Project description
Lost children of post-war Europe
In the aftermath of World War II, millions were displaced, and thousands of children were left without families. Unaccompanied minors faced uncertain futures in a world still reeling from war. Displaced persons camps and aid organisations documented survivors, provided shelter, and offered healthcare, but access to care was far from equal. Medical screenings influenced emigration and compensation claims, while lingering antisemitic and anti-Roma biases shaped treatment. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the UCARE1945 project investigates the experiences of these children in Germany’s occupation zones. Through institutional records, personal testimonies, and oral histories, it examines how gender, age, and social background determined their access to care. The project sheds light on how post-war policies shaped young lives.
Objective
UCARE1945 focuses on unaccompanied minors in Germany in the period 1945-1950, exploring the impact of the postwar experience through institutional accounts, contemporary personal records, and oral history. This will be divided into five case studies per occupation zone (British, French and American, 15 case studies in total) to examine the life experience of individuals. UCARE1945 posits that three major factors affected the immediate needs of unaccompanied minors in the postwar era: gender, age, and social background.
In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, between 42 million and 60 million people were displaced. Children witnessed atrocities and lost family members, leaving thousands of children without a wider kinship network. Displaced persons camps, and international organisations such as the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) and the IRO (International Refugee Organisation) had three main objectives – document the displaced population, find accommodation, and provide much needed healthcare. The aim is to analyse the impact of healthcare crises in the aftermath of the Second World War, and to understand how differences in state policies and practices impact the experiences of unaccompanied child refugees. In post-WWII Europe, access to emigration and compensation was mediated through medical care; doctors were tasked with verifying the health of survivors before they were granted emigration papers, and attesting to medical harm when claiming compensation for unethical experimentation during the war. Many doctors continued to hold antisemitic views and anti Sinti and Roma bias after the war. In the years following the war, many Nazi doctors continued to practice medicine and their perceptions of the ‘worth’ of patients continued to impact the care they provided. UCARE1945 will question how governmental policies and institutional actors impacted childrens' access to care.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities history and archaeology history
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine physiotherapy
- social sciences sociology demography human migrations
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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T12 YN60 Cork
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.