Alina Zeller

Trachtenvereine in the U.S.: practices of Bavarian customs associations in the negotiation of German-American ethnicity, culture and tradition (working title)

My thesis examines how Trachtenvereine in the U.S. represented, produced, and performed German-American identity, customs, and traditions between 1910s and the 1930s by focusing on their practices. Trachtenvereine were associations brought to the U.S. by German and Austrian migrants. My thesis covers the early period of this cultural movement, when the majority of Vereine (associations) were founded in the Midwest and at the East Coast of the U.S. The practices of Trachtenvereine give insight into their influence on German-American identity production and festivities. Additionally, they performed and produced a nostalgic version of Heimat (idealized space of belonging) and enabled community building. Trachtenvereine dedicated their activities to preserving specific alpine customs and traditions, principally the wearing of Tracht (ethnic costume). Dancing Schuhplattler (alpine folk dance) and folk dances constituted the second most important practice. Additionally, Trachtenvereine engaged in numerous other activities and surrounded themselves with symbols of (alpine) community. Before World War II, these associations in the U.S. represented, produced, and performed a specific kind of German-American identity, closely associated with the positive image of German Gemütlichkeit (a feeling of coziness). My project covers the period from high anti-German ressentiments around World War I to the changing interpretation of Tracht with the rise of the Third Reich and its propaganda. In spring 1914, the Schuhplattler-Verein “Edelweiß” was formed in Chicago, ILL, as one of the first associations in the U.S. dedicated to the preservation of Tracht and Schuhplattler. Hence, the first German American Trachtenvereine were founded just before WWI. As this period was marked by strong anti German climate, my project explores why Trachtler:innen (members of the association) practiced something that promoted their “Germanness” vividly and publicly, when they were confronted with xenophobia. My analysis of the Trachtenvereine is thus an invaluable contribution to understanding the cultural production of German-American identity in the interwar period. The first Vereine’s founding, just before WWI, was the culmination of transatlantic transfer processes in which people from Bavaria and Tyrol brought their traditions and cultural practices to the U.S. My preliminary sources suggest that not only German-Americans and Austro-Americans from those specific regions responded positively to these associations. Although their performances produced a stereotype dominant in the alpine region, it addressed the whole “Germanness” in the U.S. With my project I research in-depth why other German-speakers connected positively with the representation of Trachtenvereine and why their practices have been successful with other audiences as well. Moreover, I investigate the role of Trachtenvereine in everyday life of its members and in the festive culture of German-Americans. And did their practices within the ethnic festive culture alter the images of German present in the U.S.? My thesis will approach the research gap by applying three theories to the analysis of contemporary source material. Firstly, practice theory enables me to investigate the underlying knowledge of practices of the Trachtenvereine. Additionally, I apply the theory of cultural transfer to fully comprehend the practices in context of their transatlantic transfer. The third theory deployed in my project concerns the concept of resonance and strives to investigate the conditions for a good life. According to the theory, positive and fulfilling self-world relations are established along several axes, which are produced by (ritualized) practices. Therefore, investigating practices allows me to analyze the resonant relationships of members of Trachtenvereine.

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