Pennsylvania Germans

Here is a long-overdue and magisterial encyclopedia on the German-speaking peoples' achievements in North America. Masterfully enhancing traditional approaches, this book sets new standards for practicing Pennsylvania German studies in our times and changes the way we think about the Pennsylvania Germans' impact on North America. -- Oliver Scheiding, Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz, coeditor of A Peculiar Mixture: German-Language Cultures and Identities in Eighteenth-Century North America Guaranteed to inspire future research in the field of study, this thought-provoking and comprehensive overview of the Pennsylvania Germans will broaden the discussion of the culture's presence and diaspora throughout North America, not merely as a relic of a preindustrial past, but as a modern, dynamic, American identity. -- Patrick J. Donmoyer, Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, editor of The German Bible in America An outstanding collection that describes Pennsylvania Germans' varied contributions to American society. Chronological overviews of German immigration and specialized essays on language, religion, literature, art, architecture, material culture, food, and folklife highlight this engaging volume that is an essential addition to any library. -- Karen Guenther, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania Everything about this anthology treating the numerous facets of Pennsylvania German studies is encyclopedic, comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and thoroughly riveting. As a compendium for the scholar and the interested lay person, Pennsylvania Germans offers up-to-date insights into an amazingly broad range of topics including history, language, literature, religious practice, material culture, cuisine, powwowing, folklife, and popular culture. -- William D. Keel, The University of Kansas

Milspaw, Lisa Minardi, Steven M. Nolt, Candace Perry, Sheila Rohrer, and Diane WengerDestined to become the standard reference on Pennsylvania Germans (also known as the "Pennsylvania Dutch"), this book is the first survey of this extensive American group in nearly seventy-five years. Nineteen broad interpretive essays written by a distinguished group of historians, anthropologists, sociologists, linguists, and folklorists tell the rich and nuanced story of Pennsylvania German history and culture. United by a distinct (and distinctly American) language, the Pennsylvania Germans have been slower to assimilate than other ethnic groups. This sweeping volume reveals, though, that the group is much less homogenous and isolated than was previously thought. From architecture, media, and farming techniques to food, folklore, and medicine, the Pennsylvania Germans and their descendants display a wide range of cultural variation. In Pennsylvania Germans, editors Simon J. Bronner and Joshua R. Brown broaden the geographical and social coverage of the group, touching both on Pennsylvanian communities and the Pennsylvania German diaspora, including settlements in Canada and Mexico. They also expand historical coverage of the Pennsylvania Germans to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Beautifully illustrated, this volume-while paying tribute to the historical and cultural legacy of the Pennsylvania Germans-is the most comprehensive book on the subject to date. Contributors: R. Troy Boyer, Simon J. Bronner, Joshua R. Brown, Edsel Burdge Jr., William W. Donner, John B. Frantz, Mark Haberlein, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner, Donald B. Kraybill, David W. Kriebel, Gabrielle Lanier, Mark L. Louden, Yvonne J. Milspaw, Lisa Minardi, Steven M. Nolt, Candace Perry, Sheila Rohrer, and Diane Wenger