Influenza, War, and Religion in Rural Europe, 1918-1920

FAIN: FT-269893-20

John Eicher
Penn State (University Park, PA 16802-1503)

Researching a history of the 1918 influenza epidemic in rural Europe, investigating the social, political, and religious factors shaping responses to the medical crisis.

This book project compares the 1918 influenza pandemic’s cultural effects on rural communities in the British isles (Great Britain and Ireland) and Central Europe (Germany and Switzerland) in order to understand popular perceptions of science and religion at the end of Europe’s first total war and the beginning of western medicine’s “golden age.” My transnational and comparative framework helps us understand the pandemic through multiple lenses including (1) wartime solidarities, (2) rurality, (3) religion, and, (4) empire. I hypothesize that: 1) Interpretations of the flu varied between urban/rural contexts and across national/confessional lines. 2) Rural communities placed greater trust in local leaders than in overburdened national authorities. 3) In contrast to modern Europeans’ dependency on a welfare state, rural Europeans in 1918 had fewer expectations that governments were responsible for citizens’ health, which enhanced social stability during the crisis.

Associated Products

Letters from a Pandemic (Blog Post)
Title: Letters from a Pandemic
Author: Therese Boyd
Abstract: Assistant Professor of History John Eicher studies survivors of the 1918 pandemic, exploring how they felt about what happened to them.
Date: 11/24/2020
Primary URL: https://altoona.psu.edu/feature/letters-pandemic?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_content=2021-01-04&utm_campaign=psua_social
Primary URL Description: Research Features section of the Penn State Altoona website
Secondary URL: https://sites.psu.edu/researchteaching/2020/12/18/letters-from-a-pandemic/
Secondary URL Description: Research and Teaching Blog at Penn State Altoona
Blog Title: Research and Teaching Blog at Penn State Altoona
Website: Penn State Altoona

Organizing a Pandemic: Focal Points for Understanding European Interpretations of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: Organizing a Pandemic: Focal Points for Understanding European Interpretations of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
Author: John Eicher
Abstract: This research presentation highlights five specific areas of inquiry that I am using to organize my current book project, “The Sword Outside, The Plague Within,” which concerns the “Spanish” flu in the European context: (1) The Cultural Geography of Europe During the Pandemic (2) War, Revolution, and the Pandemic (3) Authority and Blame During the Pandemic (4) The Physical and Emotional Toll of the Pandemic (5) The Pandemic on the Eve of Medical Science’s “Golden Age.” These chapter ideas are guided by a few overarching themes that will show up throughout the entire manuscript. They include: (1) metaphors and narratives that gave the pandemic meaning (2) faith, skepticism, and disenchantment in medical science (3) urbanism and provincialism (4) the 1918 flu as a “forgotten” pandemic. My aim is to get feedback on my project’s organizational and thematic ideas at a critical juncture between research and writing.
Date Range: 1/18/2021
Location: Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), Freiburg, Germany (remote)
Primary URL: https://www.frias.uni-freiburg.de/en/events/humanities-and-social-sciences-colloquium/humms-john-eicher
Primary URL Description: The webpage with the title and abstract of my presentation.
Secondary URL: https://www.frias.uni-freiburg.de/en/events/humanities-and-social-sciences-colloquium/kolloquium-gw-sw-archiv
Secondary URL Description: Archive of past lectures within the framework of the Humanities and social sciences colloquium.

“Plague of Opinions: Socio-Cultural Interpretations of the 1918-19 “Spanish” Flu in Germany” (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: “Plague of Opinions: Socio-Cultural Interpretations of the 1918-19 “Spanish” Flu in Germany”
Author: John Eicher
Abstract: Drawing on government health reports, newspaper articles, and the written testimony of 100 German flu survivors, this paper examines a range of opinions about the pandemic and demonstrates that the mystery surrounding the its etiology and treatment was a useful screen onto which government officials and average Germans projected a range of insecurities about the nation.
Date: 9/30/2020
Primary URL: https://thegsa.org/sites/default/files/GSA%20Virtual%20Conference%20Schedule%202020.pdf
Primary URL Description: Official program of the 44th Annual Meeting of the German Studies Association
Conference Name: 44th Annual Meeting of the German Studies Association

The Sword Outside, The Plague Within Revisiting the 1918 "Spanish" flu through survivor letters (and what they tell us about COVID-19) (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: The Sword Outside, The Plague Within Revisiting the 1918 "Spanish" flu through survivor letters (and what they tell us about COVID-19)
Abstract: The 1918 "Spanish" flu pandemic killed 50-100 million people within 18 months. Drawing on over 600 eyewitness testimonies of the pandemic in its European context, Prof. Eicher will discuss how average Europeans responded to the 1918 flu--how they died, what they felt, and who they blamed--and compare their reactions to modern Europeans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author: John Eicher
Date: 1/21/2021
Location: Penn State Altoona, Altoona, PA (remote)
Primary URL: https://news.psu.edu/story/644860/2021/01/21/altoona-professor-offer-webinar-1918-spanish-flu
Primary URL Description: Public announcement: "Altoona professor to offer webinar on 1918 Spanish flu"

Professor Studies Spanish Flu Survivor Stories Amid Epidemic (Article)
Title: Professor Studies Spanish Flu Survivor Stories Amid Epidemic
Author: Andrew Mollenauer
Abstract: A year before COVID-19 began its global rampage, Penn State Altoona history professor John Eicher embarked on a one-of-a-kind study delving into the pandemic of a century past — the 1918 “Spanish” flu.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2021/02/penn-state-professor-studying-stories-of-spanish-flu-survivors/
Primary URL Description: A year before COVID-19 began its global rampage, Penn State Altoona history professor John Eicher embarked on a one-of-a-kind study delving into the pandemic of a century past — the 1918 “Spanish” flu.
Secondary URL: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/pennsylvania/articles/2021-02-06/professor-studies-spanish-flu-survivor-stories-amid-epidemic
Secondary URL Description: A year before COVID-19 began its global rampage, Penn State Altoona history professor John Eicher embarked on a one-of-a-kind study delving into the pandemic of a century past — the 1918 “Spanish” flu.
Access Model: Open access
Format: Newspaper
Periodical Title: Altoona Mirror (Altoona, PA) and 25+ newspapers via the Associated Press
Publisher: Altoona Mirror (Altoona, PA) and 25+ newspapers via the Associated Press

"'The Sword Outside, The Plague Within': A Two-Minute Tour" (Web Resource)
Title: "'The Sword Outside, The Plague Within': A Two-Minute Tour"
Author: John Eicher
Abstract: A two-minute video presentation of professor John Eicher's research project "The Sword Outside, the Plague Within," which concerns the 1918 "Spanish" influenza pandemic in Europe. The project is supported by Penn State Altoona, the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://youtu.be/LnoJCpwft5k
Primary URL Description: Youtube link

John Eicher (professional website) (Web Resource)
Title: John Eicher (professional website)
Author: John Eicher
Abstract: My professional website detailing my research.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: http://www.johneicher.com
Primary URL Description: Link to my professional website.

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