Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769-1860)

Once feted as the bard of the wars of liberation, Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769-1860) has today been largely consigned to oblivion, and little research has been done on his immense historical significance for the history of German mentality and culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. The articles assembled here are the results of a German-American research project. In response to the discovery in the United States of 21 hitherto unknown letters by Arndt in 2003, they take a completely new approach to the discussion of Arndt's works and their reception. Historians, linguists, and literary scholars analyze Arndt's role in the awakening of German national awareness in the 19th century, discuss racism and nationalism in various European countries, examine Arndt's oeuvre in the context of European literary, cultural, and social history, and trace the reception accorded to him in Germany and the United States.