Germany and the World Since 1815: Society, Culture, and Politics - Paperback

by Thomas Adam (Author)

This textbook provides a history of modern Germany, locating the country's social, cultural, and political developments within their proper global and transnational context. The author argues that most developments in German culture, society, and politics throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were caused by wider global and transnational trends. A history of the German people rather than the German state, the book focusses on non-state and non-government actors, intercultural transfers, and applies the approach of 'thick description' to analysing the creation of German culture, society, and identity from the era of the Napoleonic wars right up to the present post-unification Germany. This includes an examination of German migrants' journeys to their new homes in the Americas and, thus, the creation of a global German diaspora with cultural and social networks beyond its home country's borders. The book further focusses on the transfers that connected German society and culture with those of other countries; for instance, chapters cover the transfer of football from England to Germany, the transfer of the Christmas holiday tradition from Germany to other countries, and the development of eugenics in Germany within its global context.

Back Jacket

This textbook provides a history of modern Germany, locating the country's social, cultural, and political developments within their proper global and transnational context. The author argues that most developments in German culture, society, and politics throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries were caused by wider global and transnational trends. A history of the German people rather than the German state, the book focusses on non-state and non-government actors, intercultural transfers, and applies the approach of 'thick description' to analysing the creation of German culture, society, and identity from the era of the Napoleonic wars right up to the present post-unification Germany. This includes an examination of German migrants' journeys to their new homes in the Americas and, thus, the creation of a global German diaspora with cultural and social networks beyond its home country's borders. The book further focusses on the transfers that connected German society and culture with those of other countries; for instance, chapters cover the transfer of football from England to Germany, the transfer of the Christmas holiday tradition from Germany to other countries, and the development of eugenics in Germany within its global context.

Thomas Adam is Professor of Political Science at the University of Arkansas, USA. From 2001 to 2020 he taught transnational and transatlantic history at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has published and edited over 25 books and specialises in the study of intercultural transfers and the history of philanthropy. Among his most recent publications are Deutschland in der Welt (2021), The History of College Affordability in the United States (2020) and Approaches to the Study of Intercultural Transfer (2019). Adam is also editor of the book series on Intercultural Transfer Studies. He has taught classes on German history in a global setting for a quarter of a century at the University of Toronto, the University of Texas at Arlington, and now at the University of Arkansas.

Author Biography

Thomas Adam is Professor of Political Science at the University of Arkansas, USA. From 2001 to 2020 he taught transnational and transatlantic history at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has published and edited over 25 books and specialises in the study of intercultural transfers and the history of philanthropy. Among his most recent publications are Deutschland in der Welt (2021), The History of College Affordability in the United States (2020) and Approaches to the Study of Intercultural Transfer (2019). Thomas is also editor of the book series on Intercultural Transfer Studies. He has taught classes on German history in a global setting for a quarter of a century at the University of Toronto, the University of Texas at Arlington, and now at the University of Arkansas.