Raising Citizens in the 'Century of the Child': The United States and German Central Europe in Comparative Perspective (Studies in German History, 12)

The 20th century, declared at its start to be the -Century of the Child- by Swedish author Ellen Key, saw an unprecedented expansion of state activity in and expert knowledge on child-rearing on both sides of the Atlantic. Children were seen as a crucial national resource whose care could not be left to families alone. However, the exact scope and degree of state intervention and expert influence as well as the rights and roles of mothers and fathers remained subjects of heated debates throughout the century. While there is a growing scholarly interest in the history of childhood, research in the field remains focused on national narratives. This volume compares the impact of state intervention and expert influence on theories and practices of raising children in the U.S. and German Central Europe. In particular, the contributors focus on institutions such as kindergartens and schools where the private and the public spheres intersected, on notions of -race- and -ethnicity, - -normality- and -deviance, - and on the impact of wars and changes in political regimes. Children And The National Interest / Sonya Michel, Eszter Varsa -- Children's Future, Nation's Future: Race, Citizenship, And The United States Children's Bureau / Katharine S. Bullard -- From Reform Pedagogy To War Pedagogy: Education Reform Before 1914 And The Mobilization For War In Germany / Andrew Donson -- Linked With The Welfare Of All Peoples: The American Kindergarten, Americanization, And Internationalism In The First World War / Ellen L. Berg -- How Should We Raise Our Son Benjamin? Advice Literature For Mothers In Early Twentieth-century Germany / Carolyn Kay -- Debunking Mother Love: American Mothers And The Momism Critique In The Mid Twentieth Century / Rebecca Jo Plant -- Fatherhood, Rechristianization, And The Quest For Democracy In Postwar West Germany / Till Van Randen -- Who Owns Children? Parents, Children, And The State In The United States South / Charles A. Israel -- Children Betray Their Father And Mother: Collective Education, Nationalism, And Democracy In The Bohemian Lands, 1900-1948 / Tara Zahra -- Asserting Their Natural Right: Parents And Public Schooling In Post-1945 Germany / Dirk Schumann -- Special Relationships: The State, Social Workers, And Abused Children In The United States, 1950-1990 / Lynne Curry. Edited By Dirk Schumann. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.