RC Core 321, Sec. 1: Multiculturalism in
Germany (Goertz)
The last decade has seen a growing
interest in and production of German-language literature by writers
of Turkish, Jewish, Afro-German, Roma-Sinti, Asian and Arab descent.
Yet the question remains open whether Germany is a truly
multicultural country and whether this apparent literary interest is
matched by real gains in the lives of ethnic minorities. The German
debate on multiculturalism is an ongoing and heated one, and students
will be challenged to articulate their own positions, drawing points
of comparison from the American context. Through the reading of
autobiographical essays, poems, short stories, and novels, we will
discuss how contemporary writers of diverse ethnic backgrounds
propose alternative histories, identities, and sensibilities to the
German mainstream. What do their poems, short stories, and novels
contribute to ongoing debates about citizenship, immigration and
German identitiy? How do they expose the blindspots, prejudices, and
zones of social exclusion in dominant discourse? We will also examine
how the German language and culture are enriched by the different
traditions (oral and written, secular and religious, Western and
non-Western) of each writer. Since each ethnic group has a particular
status and history in Germany, we will examine both the shared
experiences of these groups on the margins of German society and
their specific experiences in terms of ethnicity, language,
generation, and gender. Prerequisite: Proficiency in German. All
class discussions and primary readings will be in German. Background
readings in history and literary criticism will be in
English.