Tom 1900-1945, 19th Century, Bibliographic, Gender, German Outside Germany, Jewishness, Multilingualism, Post-1945, Race/Ethnicity, Religion, Secondary

Cho, Joanne Miyang, and Douglas T. McGetchin (eds). Gendered Encounters between Germany and Asia: Transnational Perspectives since 1800 (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2017).

Cho and McGetchin's volume of essays explores how gender was at the centre of interactions between Germany and Asia (including India, China, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Korea). Rather than see Western and Eastern cultures as diametrically opposed, the essays in the volume explore how German and Asian people negotiate gender in closely connected … Continue reading Cho, Joanne Miyang, and Douglas T. McGetchin (eds). Gendered Encounters between Germany and Asia: Transnational Perspectives since 1800 (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2017).

Tom 1900-1945, 19th Century, Bibliographic, Jewishness, Race/Ethnicity, Religion, Secondary

Musch, Sebastian. Jewish Encounters with Buddhism in German Culture: Between Moses and Buddha, 1890-1940 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).

Musch traces the history of Jewish-Buddhist encounters from the fin de siècle to the start of the Second World War. He shows the strong influence of Buddhist thought and culture on Jewish writers and intellectuals, including Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber, Leo Baeck, Theodor Lessing, Jakob Wassermann, Walter Hasenclever and Lion Feuchtwanger. Musch demonstrates how these … Continue reading Musch, Sebastian. Jewish Encounters with Buddhism in German Culture: Between Moses and Buddha, 1890-1940 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).

Tom Bibliographic, German Outside Germany, Jewishness, Post-1945, Primary

Petrowskaja, Katja, Vielleicht Esther (Berlin: Suhrkamp, 2014)

Petrowskaja's novel is a highly accessible exploration of the dynamics of cultural memory. The text's autobiographical narrator traces the history of her Jewish family in Eastern Europe, reflecting particularly on the 1941 Babi Yar Massacre and its legacy in personal and collective forms of memory. The narrator portrays Petrowskaja's own encounters with historical archives and … Continue reading Petrowskaja, Katja, Vielleicht Esther (Berlin: Suhrkamp, 2014)

Rey Conquer 18th Century, Bibliographic, Jewishness, Primary, Religion

Maimon, Salomon. Salomon Maimons Lebensgeschichte (1792/93)

Important in considering autobiographical writing as a genre (and 'Bildung'), the literary writings of philosophers/philosophy 'and' or 'as' literature, as well as conceptions of Jewishness. Digital copies available online: Part 1; Part 2 Also available in translation: Maimon, Salomon. The Autobiography of Salomon Maimon with an Essay on Maimon's Philosophy, transl J. Clark Murray, Urbana: University … Continue reading Maimon, Salomon. Salomon Maimons Lebensgeschichte (1792/93)

Nicola Bibliographic, Jewishness, Post-1945, Primary

Becker, Jurek. Jakob der Lügner. Berlin: Aufbau, 1969 (rpt. Frankfurt/M: Suhrkamp, 1982ff)

This is the famous debut novel by the East German writer Jurek Becker. The book tells the story of Jakob Heym who feeds invented positive news, allegedly gleaned from his (non-existent) illegal radio, to his fellow prisoners in a Nazi camp, thus giving them hope for a happy ending which never comes. The text is … Continue reading Becker, Jurek. Jakob der Lügner. Berlin: Aufbau, 1969 (rpt. Frankfurt/M: Suhrkamp, 1982ff)

Nicola Bibliographic, Class, Gender, Jewishness, Post-1945, Race/Ethnicity, Secondary

Gelbin, Cathy, Kader Konuk and Peggy Piesche (eds.). Aufbrüche. Kulturelle Produktionen von Migrantinnen, Schwarzen und jüdischen Frauen in Deutschland (Königstein: Ulrike Helmer, 1999).

An edited collection which can be seen as a milestone in diversifying and decolonising the curriculum in German Studies. Cathy Gelbin, one of the co-editors of the book describes it as follows: "This interdisciplinary anthology is regarded by US and German critics as an essential source text on minoritised women in the German-speaking context. Based … Continue reading Gelbin, Cathy, Kader Konuk and Peggy Piesche (eds.). Aufbrüche. Kulturelle Produktionen von Migrantinnen, Schwarzen und jüdischen Frauen in Deutschland (Königstein: Ulrike Helmer, 1999).

Nicola Bibliographic, Class, Jewishness, Post-1945, Race/Ethnicity, Secondary

Steyerl, Hito and Encarnación Gutiérrez Rodríguez (eds.) Spricht die Subalterne deutsch? Migration und postkoloniale Kritik. Münster: Unrast, 2003.

A fiercely intellectual collection exploring the connections between colonialism and contemporary migration in the German context, as well as the issues with transferring postcolonial thought uncritically into the German context. Several essays engage with English-language postcolonial criticism which had recently emerged from Homi K. Bhabha and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, while others provide critical genealogies of … Continue reading Steyerl, Hito and Encarnación Gutiérrez Rodríguez (eds.) Spricht die Subalterne deutsch? Migration und postkoloniale Kritik. Münster: Unrast, 2003.

Nicola 1900-1945, Bibliographic, German Outside Germany, Jewishness, Post-1945, Primary

Natonek , Hans. Der Schlemihl. Ein Roman vom Leben des Adelbert von Chamisso. Allert de Lange, 1935.

See also: In Search of Myself. New York: Putnam's Sons 1943. Der Mann ohne Schatten. Bertelsmann 1958 Briefwechsel 1946–1962. Leipzig 2008. Letzter Tag in Europa. Publizistik von 1933 – 1963. ed. Steffi Böttger. Leipzig 2013. Czech/German-Jewish author who fled from the Nazis and spent the last two decades of his life in the US, namely … Continue reading Natonek , Hans. Der Schlemihl. Ein Roman vom Leben des Adelbert von Chamisso. Allert de Lange, 1935.

Tom Bibliographic, Gender, Jewishness, Post-1945, Primary, Religion

Levy, Dani (dir.). Alles auf Zucker! (X Verleih, 2004)

Terrific film comedy for introducing students to Jewishness in contemporary Germany. Levy plays with stereotypes and assumptions, as well as with the awkwardness experienced by Jews and non-Jews when dealing with questions of faith and observance in contemporary culture. Levy combines this portrayal with a satire on Ostalgie, on fragile masculinity and on East/West identity stereotypes. A … Continue reading Levy, Dani (dir.). Alles auf Zucker! (X Verleih, 2004)