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.

  • Orthodontist refuses to treat teen named ‘Jihad’

    A 16 year old patient was refused treatment at an orthodontist’s office in the town of Donaueschingen, Germany because the doctor felt his name was offensive. The doctor stated that she interpreted the meaning of the word “Jihad” as being representative of a statement to allow war against all non-Islamic believers. Islamic dcholars on the…

  • Controversy Surrounding Re-naming Gröbenufer, May Ayim Ufer

    In 2007, the Green Party proposed the renaming of the street Gröbenufer in Berlin-Kreuzberg as May Ayim Ufer. Gröbenufer was originally named after Friedrich von der Gröben (1657-1728) in 1895. Gröben is responsible for founding the Großfriedrichsburg fort in present-day Ghana. From that fort, over 30,000 African slaves were shipped to Europe and the Caribbean.…

  • Knobloch to step down as leader of Germany’s Jews

    Charlotte Knobloch, the last leader of Germany’s Central Council of Jews to come from the generation of the Holocaust survivors, will not seek re-election in November in order to “consciously bring about a generational change.”  Her likely successor, Dieter Graumann, hopes to shift public sentiment toward the positive aspects of Judaism.  The full article can…

  • Turks face integration challenges in Germany

    This article focuses on the difficulty Turkish Germans have when trying to claim a German identity. It brings up problems in defining German identity, where one woman appears to have been well-integrated as a child — dressing like other German girls and refraining from wearing the head scarf — but is ultimately unable to have…

  • Right-Wing Extremism: Far-right party allowed to distribute CDs to students

    I included this article because upon first reading I found it surprising that such far-right ideology was still being exposed in Germany. Given its history over the last 80 or so years i would have thought such extremist rhetoric would be far more taboo; yet I suppose it also caters to the fears of many…

  • Far-Right Rhetoric Germany’s Very Own Minaret Debate Turns Nasty

    This article speaks to the recent debate over the building of minarets on mosques in many countries within the European Union. It is another instance of contention over the perceived “Islamicization” of Europe through the increased visibility of Islam in European cities. In this article (which focuses on a small town in Westphalia) Islam is…

  • Berliners fight anti-Semitism among Muslims

    The growing diversity in Germany hasn’t meant complete acceptance of these foreign peoples into German society, but in a gross corruption of acceptance and tolerance, there is to be found a number of Muslims who hold anti-Semitic sentiments. Anti-Semitism is an extremely sensitive topic in Germany, and most Germans today view anti-Semitism as wrong. While…

  • Taking a Stand Against Tax Cheats

    In a controversial move, German government officials agreed to purchase a particular CD at the cost of 2.5 million euros ($3.5 million) from a whistler-blower.  On the CD is a list of alleged suspects who are said to have illegally hid money in Swiss bank accounts to avoid paying tax on such funds.  Now the…

  • Report Backs Teaching Of Islam at German Universities

    This article discusses a German advisory council’s recommendation that centers for Islamic studies be set up at universities throughout the country. The Council also recommended that Muslim authorities be given the power to choose who teaches these courses. Despite Germany’s large Muslim population there are few outlets in universities to educate individuals regarding Muslim theology.…

  • German Terrorist Trial

    Germany’s first terrorist-trial is coming to an end, presenting a very appropriate and provoking connection to the question of multi-culturality in Germany today and in the past. The members of the self-entitled “Sauerland Cell” terrorist group are German, German-Turkish, and Turkish, a fact very specifically stated in the article, published 2/2/2010 by the Deutsche Welle.…