What drove men and women from different regional and social backgrounds to leave their homes during this time? Some migrations were forced, as for the Mennonites, the Salzburger emigrants, and the French Huguenots; some were voluntary and determined by the wish for one's own land and greater social and economic opportunity. In all groups, religion was a prominent motivator and primary element of social identification and cohesion. Inevitably, migrants carried with them traditional skills and other indispensable cultural "baggage." A key strength of this book is that contributors emphasize the mutual exchanges that occurred among cultures.
In Search of Peace and Prosperity grew out of a conference at Penn State University under the sponsorship of the German Historical Institute in Washington, D. C. Contributors are Rosalind J. Beiler, Jon Butler, Andreas Gestrich, Mark Haberlein, Thomas Klingebiel, Hartmut Lehmann, Thomas Muller-Bahlke, A. Gregg Roeber, Mack Walker, Hermann Wellenreuther, Carola Wessel, Renate Wilson, and Marianne S. Wokeck.
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