Australian Lithuanians

(Paperback)

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Description

In the 1940s Australian officials searched the displaced persons' camps of war-ravaged Europe to select able-bodied, fair and hardworking Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian refugees fleeing the Soviet regime to launch the Mass Migration Scheme. Luda Popenhagen, whose parents were part of the scheme, tells the story of how Lithuanian migrants found their place in Australia. They integrated into mainstream life while leading a parallel existence where they spoke the Lithuanian language, celebrated their culture and kept up with political developments in their homeland. Popenhagen has collected and translated memoirs, oral histories and interviews to write the first comprehensive history of Australian Lithuanians.

Reviews

"This interesting book shows that a small ethnic minority can protect and advance its culture and language, while also taking a full role in Australian life. Luda Popenhagen's exhaustive study is a model for other ethnic groups." --Dr. James Jupp, director, Center for Immigration and Multicultural Studies at Australian National University

Author Bio

Luda Popenhagen is a second-generation Australian Lithuanian versed in histories of post-WWII European migration. She is a scholar, a translator, a theatre artist, and a humanities professor at California State University-Channel Islands. She lives in Camarillo, California.