German Civilian

Treatment of German Civilians After WWII

Write the historiography section of a research proposal. This should include not just those historians who have directly written about your topic, but also some indication of its theoretical underpinnings and how interest in topics like yours have developed historically through several schools of thought (no need to go all the way back to Herodotus!). Remember the historiography section of a research project should not read like an annotated bibliography, it needs to inform the reader about how the research is situated both within the particular sub-field and within the influences of school of historical thought and/or theory. Think about this as a chicken and egg situation – most often the topic is what occurs first to the student historian, but in order to get beyond the encyclopedic approach and writing an ACCOUNT of the topic, one needs to engage the historiography of both the topic and how you are going to approach it to get at the ANALYSIS. Too often the student historian struggles with coming up with an analytical approach to their very interesting topic because they are trying to reinvent historical theories they have somehow partially absorbed through osmosis. This assignment, therefore, requires you think deliberately and systematically through several possible applications of theory to a topic. What happens if you apply postmodern, postcolonial or feminist theory to your topic? My topic discusses the treatment of German civilians after World War II by various Allies. Focusing on comparisons between American and Soviet treatment and responses.