Post-Soviet Jewish Migration as a Theme in Contemporary Jewish-German Literature

In 1989, a historical and sociological paradigm shift was initiated that created the precondition for the emergence of a German-Jewish body of literature, a literature that would grow as a result of post-Soviet Jewish immigration. This contemporary Jewish literature is transcultural, multifaceted, and transnational. In this seminar, which is conceived as an introductory reading course, we will analyze questions regarding contemporary history, literature, and culture on the basis of excerpts from novels and stories by German-language authors who have had a large impact in recent years. These include Julia Kissina, Katja Petrowskaja, and Vladimir Vertlieb. How do these authors negotiate being Jewish, belonging and identity, as well as exile, migration, Shoah, and diaspora in their works?

Literature:

Monika L. Behravesh, Migration und Erinnerung in der deutschsprachigen interkulturellen Literatur, Bielefeld 2017; Zvi Gitelman, The New Jewish Diaspora: Russian-Speaking Immigrants in the United States, Israel, and Germany, New Brunswick 2016; Karen Körber (ed.), Russisch-jüdische Gegenwart in Deutschland. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf eine Diaspora im Wandel, Göttingen 2015; Jessica Ortner, The German Jewish Migrant Novel after 1990: Politics of Memory and Multidirectional Writing, in: Katja Garloff/Agnes Mueller (eds.): German Jewish Literature After 1990, Woodbridge 2018, 83–101.