JWST 463 - Contemporary Jewish German Literature

What does it mean to write in German as a Jew today? A diverse group of contemporary German-language authors position themselves as Jewish writers engaged in probing the complex constellations of identity and intergenerational trauma and memory after the Shoah. Much of their work is centered on the Jewish experience in German and Austrian cultures, yet always in a web of relations to other places, their contexts, and languages - for example, Israel and the US, France and Algeria, Russia and Poland. Seismic shifts in national borders and transnational mobility, including German unification in 1990, the immigration of many Jews from the former Soviet Union to Germany and more recent demographic influences of migration of the 21st century, are further reshaping the topographies of intersectional identities and society that these writers explore. Students examine the relationships of generational position, gender, and literary voice; the interfaces of personal stories, historical knowledge, and contemporary local contexts; the politics and collective understandings of the memory of the Shoah; and the roles of literary representations in shaping that memory as time passes and personal memory disappears. Readings include fiction, essays, interviews, songs, and articles by Wolf Biermann, Ruth Beckermann, Maxim Biller, Irene Dische, Olga Grjasnowa, Lena Gorelik, Barbara Honigmann, Wladimir Kaminer, Ruth Kliiger, Katja Petrowskaja, Doron Rabinovici, Robert Schindel and others.

May be taught in English translation or in German, depending on the semester and student interests and background. When the course is taught in English, students counting it for German major or minor requirements must also register for the additional (.25 credit) CLAC section (GERM 463X) and do readings and written work in German; students registered for the course as JWST may also join the CLAC course, with instructor permission.

Credits: 1.0
Crosslisted:

GERM 463

Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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