War in the Classroom: The Materiality of Educational Spaces in the French Front-line Towns, 1914-1920

This article explores the materiality of educational spaces in towns near the Western Front, and examines how military violence shaped representations and experiences of childhood. Educators, local officials and parents conceptualised schools as safe spaces where education could continue normally, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCultural and social history Vol. 17; no. 5; pp. 659 - 675
Main Author Dowdall, Alex
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Routledge 19.10.2020
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Childhood
Civilians
Classrooms
Early childhood education
Education history
First World War
France
front-line towns
Masks
Militarization
Psychological safety
World War I
Youth
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Summary:This article explores the materiality of educational spaces in towns near the Western Front, and examines how military violence shaped representations and experiences of childhood. Educators, local officials and parents conceptualised schools as safe spaces where education could continue normally, and where children could do a national duty by studying under fire. This required material changes, with schools moved underground and gas masks distributed. But despite these changes, war was traumatic for these children, as their post-war writings demonstrate. This article reveals a deep tension between the wartime militarisation of childhood, and the desire to keep young people safe.
ISSN:1478-0038
1478-0046
DOI:10.1080/14780038.2019.1676595