Class Year
2026
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date of Creation
Spring 2025
Department 1
History
Abstract
For Americans in the throes of World War II, the international world was a complex and uncertain place. The news media, which offered reports from the war fronts, helped to ground Americans in this world. Another source which supplemented these reports, and which has been overlooked in the historiography, was the letters of soldiers stationed abroad. In writing on their surroundings, soldiers acted as journalists, supplying their audiences with intimate insights into foreign locations. Albert Chance (1903-1990), stationed in North Africa and in Italy, was one such soldier. His letters from North Africa provide a glimpse into the ways in which Americans’ perceptions of this misunderstood continent were shaped by soldiers’ letters home. This paper examines how, through the depictions of Africa within his letters, Chance nuanced the portrayal of the continent provided by the press, reinforcing negative stereotypes while providing a uniquely intimate viewpoint which influenced his audience’s ideas of Africa.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Szczepkowicz, Devon, "Reporting on the Dark Continent: The Albert Chance Collection as an American Representation of Africa" (2025). Student Publications. 1192.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/1192
Comments
This work was written for HIST 300: Historical Methods.