Brettina von Arnim and Civil Action: How to Defy Oppression by Championing Others

Location

CSU 201

Start Date

12-4-2022 2:30 PM

End Date

12-4-2022 3:30 PM

Student's Major

World Languages and Cultures

Student's College

Arts and Humanities

Mentor's Name

Nadja Kramer

Mentor's Department

World Languages and Cultures

Mentor's College

Arts and Humanities

Description

Children, cooking and church: Like most of the European world before 1900, these were “the three Cs” designated by society for women in Germany. However, some women broke through these expectations and pursued a fourth “C”: Civil action. Such a woman was Bettina von Arnim (1785-1859). A writer, activist, feminist, and intellectual, von Arnim was politically active during a time when women were delegated to domestic duties and expected to be completely subservient to their husbands. She lived during a tumultuous era of French, Prussian, and Austrian occupation of Germany during the early 19th century. Instead of being a mild-mannered bourgeois widow, von Arnim interacted with many well-known German cultural figures, such as the Grimm Brothers, Goethe, and Beethoven. Like the politically active men in her life, von Arnim took action in an oppressive society, fearlessly voicing her own opinions while supporting other oppressed groups such as Jewish people, the poverty-stricken, and revolutionaries. While not well-known outside of German-speaking circles, von Arnim’s contributions serve as an example of active citizenship despite being a member of “the weaker sex.” Therefore, Bettina von Arnim is not only an important woman in German history, rather, an important person in world history.

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Apr 12th, 2:30 PM Apr 12th, 3:30 PM

Brettina von Arnim and Civil Action: How to Defy Oppression by Championing Others

CSU 201

Children, cooking and church: Like most of the European world before 1900, these were “the three Cs” designated by society for women in Germany. However, some women broke through these expectations and pursued a fourth “C”: Civil action. Such a woman was Bettina von Arnim (1785-1859). A writer, activist, feminist, and intellectual, von Arnim was politically active during a time when women were delegated to domestic duties and expected to be completely subservient to their husbands. She lived during a tumultuous era of French, Prussian, and Austrian occupation of Germany during the early 19th century. Instead of being a mild-mannered bourgeois widow, von Arnim interacted with many well-known German cultural figures, such as the Grimm Brothers, Goethe, and Beethoven. Like the politically active men in her life, von Arnim took action in an oppressive society, fearlessly voicing her own opinions while supporting other oppressed groups such as Jewish people, the poverty-stricken, and revolutionaries. While not well-known outside of German-speaking circles, von Arnim’s contributions serve as an example of active citizenship despite being a member of “the weaker sex.” Therefore, Bettina von Arnim is not only an important woman in German history, rather, an important person in world history.

Recommended Citation

Gontjes, Tesla. "Brettina von Arnim and Civil Action: How to Defy Oppression by Championing Others." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 12, 2022.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2022/oral-session-05/1