Join Dr Katie Stone for this event as part of the Evening Talks Series by Academics on Peace and Reconciliation.

Eighty years after the defeat of National Socialism, one word still has the capacity to provoke heated debate across the political spectrum: “Befreiung,” or liberation. When Berlin announced a one-off public holiday to commemorate Germany’s “liberation from National Socialism and the end of World War II,” the right-extremist party Alternative for Germany led the dissenting voices. Had 8th May really marked the end of violence and the start of freedom for most Germans? Had Germany’s women truly encountered Allied soldiers as liberators and not aggressors? This talk is about the importance of language in allowing German women to tell their stories of defeat—on their own terms and for the purposes of reconciliation rather than propaganda.

Dr Katie Stone is an Associate Professor of German Studies at the University of Warwick. Her research focuses on how women’s involvement in National Socialism and their experiences of World War II—especially sexualized violence—have been remembered.

The recommended age for this event is 16+

Please note, this event will include references to wartime sexualised violence.

This event is organised by University of Warwick School of Languages and Cultures and Shared By Resonate.