruency with the remainder of the story, they appear to foreshadow what is to come. As a result, it is argued that childhood memories merit special attention in the analysis of narratives. Third, and finally, the constraints on narratives imposed by cultural conventions, or master narratives, are explored. Narrators use a variety of strategies in order to satisfy sometimes competing demands on their narratives. It is argued that culture makes its influence felt in ways that are not always obvious, particularly if the interviewee and interviewer share the same culture. iv DEDICATION Voor Tessel en Clara: Het is nu aan jullie om je eigen verhaal te schrijven. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgments are cliché. I almost never read them, and for the longest time I intended to refrain from including them. The obligation to include them felt like yet another constraint, another master narrative imposed on me in telling my story. Now that the story is written, however, I realize that the credit is not mine to take. First, I would like to thank the participants in this study. Ik heb de vrijheid genomen om pseudoniemen voor U te gebruiken; ik was bang dat U uiteindelijk meer van Uzelf hebt blootgegeven dan wellicht aanvankelijk ingeschat. Uw (Engelse) pseudoniem begint met dezelfde letter als Uw echte naam, en dit geldt voor zowel de voornaam als de achternaam. Het heeft allemaal veel langer geduurd dan oorspronkelijk gepland; het leven heeft de vervelende neiging om bepaalde obstakels en andere afleidingen op je weg te brengen. Ik hoop oprecht dat ik voldoende recht heb gedaan aan Uw levensverhalen. Second, I would like to thank my writing group: Jennifer Reyes and Merna Jacobsen. I will never forget the feeling of misery and imprisonment on all those Saturday afternoons in the office. Misery does not love company; it demands it, and you were there to share it with me. But I got done and so will you. It is no understatement that I would not be done if it weren’t for the two of you. Long live Granite Shoals retreats! Of course, I am eternally indebted to my co-chairs, Carolyn Clark and Patrick Slattery. Patrick, your unwavering support and optimism have always been a positive stimulus for me, even if I didn’t always understand it. Carolyn, you went above and vi beyond the call of duty. You placed your faith in me at a time when failure was a very real risk, which would have had repercussions for us both. I can only hope that this final product does justice to the risk you took. There are many other people who have contributed to my success as well, either directly or indirectly. Mamma en pappa, hier is het tweede boek van mijn hand. Bedankt voor alle hulp, zorg, medeleven, en natuurlijk voor alles wat mij uiteindelijk in staat heeft gesteld om hier uberhaupt aan te kunnen beginnen. Ik zal er alles aan doen om onze kinderen op eenzelfde manier op te voeden; als wij het half zo goed doen is het een groot succes. Last, but not at all least, Lesley, my wife, my best friend, my love. You knew exactly what to do, what not to do, and when (not) to do it. You have the patience of an angel. Now that this is behind us, we can finally intertwine our stories more fully. I can’t wait to start the next chapter. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................................iii DEDICATION.............................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................vii LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1 Proloog .............................................................................................. 1 Setting the Stage ................................................................................ 2 II A NARRATIVE ON NARRATIVES: WHOSE STORIES ARE THEY? ......................................................... 51 Interviewing as Co-Construction ...................................................... 52 Cultural Factors That Influence Interviews....................................... 96 The Narrative Performance of Identity ........................................... 109 Narrative Truth............................................................................... 121 So Now What? ............................................................................... 123 III TOUCHDOWNS, VIGNETTES, AND DISTILLATIONS: A METHOD FOR HOLISTICALLY REDUCING NARRATIVE DATA .................................................... 126 Categorical Approaches ................................................................. 127 Holistic Approaches ....................................................................... 130 Distillation Method: Description ................................................... 134 Applying Distillation...................................................................... 142 Conclusion: Advantages and Limitations....................................... 169 viii CHAPTER Page IV CHILDHOOD MEMORIES AS IDENTITY CLAIMS....................... 173 Overview of the Literature ............................................................. 174 Participant 1: Jim Thurston............................................................ 177 Participant 2: Nancy van Eck......................................................... 194 Participant 3: Lee Zunker .............................................................. 202 Other Participants........................................................................... 213 Conclusion..................................................................................... 232 V PERFORMING CULTURE THROUGH NARRATIVE: “DOE MAAR NORMAAL, DAN DOE JE GEK GENOEG” ................ 234 A Dutch Cultural Master Narrative: Egalitarianism ....................... 237 A Wartime Master Narrative: Heroes Versus Cowards.................. 241 Story of Success: Adrian Kinslow ................................................. 245 Story of Regret: Lee Zunker .......................................................... 256 Conclusion..................................................................................... 268 VI CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 271 Directions for Future Study ............................................................ 271 Epiloog: Reflections on My Personal Journey................................ 276 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 282 APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................... 291 VITA ........................................................................................................... 292 ix LIST OF TABLES TABLE Page 1 The Names and Main Characteristics of Participants in This Study .............. 56 2 Comparison of an Audio-tape-based Transcript to a Video-tape-based Transcript ......................................................................... 84 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION PROLOOG These words before you,