Crosscurrents

Book excerpt: Studies of aspects of historical interaction between Germany, Africa and black America. This volume brings together fascinating research on the historical interaction between Germany, African nations and Black Americans. Leading scholars explore the influence of German missions, language and culture, politics, and science on Africa and Black America. Essays examine the medieval links between Germany and Africa, encounters between immigrant Germans and America's African population during the colonial era; the influence of German culture and natinalism on African-American social elites studying in Germany throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; Black American musical performers in Weimar Germany; and the shifting contacts among Black Americans, Germany, and Africa as Germany led Western modernization and expansionism during the twentieth century. The authors present a variety of disciplines and use heretofore untapped sources from German, American, and African depositories.