Contagious Humanism in Early Nineteenth-Century German-Language Press

Abstract

<p></p><p><b></b></p><p><b></b></p><p><b>Th is article explores the ways the emerging concept of humanism was circulated<br />and defi ned in early nineteenth-century German-language press.<br />By analyzing a digitized corpus of German-language newspapers and periodicals<br />published between 1808 and 1850, this article looks into the ways<br />the concept of humanism was employed in book reviews, news, political<br />reports, and feuilleton texts. Newspapers and periodicals had a signifi cant<br />role in transmitting the concept of humanism from educational debates<br />into general political language in the 1840s. Furthermore, in an era of growing<br />social problems and political unrest, humanism became increasingly associated<br />with moral sentiments. Accordingly, this article suggests that its<br />new political meanings and emotional underpinnings made humanism culturally<br />contagious, particularly immediately before and during the 1848/49<br />revolutions.</b></p><p><b><br />KEYWORDS<br />conceptual history, education, emotions, humanism, politics, press,<br />1848/49 revolutions</b></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p>