Episode 60: Plattdeutsch, Hochdeutsch, & the Germans in Missouri – Walter Kamphoefner (Bicentennial Book Club, Part 20)

Season 4 (2021-2022)

Episode Description

In honor of the state's 200th birthday, Our Missouri will feature a series throughout 2021 entitled "Bicentennial Book Club," which highlights influential books related to Missouri and examines how scholars, historians, and authors dissect major topics in the state's history. So, join the "Book Club" to hear about award-winning publications that detail the state's diverse history, as well as the stories behind the stories featured within their pages. In this episode, Walter Kamphoefner discusses German history, culture, and life in Missouri, particularly his upbringing in the state's German Heritage Corridor and his new book, Germans in America: A Concise History.

Episode & Banner Image: The Kemper family at Christmas, Hermann, Missouri, date unknown [Edward J. Kemper Collection (C4388), SHSMO]

About the Guest

Walter Kamphoefner

Walter Kamphoefner holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Missouri. He is a Professor in History at Texas A&M University. He is the author of The Westfalians: From Germany to Missouri and Germans in America: A Concise History. He is also the co-editor of News from the Land of Freedom: German Immigrants Write Home, Germans in the Civil War: The Letters They Wrote Home, Longer than a Man's Lifetime in Missouri, and Preserving German Texan Identity: Reminiscences of William A. Trenckmann, 1859-1935.