13160

SoSe 22: "es ist hier eben nicht wie in Deutschland" Briefe deutscher Auswanderer in die USA,1700-1880

Juliane Graf

Comments

German migration to the United States dates back to the colonial period: German migrants settled in the former colonies as early as the late 17th century. During the 19th century their number increased sharply: between 1840 and 1880 almost three million Germans arrived in the United States, surpassing all other migrant groups. Many of them described their experience in letters they sent across the Atlantic to relatives and friends in their German home regions. This seminar examines such “emigrant letters” as an important historical source: based on documents from the German Emigrant Letter Collection at the Gotha Research Library, participants will analyse the contents of German migrant letters as well as the circumstances in which they were written and mailed. Who were the migrants? Why did they migrate? How did they go about making a living in the United States? How did they perceive their new social and cultural environment? What kinds of knowledge and skills did they acquire in their daily interactions? How did they capture and communicate social and cultural difference in their letters? And beyond the written word, what other contents did the letters carry across the Atlantic? The seminar also explores the analytical challenges posed by “emigrant letters” as a historical source and discusses different theoretical and methodological approaches to address them. close

14 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Fri, 10:00 - 12:00 14 Class schedule

Fri, 2022-04-22 10:00 - 12:00

Lecturers:
Dr. Juliane Graf