Constructing America

The study on hand investigates the French and German Americanization-debate between 1918 and 1933. It thereby contemplates the works of authors which have significantly contributed to the interwar-debate about the USA and its influences on Europe. The focal point of the research thereby lies on the relationship between advocated pro- and anti-American images and the concept of national identity. Present study uses Constructivism as International Relations Theory to guide the research and methodologically rests upon a comparative case-study approach. The empirical section investigates the life and America-related work of Julius Hirsch, Lucien Romier, Adolf Halfeld and Georges Duhamel. In reference to these authors the research concludes that pro- and anti-Americanism in Germany and France during the 1920s were a catalyst for the creation, definition and refinement of national identity. Thereby the study not only affirms the functional relationship between the Americanization-debate and national identity but also illustrates the multilayered nuances of the discourse, which comprises subjective dimensions as much as historical and ideological ones.

Sebastian Jacqué was born on 2 September 1990 in Bad Schwalbach, Germany. He studied European Cultures with a specialization in History at the University of Luxembourg. During this period, he partook in the Erasmus Program which allowed him to study one semester at the Friedrich-Meinecke-Institute at the Free University, Berlin. He rounded off his studies with a Master of Arts in History from the Erasmus University Rotterdam with a specialization in Global History and International Relations. Since November 2012 he has studied as a Ph.D.-candidate at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication of the Erasmus University Rotterdam under the supervision of Prof. Hein Klemann and Dr. Ferry de Goey. His research focuses on the Americanization of Germany and France during the interwar-period, Constructivism as International Relations Theory and the concept of national identity. During his studies, he inter alia worked as Freelance Journalist for the Luxembourgish newspaper Luxemburger Wort and as Research Assistant at the professorship of Prof. Michael-Sebastian Honig at the University of Luxembourg (research axis Early Childhood: Education and Care).