Oceans Apart? Conceptualizing German-American Encounters and Transatlantic History

Christof Mauch will provide a brief overview over the different ways in which the Atlantic has been constructed in history and historiography. He will discuss different types of historical transfes as well as political, economic and cultural concepts in understanding transatlantic spaces. Special emphasis will be given to ideologies that have shaped our understanding of the “Atlantic world” and to German-American encounters in history from early modern times to the present. In the discussion Mauch will focus on the various conceptual opportunities and methodological pitfalls and on future perspectives for research and writing about Germany and America in a transatlantic perspective.