The Heimatklänge and the Danube Swabians in Milwaukee

Much research has been conducted on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and acculturative stress; this study addresses the two by redefining Heimat. Heimat is complex: this study proposes that it can be understood by the multi-dimensional connections formed by individuals and communities-a system of attachments.

For over 300 years, Danube Swabians had maintained their German dialect and culture in Hungary and Yugoslavia. The events after WWII, including expulsion from their homes and ethnic persecution, radically destabilized this minority's conception of Heimat. Written specifically for the Danube Swabians in Milwaukee, the Heimatklange newslettersprovide insight into the challenges and successes of a Catholic immigrant community in America. This study seeks to define Structured Grounded Theory, which was informed by Charmaz Constructivist Grounded Theory (2006). The method examined parish newsletters for a German immigrant community and developed a Model of Holistic Integration, which identifies the parishioners' past trauma and immigrant challenges and seeks innovative strategies to reconcile the two.

Autorentext

Julia Anderlé de Sylor completed her doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Before returning to the US, the author received a Fulbright scholarship to Germany, where she also obtained a M.A. in French & German studies. Her interests include immigration, nonverbal communication, and heritage studies.

Inhalt

Refugee - immigration - ethnic heritage community - Milwaukee - German-American studies - psychology - pastoral care - acculturative stress - Danube Swabian - Viktor Frankl - suffering and meaning - Catholic - Joseph Kentenich - Marian devotion - newsletters - integration - structured writing therapy - refugee narratives - trauma - PTSD - Heimat - qualitative analysis