Transatlantic Images and Perceptions: Germany and America since 1776(Publications of the German Historical Institute)

Over the last two centuries, Germans and Americans have been rivals, friends, opponents, and, most recently, allies. This 1997 cross-disciplinary collection of essays analyses how German and American views of each other developed and periodically shifted, providing a fresh analysis of the often complex German-American relationship. The images that resulted from encounters between the two countries frequently reflected significant cross-currents of the contemporary relations, and often foreshadowed important trends. The nine German and eight American contributors to this volume analysed travelogues, private letters, diaries, diplomatic reports, and newspaper articles from the wake of US independence through the reunification of Germany, and also post-1945 movies, that reflect these cross-cultural encounters and illustrate how political agendas, prejudices, stereotypes, and pragmatic forces influenced individual, group and mass perceptions of the other society.

Table of Contents:
Introduction David E. Barclay and Elisabeth Glaser-Schmidt; 1. 'Through a glass, darkly': changing German ideas of American freedom, 1776–1806 A. Gregg Roeber; 2. 'Germans make cows and women work': American perceptions of Germans as reported in American travel books, 1800–40 Hermann Wellenreuther; 3. Weary of Germany - weary of America: perceptions of the United States in nineteenth-century Germany Hans-Jürgen Grabbe; 4. 'Auch unser Deutschland muss einmal frei werden': the immigrant civil war experience as a mirror on political conditions in Germany Walter D. Kamphoefner; 5. Different, but not out of this world: German images of the United States between two wars, 1871–1914 Wolfgang Helbich; 6. From culture to Kultur: changing American perceptions of imperial Germany, 1870–1914 Jörg Nagler; 7. The reciprocal vision of German and American intellectuals: beneath the shifting perceptions James T. Kloppenberg; 8. Germany and the United States, 1914–33: the mutual perception of their political systems Peter Krüger; 9. Between hope and skepticism: American views of Germany, 1918–33 Elisabeth Glaser-Schmidt; 10. 'Without concessions to Marxist or Communist thought': Fordism in Germany, 1923–37 Philipp Gassert; 11. The continuity of ambivalence: German views of America, 1933–45 Detlef Junker; 12. Cultural migration: artists and visual representation between Americans and Germans during the 1930s and 1940s Marion Deshmukh; 13. Representations of Germans and what Germans represent: American film images and public perceptions in the postwar era Beverly Crawford and James Martel; 14. Chancellor of the Allies? The significance of the United States in Adenauer's foreign policy Hans-Jürgen Schröder; 15. American policy toward German unification: images and interests Konrad H. Jarausch; 16. Unification policies and the German image: comments on the American reaction Frank Trommler.

Review :
"The 17 essays that make up this meaty volume...capture the discussion between German and US scholars on the perceptions and stereotypes that have characterized German-US interaction since the 18th century...They examine the credibility of a variety of sources...Excellent notes with each essay and a good index." -- Choice "...this book makes for fine reading. The essays are meticulously researched, well written and mostly free of annoying and trendy jargon. Any scholar pouring through the footnotes alone could compile a comprehensive bibliography on any topic relating to the relationship between Germany and the United States. Obviously the book appeals to mostly scholars engaged in trans-national and/or comparative history. However, the diplomatic and intellectual historian as well as the student of popular culture can also find rewarding material in this volume." Werner H. Steger, American Studies International "The seventeen essays in this volume, admirably edited by David Barclay and Elisabeth Glaser-Schmidt ably document the surge of interest in "transatlantic perception research"." Peter Bergmann, American Historical Review "...an erudite reflection on American reactions to German reunification..." Frederik Ohles, German Studies Review