Vorurteil und Mythenbildung in der “Captivity Tale”: Ein Modell für den amerikakundlichen Unterricht in der Sekundarstufe II

Abstract

The present paper is meant for German teachers and students concerned with American Studies. It assumes that students are eager to study such concepts as the noble and ignoble savage, primitivism and civilization, and the dichotomy of ideological notions, like Manifest Destiny, and some manifestations of continental expansion.

The paper traces the history of Indian-White relationships from early contacts through the expulsion of the Prairie Indians from their lands. Examples in the paper range from Mary Rowlandson to Dorothy M. Johnson, that is, from the first Puritan captivity narrative, based on immediate experience, to the modern popularization of the topic, at best based on detailed historical study. The paper considers both literary and non-literary texts as well as contemporary paintings. It argues on the basis of literary works and studies in intellectual history that the captivity motif is central to American thought.

Since the subject necessitates an American Studies approach, the paper is an introduction to both an important strand in American thought and a method of investigation.

Dieser Artikel basiert auf einem am 29. 5. 1980 anläßlich der Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Amerikastudien in Wolfenbüttel gehaltenen Vortrag, der in seiner Grundkonzeption mit unserem verstorbenen Freund und Kollegen Dr. Dieter Ramm, M. A. (Augsburg) geplant wurde.