TRANSIT BLOG

TRANSIT Blog was formerly part of the Multicultural Germany Project (MGP), which we are now merging with Transit Journal. Founded in 2001 by the German Department at UC Berkeley, MGP served as a research collaborative and continuously updated archive of migration, supported by the tireless energy and willpower of our very own Deniz Göktürk and UC Berkeley’s graduate students. Our blog includes reactions to current events and news, research materials, and teaching resources. Maintained mainly by students at Berkeley, the blog provides a window into our activities and campus discussions. We hope that TRANSIT Blog continues to serve as a resource and forum for both aspiring and continuing professionals in German Studies and its adjacent fields; we welcome contributions of short thought-pieces of ca. 1000-1500 words year-round. If you would like to contribute your own blog post or other materials (in English or German), please contact us at transitjournal@berkeley.edu.

  • Gedenken an Befreiung der Konzentrationslager

    Memorials were held at Germany’s concentration camps in Brandenburg and Niedersachsen to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the liberation.  Spokespeople from the CDU and SPD were present to give speeches about how critical the National Socialist reign was in defining modern German identity and the lessons it taught the nation. Read the full article here.

  • “Jetzt haengt Deutschland drin” (“Now Germany is in the midst of things”)

    The topic of the article “Jetzt haengt Deutschland drin” (“Now Germany is in the midst of things”) is the current financial situation of Greece. Greece is receiving help from the European Union, and Germany is bearing the largest burden. Not everyone approves this. For example, Hans-Werner Sinn, head of Ifo-Institut, is concerned that Athens might…

  • Court to Decide if East Germans are Ethnic Group

    This week in Stuttgart a labor court will decide on the issue of East German ethnic identity after a East German born woman filed a anti-discrimination lawsuit against a West German window manufacturer for rejecting her application on the basis of her origin. The returned resume had the words “Ossi” and a minus sign written…

  • A Difficult Friendship with Obama: A Wall Separates Merkel and the Land of Her Dreams

    The Wall in Berlin fell decades ago, now the US has built another one – it appears to be a division in politics. According to the article, German Chancellor Angela Merkel disapproves of President Obama’s political game. Calling Obama all talk and no walk, Merkel found herself in a similar situation of being a people…

  • The Third Generation: German Jihad Colonies Sprout Up in Waziristan

    The following article from the Spiegel discusses the third generation of Islamist terrorists since 9/11 and their relatively swift radicalization and departure for Jihad training grounds around the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The article focuses mainly on the story of a few of these potential terrorists, ethnic Germans or those raised in Germany. Most…

  • Jewish Group Praises Germany for its Prosecution of Nazis

    The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a self-described “human rights” group named after Holocaust survivor and author of the novel The Sunflower Simon Wiesenthal, has given Germany an “A” in its pursuit and prosecution of former World War II Nazis.  The U.S., where the Center is headquartered, is the only other country to receive an “A” for…

  • Mehr ausländische Arbeitnehmer mit akademischem Abschluss

    The article “Mehr ausländische Arbeitnehmer mit akademischem Abschluss” details the recent rise of more highly qualified workers from non-German families within the Federal Republic. In the state of Baden-Württemberg the percentage of non-German employees with vocational training has increased from 37 to 42 percent in the past decade. Similarly the number of migrant employees with…

  • Turkish – German writer criticized

    This article talks about a Turkish-German writer who defends democracy, freedom, enlightenment, secular order and civil society. Necla Kelek’s new book  “casts a critical look at Islam and condemns the oppression and lack of freedom within Turkish communities and families in Germany.” This comes from her own life experience, which she has often shared: Before…

  • Der Rat der Götter (The Council of the Gods)

    Der Rat der Götter (Council of the Gods) is a film set in East Germany during World War II and is based on the testimonies from the Nuremberg Trials. The film attempts to reveal the secret plotting of war with under-the-table deals between American capitalist and German oil companies that play an opportunists role in…

  • Jerichow

    Directed by Christian Petzold, Jerichow (2008) is a dark yet intriguing portrayal of a young German soldier’s struggle to cope with life after his mother’s death. At the beginning of the film, the young soldier Thomas (Benno Furmann) is unemployed and out of cash. He then obtains a seasonal job through the unemployment agency as…