On the Edges of Whiteness: Polish Refugees in British Colonial Africa during and after the Second World War

Jochen Lingelbach

Published by Berghahn Books 2020

On the Edges of Whiteness

Polish Refugees in British Colonial Africa during and after the Second World War

Jochen Lingelbach

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781789204476

Overview
Contents

About this book

From 1942 to 1950, nearly twenty thousand Poles found refuge from the horrors of war-torn Europe in camps within Britain’s African colonies, including Uganda, Tanganyika, Kenya and Northern and Southern Rhodesia. On the Edges of Whiteness tells their improbable story, tracing the manifold, complex relationships that developed among refugees, their British administrators, and their African neighbors. While intervening in key historical debates across academic disciplines, this book also gives an accessible and memorable account of survival and dramatic cultural dislocation against the backdrop of global conflict.

Author / Editor information

Jochen Lingelbach is a postdoctoral research fellow in African History at the University of Bayreuth. He obtained his doctorate at the University of Leipzig and currently works on the project “Africa in the Global History of Refugee Camps” within the University of Bayreuth’s “Africa Multiple” Cluster of Excellence.

Reviews

“Jochen Lingelbach is to be applauded for his elegant handling of a complex narrative, switching between British colonies without losing the reader; the author writes in clear prose, masterfully leads his readers through each chapter, and brings home his points powerfully in the conclusion. This enlightening study is enriched with helpful maps, drawings and photographs depicting life in the refugee settlements.” • Revue d'Histoire Contemporaine de l'Afrique

“Lingelbach deserves high praises for this clever book that sets the tone for further inquiries into the place of Polish and other “subaltern whites” in colonial settings. His erudition is commendable, as is his ability to connect social and intellectual issues to broader colonial geopolitics, including the demystification of whiteness and independence of colonies in Africa after World War II…This will be an important book for years to come.” • H-Poland

“Taken together, the chapters offer persuasive insights into the ambivalent position of Polish refugees in their hosting countries and their complex interactions with the different actors of colonial societies. Lingelbach convincingly argues that they were similar to many subaltern groups such as the poor, criminals, and lunatics. They were, therefore, ‘located on the edges of whiteness’…Certainly, the book significantly contributes to refugee history, whiteness studies, and the history of colonial Africa during and after the Second World War.” • Journal of Contemporary History

“Lingelbach places the Polish settlers at the centre of a complicated web of relations in terms of race, gender and class, as well as processes such as the Second World War, Poland’s post-war status as a Soviet satellite, decolonisation, the new, post-war global refugee regime, etc. The story he tells is thus complex, novel and interesting.” • H-Soz-Kult

“This is a solid piece of research that addresses a rarely explored aspect of the global refugee crisis of the World War II era. In drawing comparisons between the Poles' experiences in different countries and regions, it gives voice to the African perspective and provides a much-needed contextualization of the refugees' reception.” • Lynne Taylor, University of Waterloo

“This fascinating book adds considerably to the literature on refugee history and whiteness studies. Tracing the experience of Polish refugees across multiple colonies, Jochen Lingelbach demonstrates the necessity of closely attending to the peculiarities of the context in which any group of refugees seeks shelter.” • Brett Shadle, Virginia Tech

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
List of Illustrations Publicly Available Download PDF	vi
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
List of Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	xii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1. How the Poles Came to Africa Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
Chapter 2. The Postwar Refugee Regime and the Imperial Order of Things Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
Chapter 3. Comparing Colonialisms in Africa and Poland Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	104
Chapter 4. ‘An Incredible Pool of Femininity’: Gendering the Refugees Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	130
Chapter 5. Polish Refugees as Part of Colonial Society Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	171
Conclusion. On the Edges of Whiteness Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	285

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 306
Keywords: History: World War II; Refugee and Migration Studies; Colonial History

eBook

Published: May 1, 2020
ISBN: 9781789204476