German and German-American Dimensions of the Civil War

2011 is the year of the sesquicentennial of the beginning of the American Civil War. The Max Kade Institute will mark the occasion by hosting an international symposium to examine the time before, during and directly after the Civil War from a unique angle, focusing on immigrants (especially those from German lands) and the global impact of the war (especially within German-speaking Europe). Join us March 3-5 at the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison. For a detailed program and abstracts of presentations see the MKI Website.

Music of the Old Order Amish

On February 10 at 7pm, Professor Mark Louden (German Department, University of Wisconsin) will hold a lecture on "Music of the Old Order Amish." Professor Louden will give an overview of the variety of forms of musical expression among the Amish, which show influences from both Central European hymnody and nineteenth- and twentieth-century American gospel music. An experience "Vorsaenger" (lead singer) himself, Professor Louden will demonstrate how Amish songs are led in worship and at Sunday evening social gatherings. Join us at the Memorial Union on the UW-Madison Campus!

Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present

An ambitious project coordinated by the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C., will highlight the role played by immigrant entrepreneurs—specifically those who came from German-speaking lands—in the development of America's economic success. The project will utilize a wide range of source materials to provide biographical sketches as well as company histories for businesses from the early eighteenth century to the present day; the information will be presented online free of charge. All entries are to include information concerning the individual's reasons for migration; his or her social origins, regional identity (either in the home country or in the U.S.), religion, ethnic networks, Americanization, and business strategies; the impact of problems in America such as nativism, anti-German sentiments, boycotts, and anti-Semitism; and also the business's development and change over time.
The site is in progress at: http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/

Announcing: Anglo-German Walks 2011

Submitted by MKI Friend JoAnn T.

Neil McDonald, a German teacher from Yorkshire, England is an experienced hike leader and has organized cross-cultural walking weeks for adult participants since 1993. Both English and German native speakers share a week of language, culture, and most-importantly, hiking in the British Isles and German-speaking areas on the continent. I participated last June in the German-speaking Italian Alps (Südtirol), hiking in the area around Meran (see picture) and have fond memories of following the splashing Waalwege downhill and stopping for refreshment at Gasthäuser with unforgettable views!
Destinations for 2011 are the Höllental im Schwarzwald (Black Forest), Dahner Felsenland (Pfalz), Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) and Harzgebirge (Harz Mountains), as well as Exmoor, the Welsh Marches, the Scottish Southern Uplands, and Hadrian’s Wall.
Find more information and request a brochure at:
www.anglo-german-walks.com.