Much research has been conducted on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and acculturative stress; this study addresses the two by redefining Heimat. Heimat is complex: this study proposes that it can be understood by the multi-dimensional connections formed by individuals and communities—a system of attachments.
For over 300 years, Danube Swabians had maintained their German dialect and culture in Hungary and Yugoslavia. The events after WWII, including expulsion from their homes and ethnic persecution, radically destabilized this minority’s conception of Heimat. Written specifically for the Danube Swabians in Milwaukee, the Heimatklänge newsletters provide insight into the challenges and successes of a Catholic immigrant community in America. This study seeks to define Structured Grounded Theory, which was informed by Charmaz Constructivist Grounded Theory (2006). The method examined parish newsletters for a German immigrant community and developed a Model of Holistic Integration, which identifies the parishioners’ past trauma and immigrant challenges and seeks innovative strategies to reconcile the two.
Julia Anderlé de Sylor
Anderlé Catholic Community Danube Displaced Ethnic studies German German-American Studies Heimatklänge Holistic Integration Milwaukee Model Parish Newsletters Pastoral care