Ambient History - Material Traces of World War II in Contemporary Warsaw

The book presents the role urban fabric plays in constructing the wartime history of Warsaw. It focuses on history embedded in matter and details the practices followed by municipal institutions, artists and historical reenactors, who pull history out of the background through their actions.

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. Ambient history; 3. Warsaw; 4. Ruins - what remains in the background; 5. Marking space - pulling ambient history out of the background; 6. Foreground history; 7. From ambient to public history; 8. Conclusions

About the author

Kamila Baraniecka-Olszewska works in the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of Polish Academy of Sciences. She studied ethnology and Latin American studies. Her main areas of interest are the anthropology of religion and performance studies, and in particular forms of religious expression. She is the author of articles on contemporary religiosity, historical reenactments and of the books: The Crucified: Contemporary Passion Plays in Poland (2017) and World War II Historical Reenactment in Poland: The Practice of Authenticity (Routledge, 2021).

Product details

• Authors: Kamila Baraniecka-Olszewska
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 03.10.2025
• EAN: 9781032791241
• ISBN: 978-1-032-79124-1
• No. of pages: 240
• Illustrations: schwarz-weiss Illustrationen, Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Series: Material Culture and Modern Conflict
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); HISTORY / Europe / Germany, Europe, Eastern Europe, European History, HISTORY / Historiography, HISTORY / Europe / Poland, Second World War, The Holocaust, Regional Studies, Regional / International studies, Modern warfare, Modern Period, C 1500 Onwards, Archaeological Theory, HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / General, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General, ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES / Subjects & Themes / Military