This volume addresses an issue that was until recently taboo: children fathered by Black
American GIs who were stationed in Europe during and after World War II and whose mothers were
local citizens. They were born into societies that defined themselves as White and rejected
this extremely visible portion of the so-called occupation children. Black and White are in
this volume not (only) understood as descriptions of skin color but above all as social
constructs and political categories with racist attributions and effects. The authors of the
contributions examine the manner in which these mixed-race children and their mothers were
treated by their societies and the respective authorities they assess the experiences and
self-understandings of the individuals affected they discuss their institutionalization and
the strategy practiced by the youth welfare agencies of giving these children up for adoption
abroad and finally they highlight how African American couples in the USA interpreted the
adoption of these mixed-race children from Europe as an act of Black resistance against White
supremacy.
