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| Format | Dissertation |
|---|---|
| Creator | Moonen, Alida Joyce |
| Title | The Missing Half: The Experience of Women in the Indianapolis Athenaeum Turnverein Women's Auxiliary, 1876-1919 |
| Dissertation Note (type -- academic institution) | Ph.D -- Ohio State University |
| Date | 1993 |
| Extent of Work | viii, 190 pages |
| View Online | |
| Abstract | Examines the experience of women in the Indianapolis Athenaeum Turnverein (gymnastics society) Women's Auxiliary, within the context of German American Turnverein life in the city during the period between 1876 and 1919. Analysis of the group's primary organizational characteristics and changes revealed its internal culture to have been a developmental process which ultimately resulted in a dual sense of consciousness emanating from these women. The German and Turner milieu of Indianapolis and the organizational structure and purpose of the Auxiliary served to illustrate its strong sense of communal solidarity with the mission of the Turnverein and the men who belonged to it. Within this service-oriented world, however, the nature and extent of the Auxiliary's primary tasks bound the women together in a special, women-centered world of their own. These tasks, which included support of the Turnverein's activities, fundraising, educating Turner children about the finer points of German language and culture, and supervising their daughters' physical education classes, were accomplished with a sense of pride and expertise that in turn produced a sense of female consciousness about the women that was theirs alone to share. The study presented a methodological challenge which was resolved in ways that are not uncommon to women's historiography. There was little reliable secondary literature available concerning topics that were important to this study, including background material on the experiences of Germans, Turner societies, and women in Indianapolis during the nineteenth century. However, the National Turner Archives at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis provided abundant primary materials which allowed for completion of this study. |
| Call Number | Digital file (PDF) |
| MKI Terms | German Americans -- Indiana/ Women/ Turners/ Societies, etc./ Ethnic identity |