Writing Against Boundaries: Nationality, Ethnicity and Gender in the German-Speaking Context

Writing against Boundaries. Nationality, Ethnicity and Gender in the German-speaking Context presents a series of essays by prominent scholars who critically explore the intersection of nation and subjectivity, the production of national identities, and the tense negotiation of multiculturalism in German-speaking countries. By looking at a wide spectrum of texts that range from Richard Wagner’s operas to Hans Bellmer’s art, and to literature by Aras Oren, Irene Dische, Annette Kolb, Elizabeth Langgasser, Karin Reschke, Christa Wolf, to contemporary German theater by Bettina Fless, Elfriede Jelinek, Anna Langhoff, Emine Sevgi Ozdamar, and to Monika Treut’s films, the volume explores the intersection of gender, ethnicity and nation and examines concepts of national culture and the foreigner or so-called ‘other.’ Focusing on such issues as immigration, xenophobia, gender, and sexuality, the volume looks at narratives that sustain the myth of a homogeneous nation, and those that disrupt it. It responds to a growing concern with borders and identity in a time in which borders are tightening as the demands of globalization increase.