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

摘要

For this study, twelve life stories of alumni from the Vrije Universiteit inAmsterdam, who were enrolled during the Nazi Occupation between 1940 and 1945,were collected and analyzed. Besides exploring the extent to which the interviews wereco-constructed jointly by the interviewer and interviewees, this study addresses threequestions. First, it acknowledges methodological concerns associated with anoverabundance of narrative data, and suggests a new method for arriving at a corenarrative based on the distribution of time. This core narrative can then be analyzedfurther. Second, it is suggested that early memories serve as identity claims; because oftheir congruency with the remainder of the story, they appear to foreshadow what is tocome. As a result, it is argued that childhood memories merit special attention in theanalysis of narratives. Third, and finally, the constraints on narratives imposed bycultural conventions, or master narratives, are explored. Narrators use a variety ofstrategies in order to satisfy sometimes competing demands on their narratives. It isargued that culture makes its influence felt in ways that are not always obvious,particularly if the interviewee and interviewer share the same culture.