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Jessica Cretney, Redeeming Objects: A West German Mythology, German History, Volume 42, Issue 3, September 2024, Pages 462–463, https://doi.org/10.1093/gerhis/ghae035
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Natalie Scholz’s Redeeming Objects examines how objects embodied narrative and symbolic significance in orienting West Germany from its Nazi past. From consumer goods to private photo albums, Scholz addresses not only the histories of these objects, but also explores how the meaning of their cultural representations and lingering materiality evolved between 1945 and 1960. The text draws upon a rich and varied range of archival sources detailing the cultural life of Germany in the mid-twentieth century. Marketing material is used to great effect, framed by critical analysis of contemporary newspaper and magazine editorials. Literature, feature films and documentaries are also considered for their treatment of commodities, and first-hand accounts, published memoirs and private photo albums contribute individual experiences.
Four thematic chapters illustrate how objects were imbued with meaning through both the presence and absence of historical cues; experiences of Nazism were formative, yet the positioning of objects as timeless (notably in modern interior design) was of equal significance. Scholz begins by considering the lingering material legacies of Nazism in the immediate postwar era. In many cases, the treatment of these objects differed according to whether they fell within the private or public sphere, or somewhere in-between, such as military medals featuring decorative swastikas. Physical and experiential connections to the built environment are also explored in depth, particularly Germans’ experiences of ruined cityscapes. Scholz addresses the destruction, seizure and (re)distribution of Jewish businesses, homes and possessions, directing the reader’s attention to the tenuous nature of ownership and belonging.
