I found the manner in which Knotter seamlessly weaved a variety of sources into this article impressive. I was especially interested in how Knotter added snippets of memoirs and biographies to their work and briefly went over how that individual’s life exemplified the point they were trying to make. I have noticed that most of the articles we have read in this class that use personal connections usually go much more in depth than Knotter did; however, I still found it effective.
I also enjoyed Kreuder-Sonnen’s use of biographies and memoirs in her work. Her use of biographies and focus on personal actors was heavier than Knotter’s. Her work alternated between the specific details of the scientists’ lives and their interactions with the transnational and broader national context to highlight how their actions and work highlighted trends within the Polish nation/nationalism. Knotter and Sonnen’s use of biographies and the balance between specifics and larger trends felt somewhat opposite.
I found Knotter’s argument/premise very interesting, especially considering the chapters we read about Polish laborers in Prussia. Knotter argued that these international connections were not really for the sake of internationality, but a pragmatic solution to their employer’s exploitative methods for reducing wages (i.e bringing foreign workers). I am not too familiar with labor history in Europe (besides the chapter we read on Polish workers); however, I find this outcome interesting considering the very violent responses within the United States to drive out foreign competition (usually through extralegal violence). Although there certaintly was collaboration between different laborers from across racial groups, the violence was a very significant part of history of labor in the U.S. There was also a layer of institutional involvement, as the United States government worked with other countries to develop immigration schemes that would balance economic interests and nationalism (for example, the Bracero Program (around the 60s) and the negotiations with China before the immigration ban. The institutions and the nation state had to handle another layer of diplomacy to tackle the racist responses of their citizens. I wonder to what degree colonial racial understandings and discourses influenced and took place within this international Union cooperation that Knotter captured. It would have been an interesting dimension/counterpoint for Knotter to consider.