Travel Writing and Transnational Relations: Francis Lieber as The Stranger in America

Authors

  • Fenja Heisig Osnabrueck University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5283/copas.355

Keywords:

Transnational Relations, Travel Books, Travel Writing, Francis Lieber, The Stranger in America, Migration, Cultural Studies, Political Science

Abstract

In this paper I analyze Francis Lieber’s 1835 travel book The Stranger in America “with regard to Lieber’s portrayal of transnational relations. By exploring his account of US culture, politics, and institutions, and by examining the comparative framework he cultivates, I carve out Lieber’s transnational perspective. To investigate whether he was indeed the “Stranger in America” he claims to be, I map out the identity he claims for himself. I conclude that Lieber purposely situated himself as a cultural intermediary to profit from a position of authority and to pave the way for a future in US political science and academia.

Author Biography

Fenja Heisig, Osnabrueck University

Fenja Heisig works as a junior researcher at the Collaborative Research Cluster 1385: “Law and Literature” (WWU Münster), funded by the DFG. There, she is part of the research group TP C03: “Literary Property between Law and Culture.” She is also a PhD candidate at Osnabrueck University and co-editor of Current Objectives of Postgraduate American Studies (COPAS). Her research is located at the intersection between US literary, cultural, and legal studies with special regard to the nineteenth century. 

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Published

2022-08-02

How to Cite

Heisig, Fenja. “Travel Writing and Transnational Relations: Francis Lieber As The Stranger in America”. Current Objectives of Postgraduate American Studies, vol. 23, no. 1, Aug. 2022, pp. 24-40, doi:10.5283/copas.355.

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.

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