Abstract
Following the lead of recent scholarship enhancing the importance of studying children's experiences on the basis of children's sources, this paper seeks to tackle the issue of children's agency in the case of Spanish Civil War refugee children in France in 1939. Instead of taking for granted that the best characterization for their experiences of war and exile is always that of ‘victim’ and ‘trauma’, I would like to examine if, how and when they were able to adapt to their situation and act on it. In other words, the problem I wish to address is: To what extent should Spanish refugee children be considered as passive victims in the face of the dramatic events which disrupted their lives, or as aware and partly autonomous historical agents? Here, I will reflect on this question with one specific source: the journal Niños españoles. Periódico semanal para los niños españoles refugiados, a weekly publication made of texts written by Spanish refugee children in France from May to July 1939.
Published Version
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