Introduction

The Introduction argues that captivity in the two world wars of the twentieth century should be seen as a form of involuntary mass migration driven by economic considerations. Those who became prisoners of war (POWs) often worked for their captors at the enemy’s home front where they frequently came into contact with the local population. If the POWs ever returned home, they often did so long after the formal end of hostilities. The Introduction summarizes the chapters in the book and identifies the themes that link them: that POWs often transcend the binary opposites which are usually used to describe and structure war; that war captivity was a site of cross-cultural encounters; the agency women had in establishing and maintaining relationships with POWs; the authorities’ often futile struggle to prevent and punish fraternization; and the need for more research on the fate of children fathered by POWs in captivity.