Traumatized Children in Hungary After World War II

Abstract

This chapter examines how children’s wartime suffering was culturally constructed in postwar Hungary. Laine-Frigren uses a wide variety of source materials, such as published expert discourse, journalism and ego documents to explore how children’s suffering was interpreted and worked upon in different contexts, how the processes of healing were understood, and what kind of political meanings were attributed to children’s traumas. The particular focus is on the agency of people who did actual practical work with children, such as psychologists, teachers and civil society activists. The chapter suggests a multiplicity of responses to childhood trauma, from abstract and future-oriented policy-talk to teachers and psychologists promoting specific ways of healing such as offering children moments of joy, taking them on nature trips and exploring poetry.