Philanthropy, Patronage, and Civil Society: Experiences from Germany, Great Britain, and North America (Philanthropic and Nonprofit Studies)

In Philanthropy, Patronage, and Civil Society, Thomas Adam has assembled a comparative set of case studies that challenge long-held and little-studied assumptions about the modern development of philanthropy. Histories of philanthropy have often neglected European patterns of giving and the importance of financial patronage to the emergence of modern industrialized societies. It has long been assumed, for example, that Germany never developed civic traditions of philanthropy as in the United States. In truth, however, 19th-century German museums, art galleries, and social housing projects were not only privately founded and supported, they were also blueprints for the creation of similar public institutions in North America. The comparative method of the essays also reveals the extent to which the wealthy classes on both sides of the Atlantic defined themselves through their philanthropic activities.Contributors are Thomas Adam, Maria Benjamin Baader, Karsten Borgmann, Tobias Brinkmann, Brett Fairbairn, Eckhardt Fuchs, David C. Hammack, Dieter Hoffmann, Simone Lässig, Margaret Eleanor Menninger, and Susannah Morris. Philanthropy, Patronage, And Civil Society Features A Set Of Comparative Case Studies That Challenge Long-held And Little-studied Assumptions About The Modern Development Of Philanthropy And Patronage Over The Course Of The Last Three Centuries. With A Focus On The United States, Canada, Great Britain, And Germany, The Essays Reveal The Important Civic And Cultural Role Played By Philanthropy In The Emergence Of Modern, Industrialized Societies. They Show The Extent To Which Civic Institutions Were Dependent On Private Support And How The Wealthy Classes Defined Themselves Through Their Philanthropic Activities In A Context That Transcended National Boundaries. The Importance Of Transatlantic Contacts, And The Lessons Learned By North American Philanthropists Who Looked To Europe First While Devising Their Own Plans For Private Action, Emerge As Crucial To Our Understanding Of Modern Philanthropy. Students And Scholars Of Philanthropy, Class And Group Identity, And Transatlantic Cultural Relationships Will Welcome The Scope And Sophistication Of The Contributions.--book Jacket. Philanthropy And The Shaping Of Social Distinctions In Nineteenth-century U.s., Canadian, And German Cities / Thomas Adam -- The Glue Of Civil Society : A Comparative Approach To Art Museum Philanthropy At The Turn Of The Twentieth Century / Karsten Borgmann -- Self-help And Philanthropy : The Emergence Of Cooperatives In Britain, Germany, The United States, And Canada From Mid-nineteenth To Mid-twentieth Century / Brett Fairbairn -- Patronage And The Great Institutions Of The Cities Of The United States : Questions And Evidence, 1800-2000 / David C. Hammack -- Philanthropy And Science In Wilhelmine Germany / Eckhardt Fuchs And Dieter Hoffmann -- The Serious Matter Of True Joy : Music And Cultural Philanthropy In Leipzig, 1781-1933 / Margaret Eleanor Menninger -- Changing Perceptions Of Philanthropy In The Voluntary Housing Field In Nineteenth- And Early-twentieth-century London / Susannah Morris -- Rabbinic Study, Self-improvement, And Philanthropy : Gender And The Refashioning Of Jewish Voluntary Associations In Germany, 1750-1870 / Maria Benjamin Baader -- Ethnic Difference And Civic Unity : A Comparison Of Jewish Communal Philanthropy In Nineteenth-century German And U.s. Cities / Tobias Brinkmann -- Bürgerlichkeit, Patronage, And Communal Liberalism In Germany, 1871-1914 / Simone Lässig. Edited By Thomas Adam. Reworked Papers Of A Conference Held At The University Of Toronto, May 2001. Includes Index. Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 14 1. Philanthropy and the Shaping of Social Distinctionsin Nineteenth-Century U.S., Canadian, and German Cities......Page 28 2. “The Glue of Civil Society”: A Comparative Approach to Art MuseumPhilanthropy at the Turn of the Twentieth Century......Page 47 3. Self-Help and Philanthropy: The Emergence of Cooperativesin Britain, Germany, the United States, and Canadafrom Mid-Nineteenth to Mid-Twentieth Century......Page 68 4. Patronage and the Great Institutions of the Cities of the United States:Questions and Evidence, 1800–2000......Page 92 5. Philanthropy and Science in Wilhelmine Germany......Page 116 6. The Serious Matter of True Joy: Musicand Cultural Philanthropy in Leipzig, 1781–1933......Page 133 7. Changing Perceptions of Philanthropy in the Voluntary Housing Fieldin Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century London......Page 151 8. Rabbinic Study, Self-Improvement, and Philanthropy:Gender and the Refashioning of Jewish Voluntary Associationsin Germany, 1750–1870......Page 176 9. Ethnic Difference and Civic Unity:A Comparison of Jewish Communal Philanthropyin Nineteenth-Century German and U.S. Cities......Page 192 10. Bürgerlichkeit, Patronage, and Communal Liberalismin Germany, 1871–1914......Page 211 Contributors......Page 232 Index......Page 235 In Philanthropy, Patronage, And Civil Society, Thomas Adam Has Assembled A Comparative Set Of Case Studies That Challenge Long-held And Little-studied Assumptions About The Modern Development Of Philanthropy. Histories Of Philanthropy Have Often Neglected European Patterns Of Giving And The Importance Of Financial Patronage To The Emergence Of Modern Industrialized Societies. It Has Long Been Assumed, For Example, That Germany Never Developed Civic Traditions Of Philanthropy As In The United States. In Truth, However, 19th-century German Museums, Art Galleries, And Social Housing Projects Were Not Only Privately Founded And Supported, They Were Also Blueprints For The Creation Of Similar Public Institutions In North America. The Comparative Method Of The Essays Also Reveals The Extent To Which The Wealthy Classes On Both Sides Of The Atlantic Defined Themselves Through Their Philanthropic Activities. Contributors Are Thomas Adam, Maria Benjamin Baader, Karsten Borgmann, Tobias Brinkmann, Brett Fairbairn, Eckhardt Fuchs, David C. Hammack, Dieter Hoffmann, Simone Lässig, Margaret Eleanor Menninger, And Susannah Morris. In this book, Thomas Adam has assembled a comparative set of case studies that challenge long-held and little-studied assumptions about the modern development of philanthropy. The comparative method of the essays reveal the extent to which the wealthy classes on both sides of the Atlantic defined themselves through their philanthropic activities Because of the establishment of the United States and Canada as independent countries, the development of nation-states in Europe, and the existence of competing political forms on both sides of the Atlantic, it is commonly accepted that the modern era is best characterized by exceptionalism and separatism.