Description
Book SynopsisAt once a book about Oxford and Heidelberg University and about the character of European society on the eve of the World War I,
Our Friend "The Enemy" challenges the idea that pre-1914 Europe was bound to collapse.
Trade Review"Weber's argument poses real problems for the theory of an inevitable Anglo-German antagonism culminating in World War I. He shows that, contrary to what proponents of the German/Sonderweg thesis have long assumed, there was far more social and political conservatism—including anti-Semitism and even militarism—at the British university than at the German. And the evidence he uncovers of Anglo-German affinities among educational elites is truly compelling." -- Niall Ferguson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History * Harvard University *
"With his well-informed and superbly researched study, replete with interesting details about student life at Oxford and Heidelberg, Weber makes a powerful and effective case that calls into question the hitherto prevailing historiography on which he concentrates his fire." --
German Studies Review"It offers revealing insights into German and British academia before 1914 and delivers another death blow to the idea of an illiberal German or liberal British special path to modernity." --
Reviews in History"Thomas Weber's engagingly written book
Our Friend, The Enemy is a robust defense of the comparative method...This powerful book is an example of a new kind of comparative history—one that is not concerned with "big structures, large processes, and huge comparisons," but nuances in cultural representation and social agency in the past." --
Central European History"This powerful book is an example of a new kind of comparative history—one that is not concer ned with "big structures, large processes, and huge compar isons," but explores nuances in cultural representation and social agency in the past." --
H-German"Weber challenges the conventional historiography that the pre-1914 world was divided between a militaristic and Anti-Semitic Germany and a liberal, tolerant Britain." --
CHOICE"...a well-researched, well-written, and provocative book that offers numerous perceptive insights..." -- Jean-Guy Lalande * St. Francis Xavier University,
Historical Studies in Education *
"Weber has produced a compelling assessment of the role that Heidelberg and Oxford played in the reproduction of elites in German and British societies, respectively. His case studies enable him to offer a wholly persuasive reconsideration of the German
Sonderweg.
Our Friend "The Enemy" presents a first-rate argument for why historians should attempt to pursue comparative studies." -- Paul Deslandes, University of Vermont * Burlington *
"While delivering a set of far-reaching arguments, Weber's book remains readable. He conducted considerable primary research, providing a wealth of fascinating detail interlaced with well-chosen quotations that drive home his arguments with force." -- John R. Davis *
American Historical Review *
Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments 000 Abbreviations 000 Introduction: Setting the Stage 000 1. Oxford and Heidelberg in their National Contexts 000 2. Transnational Nationalists: Anglo-German Life at Oxford and Heidelberg 000 3. Militarism and Nationalism at the two Universities 000 4. Student Sexuality at Oxford and Heidelberg 000 5. No Long History, No Proud Tradition? Women at the Two Universities 000 6. Anti-Semitism and Attitudes towards Foreigners 000 Conclusion 000 Notes 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000
