What defines terms such as “Germanness,” “culture” and “ethnicity”? In this course we will consider how different ethnic minorities in postwar Germany have influenced and altered the very question of what it means to be “German.” In our examination of historical phenomena such as the economic miracle and the guest worker programs of the 1950s and 60s, we will explore the cultural impact of migration on contemporary German society through a focus on questions of integration, religion, nationality, ethnicity and gender. Course materials range from historical documents and journalistic prose, to literary and filmic representations by Afro-, Turkish-, Japanese-, Jewish-, Russian-, and Arab-German authors. In our assessment of postwar German history, we will pay particular attention to the unprecedented waves of migration Germany is experiencing in the present. In doing so, we will consider the inadequacy and/or staying power of existing categories of analysis such as diaspora, hybridity, authenticity, transnationalism and globalism.

Course Requirements:

Readings and discussion in German. Course Requirements: weekly short responses and news reports, midterm take-home exam, final paper.

Intended Audience:

Readings and discussion in German.

Class Format:

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