Navigation items and banners
FUBiS Term III: Jewish History and Representation of the Holocaust in Berlin - Memory and Urban Space
(Course # 2.21)
|
Type: |
B Track |
|
Instructor(s): |
|
|
Language: |
English |
|
Contact hours: |
48 (6 contact hours per day) |
|
Credit Points: |
4 Credit Points |
|
Capacity: |
18 |
Course description
As Andreas Huyssen has noted, there is perhaps no other major Western city that bears the marks of twentieth-century history as intensely and self-consciously as Berlin: “This city-text has been written, erased, and re-written throughout this violent century, and its legibility relies as much on visible markers of built space as on images and memories repressed and ruptured by traumatic events” (The Voids of Berlin, 59f.). But even when aspiring to build the capital of the 21st century, the presence of the past remains visible, in scars and ruins, voids and palimpsests: Once, Berlin was one of the most important and creative Jewish communities of Europe. The mass murder of European Jewry, initiated and organized in this same city, meant a brutal end to this flourishing culture.
The course sets out to explore the interrelated fields of Berlin history, the urban topography and architecture of the old-new capital, and the politics of memory. Within this constellation, it focuses on the ways in which both Jewish life and culture as well as Nazi terror and genocide become defining elements of the construction and commemoration of an urban past with direct repercussions for present-day cultural and political dynamics. At the same time, these constructions obviously serve certain needs – be it in terms of power, identity politics or the establishment of cultural hegemony. By examining different dimensions and layers of this complex web of meaning and memory, the course aims at a more nuanced understanding of the local, national, as well as global implications of the transformation of memory politics.
Requirements
The course is run as a seminar, i.e. your active participation in class is crucial. The literature listed below is partially required reading, partially it will serve as the basis for student presentations.
Recommended reading
- Jennifer A. Jordan, Structures of Memory. Understanding Urban Change in Berlin and Beyond, Stanford 2006.
- Brian Ladd, The Ghosts of Berlin. Confronting German History in the Urban Landscape, Chicago 1997.
Grading
- participation in class discussions: 30%
- oral presentations = 30%
- final essay: 40%
Student profile
The class does not require knowledge of German; it is open to students from various backgrounds, but participants should have a general interest in history, architecture, and arts of the 20th century. While it is ideal for undergraduate students, also graduate students will have ample opportunity to deepen their knowledge of German history and culture of memory.
