Islam for the Diaspora
This article addresses the role of imams in Germany and anxieties that exist about the nature of Islamic instruction there. As German schools lack training in the Islamic faith, Muslim congregations have been importing imams. One Islamic organization that trains Turkish imams for service in Germany, Diyanet, represents those who would like Europe to develop […]
Homeschooling: German Family Gets Political Asylum in U.S.
This article is an update on a previously posted topic and discuses a German family that was granted asylum in the United states. The family wanted to homecshool their children, which is illegal in Germany and had refused to send their children to public school. They immigrated to the United States rather than a neighboring country, […]
Headscarves: A Comparison of Public Thought and Public Policy in Germany and the Netherlands.
This article takes a comparative approach to analyzing the structuring of the concept of citizen ship in two countries ( Germany and the Netherlands) and how this relates to their treatment of the Muslim hijab. The primary investigation deals with the hijab, or headscarf as less of an ideologically charged issue and more as an […]
Speak German or Sweep the Schoolyard: A Social View on the Integration of Children in Germany”
Although Lucinda Martin’s work article serves as a voice for many immigrants living in Germany, I have to side with the German government on many of the points addressed in this article, especially the notion that “language is the key to integration.” Martin’s article begins with the situation at The Hoover School in Berlin. This […]
Turks in the New Germany
This article presents a new viewpoint on the lasting identity problem faced by the Turkish population living in Germany. As a third generation of Turkish Germans comes of age, the problems of identity, integration and acceptance into German society is still a problem for many of the young, in a more precise way, “German Turks.” […]
At Home in the New Germany? Local Stories and Global Concerns in Yüksel Yavuz’s Aprilkinder and Kleine Freiheit
Kraenzle’s article begins with a discussion about the rise of Turkish-German cinema within the past decade and the common sentiment during the 1990s that it was the successor to the New German Cinema of the 1970s, due to the common social themes they address about marginalized individuals. Kraenzle, however, warns against drawing this direct link. […]
Lamerica
In Lamerica (1994), Gianni Amelio challenges cultural and national essentialism by dismantling the imagined border that separates Italian identity from Albanian identity. The film is set in year 1991, where post-communist Albania is in poverty and thousands of Albanians are desperate to cross the border for a better life in Italy. But without an Italian […]
Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Secondary and Postsecondary German Textbooks
This article by David Ilett, on the visual and informational content of diversity and ethnicity in German textbooks, is a very thorough and comprehensive analysis of the topic. Although relatively fundamental, the article does highlight the issues related to educating on a topic surrounded by such ‘political correctness,’ as cultural diversity. In focusing on an […]
The Best of (German) Turk Hip-Hop Top 10
Link to Video Here A compilation of Turkish German hip/hop rap songs, the video “the Best of (German) Turk Hip-Hop Top 10” displays a very stimulating presentation, from its title to the lyrics of the songs. Before the music even begins, the title of the video clip bears evidence of the national emphasis placed by […]
A Helpful Guide to Germany
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/ Created and sponsored by the BBC, this cultural portal provides web browers with up-to-date information about current events and the weather in Germany along with interesting articles about German culture and food for foreigners. In addition the website contains German phrases and travel arrangements for individuals seeking to visit Germany. And for those curious enough to […]