GERM 364 - Migration, Then and Now

Like few other countries, Germany exemplifies how the migrant is the political figure of our time (Thomas Nail), exploding our image of “national” culture and putting flight and movement, rather than citizens and the state, in the focus of cultural scholarship. In this course, we will explore the political reality and the cultural imaginary of migration both to and from Germany and Austria in the 20th- and 21st centuries. Topics may include: refugees from National Socialism; Hannah Arendt and the figure of the exile; flight from the GDR; guest workers during the post-war economic boom; “second generation” immigrants in contemporary society, culture, and politics; reactions to and depictions of the refugee crisis in 2015 and its aftermath. Taught in German. Prerequisite(s):

GERM 308

or GERM 309, or study abroad, or permission of instructor. Alternate fall semesters. (4 Credits)