Ester Nelly Abuter Ananías - Fachbereich Philosophie und ...

Traci S. O’Brien ( Auburn University, Dept. of Foreign Languages, Alabama, u sa )
Race and Mobility in Ott ilie Assing’s Transatlantic Reporting
In the years between 1851-1865, Ott ilie Assing wrote many articles for Morgenblatt fuer
gebildete Leser which are a signifi cant contribution to the study of race and mobility
in the nineteenth century. Aft er emigrating to the us in 1852, Ott ilie Assing’s focus
on the plight of African-Americans is juxtaposed with the theme of her own travels.
Establishing a connection between technological advances and social progress, she
enjoyed travel in her own life and vigorously supported the abolitionist movement
in the u s. However, while she favored granting equal rights to African-Americans,
curiously her own prejudices prevented her from supporting such rights for Native
Americans. In my paper, I discuss how the theme of travel intertwined with much of
her enthusiasm for and criticism of her adopted country in terms of race, as well as her
own contradictory stance on human rights. As she became involved in the abolitionist
movement, the fi ght for freedom and the elimination of racial barriers between black
and white took center stage in her work. Oft en equating the technology of travel
available in the u s with the inevitable forward march of progress, she greeted the
potential of African-American mobility as indicative of such progress. At the same
time, Assing created racial boundaries against the Native Americans and excluded
them from her new conception of mobile humanity, deeming them the antithesis of
civilized travel and thus incapable of forward motion.
Email tso0001@auburn.edu
Section Th eories of Mobility and Travel Literature
Panel 49
Date July 29
Time 16 :45
Location k l 29/111