Virtual Mobility in the Mid-twentieth Century

The Role of Pen Pal Correspondence

Abstract

The ability to learn about other places and cultures through a wide range of media is an important feature of the internet age, but the role of virtual mobility in the past is a largely neglected topic. In this paper I argue that mid-twentieth century pen pal correspondence provided a window on the wider world that would otherwise have been unavailable, and that virtual mobility should be seen as an integral part of the history of migration and mobility. I use a set of pen pal letters written between 1946 and 2012 to assess what each correspondent learned from their letters and how this form of virtual mobility might have expanded their world views.