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Bezig met laden... Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America (editie 2013)door François Weil
Informatie over het werkFamily Trees. A History of Genealogy in America door François Weil
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Given its popularity, I've long been surprised that not much attention has been devoted to the history of genealogical research and pursuit. François Weil's Family Trees starts to correct that trend in a meaningful way, offering a scholarly exploration of several key elements and themes of genealogical pursuit in America from the colonial period to the internet age. The book is by no means comprehensive, and there is much more that might have been said, but Weil's thematic and chronological treatment works very well for what it is, and he manages to get to the roots (no pun intended) of a few of the very different ways genealogical research has been used and viewed by Americans since the colonial period. Aside from a faulty transcription (the "long s" is not an "f"!) that bugged me, I didn't find much to complain about here; I might have stressed different points here and there, but on the whole I found this book quite well done. Not by any means a breezy read, but certainly an informative and fascinating one. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Prijzen
The quest for roots has been an enduring American preoccupation. Over the centuries, generations have sketched coats of arms, embroidered family trees, established local genealogical societies, and carefully filled in the blanks in their bibles, all in pursuit of self-knowledge and status through kinship ties. This long and varied history of Americans' search for identity illuminates the story of America itself, according to Fran©?ois Weil, as fixations with social standing, racial purity, and national belonging gave way in the twentieth century to an embrace of diverse ethnicity and heritage. Seeking out one's ancestors was a genteel pursuit in the colonial era, when an aristocratic pedigree secured a place in the British Atlantic empire. Genealogy developed into a middle-class diversion in the young republic. But over the next century, knowledge of one's family background came to represent a quasi-scientific defense of elite "Anglo-Saxons" in a nation transformed by immigration and the emancipation of slaves. By the mid-twentieth century, when a new enthusiasm for cultural diversity took hold, the practice of tracing one's family tree had become thoroughly democratized and commercialized. Today, Ancestry.com attracts over two million members with census records and ship manifests, while popular television shows depict celebrities exploring archives and submitting to DNA testing to learn the stories of their forebears. Further advances in genetics promise new insights as Americans continue their restless pursuit of past and place in an ever-changing world. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)929.20973History and Geography Biography, genealogy, insignia Genealogy; Heraldry Families Families Geographic Treatment (Families) North America (Families) United States (Families)LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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I had hoped for arguments and conclusions not just collections of historical quotes, mostly from people who no one has ever heard of and without adequate context to make them interesting or useful. The author made only the vaguest assertions that people wanted the respect that a coat of arms would bring so they mostly faked them - throughout all history. And that people generally wanted to know who their ancestors were because they either felt it was good to know that you could be better than or as good as they were. No psychological insights into WHY any of this mattered to them or what impact this had on society. Supremely boring when I hoped it would be interesting, exciting, and possibly even provocative. ( )