'To what extent were the World War II internment camps on the Isle of Man 'total institutions'? A case study of Onchan Camp 1940-41'
Date(s): May 2012
Creator(s): Iddon, Thom
Scope & Content: BA Honours dissertation submitted to the School of History University of Manchester. The dissertation explores some of characteristics of total institutions in asylums that is role dispossession, contaminant exposure and looping. Role dispossession constitutes the loss of an individual's right to plan their life and occurs in total institution. The institute takes responsibility for scheduling a person's life and the person loses self determination, physical boundary of the institution leads to a change in role differentiation. Contaminative exposure is the violation of the individual, such a as staff having access to personal information, personal history, social status and possessions. Internees were forced to share food, accommodation, even beds, reduction in the private space of the individual. Looping occurs when an individual who is denied the option to step back and reassess a scenario collapses into a situation and loses perspective. An internee becomes increasingly dependent upon the institution, losing their sense of personal identity and a ability to cast independent judgement. The dissertation explores abstract features of internment, the emotional and psychological impact on internees, the solidarity that developed between them, sense of community that developed in Onchan camp. The dissertation also explores the intellectual and creative culture of the camp by examining the Popular University and the Onchan Technical Institute and by looking at the poetry, art and theatre within the camp.
Language: English
Extent: 46 pages
Physical description: typescript
Item name: document
Collection: Manuscript Archive
Level: ITEM
ID number: MS 13475
Record class: Private
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