Babel of the Atlantic by Bethany Wiggin
A collection of essays examining colonial Philadelphia and its surroundings as a zone of cultural and linguistic interchange. Documents everyday multilingualism and intercultural negotiations with special attention to themes of religion, education, race and the abolitionist movement, and material culture and architecture.“The volume is successful in exposing the hidden and often underappreciated role that multilingualism played in colonial Philadelphia and its surroundsInterpreting complex transatlantic networks and cultural change through the lens of multilingual and multicultural societies forces scholars from different disciplines and traditions to collaborate to achieve a more comprehensive, panoramic assessment of these developments. These concerted efforts reveal the complex, sometimes contradictory part that certain key figures such as Benjamin Franklin played in the establishment of societal and linguistic norms.”
—Michael T. Putnam H-Transnational German Studies
“This fine volume is a highly welcome addition to the literature on translation and intercultural communication in the multiethnic environment of eighteenth-century Pennsylvania. Babel of the Atlantic combines the perspectives of history, literary studies, and material culture; it brings together experts on Pennsylvania German history and culture, ethnohistory, and the history of abolitionism; and it is sensitive to issues of gender.”
—Mark Häberlein, author of The Practice of Pluralism: Congregational Life and Religious Diversity in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1730–1820
“Taken together, these essays make a strong case for more effectively and thoroughly acknowledging the approximately 120,000 German-speaking immigrant settlers who arrived in Pennsylvania during the eighteenth century, [constituting] nearly one-third of its population. In reminding us of Pennsylvania’s multicultural past, they also call on us to more fully reckon with how linguistic and cultural variation influenced the state’s early history, and they challenge us to consider the processes by which the English language and Anglo culture became normative.”
—Judith Ridner Early American Literature
“The connections across the diverse contributions in this skillfully edited volume are facilitated by a thorough index at the end. The endnotes for each chapter appear with their respective chapters. The book’s aesthetic appeal is enhanced by the inclusion of over forty high-quality black-and-white images. It is to be recommended to anyone with an interest in the multicultural history of early America, especially those wanting to learn more about the diversity of German Pennsylvania.”
—Mark L. Louden Journal of British Studies
Bethany Wiggin is Associate Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pennsylvania and Founding Director of the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780271083247 |
| ISBN 10 | 0271083247 |
| Title | Babel of the Atlantic |
| Author | Bethany Wiggin |
| Series | Max Kade Research Institute |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Pennsylvania State University Press |
| Year published | 2021-05-26 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |