Transforming the Center, Eroding the Margins: Essays on Ethnic and Cultural Boundaries in German-Speaking Countries(Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture)

Transforming the Center, Eroding the Marginsis a collection of critical articles about recent and contemporary German literature designed to stimulate discussion about German-speaking culture from the point of view of diversity. The combination of broad historical approaches and detailed textual analyses made it possible to present in this volume a spectrum of identities and positions within the German-speaking sphere, and sometimes even within the work of a single author. Examining the works of German-speaking authors of different backgrounds and countries of residence from many different points of view shows that the very concept of a unified "German Culture" is a construct.Because of the increasing visibility of various ethnic, religious, cultural, and economic groups - including migrant workers, exiles, and immigrants - multiculturalism and cultural diversity in Central Europe have received considerable attention in public debate since the disintegration of the Eastern bloc and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Yet neither cultural diversity nor the gender issues examined throughout the volume are recent phenomena. Upon closer scrutiny the notions of center and margin are shown to have origins in the nineteenth century and before.The articles in this volume, distinct in their approaches and each one concerned with specific situations, reveal an ongoing decline of mainstream discourse: the erosion of the cultural "center," and a strengthening of what continues to be referred to as "marginal." The literary and intellectual production of groups that are seen as marginal is becoming ever more compelling and visible, as is documented in Transforming the Center, Eroding the Margins.

Table of Contents:
Transcending the Boundaries of Space and Culture: The Figures of the Maharal and the Golem after the Shoah: Friedrich Torberg, Leo Perutz, Frank Zwillinger, and Nelly SachsLeo Perutz, Frank Zwillinger, and Nelly Sachs

Review :
Successfully demonstrates to what extent the literary and cultural production of the German-speaking sphere has been affected by historical, social, cultural, and political shifts that ... challenged homogeneous notions of identity.... Impressive.... GERMAN QUARTERLY 'This diverse volume successfully attains its self-proclaimed goals: it convinces the reader ... that fantasies of a singular margin and monolithic cetner are futile.