Berlin in Focus: Cultural Transformations in Germany

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

This collection of essays looks at Berlin after the fall of the Wall as the city struggles to re-establish itself as the cultural and political capital of Germany. The essays offer insightful readings of the metropolis, its people and institutions, as a paradigm for modern Germany. They focus on important cultural developments and changes as they occurred especially, but not exclusively, in Berlin. Issues explored include women's role in the restructuring of higher education in Berlin, the impact of State Security at Humboldt University, problems of a growing immigrant population, and the innovative counter-culture ventures in the Prenzlauer Berg district. Other chapters address major cinematic responses to the city by renowned filmmakers Wim Wenders, Walter Ruttman and Helke Sander; and the representation of Berlin and the Berlin Wall in modern fiction.

Reviews

"A spirited and informative examination of the many aspects of the once and future capital of Germany."-A. Leslie Willson Professor of Germanic Language and Literature University of Texas, Austin
"This volume is a most welcome contribution to current discussions and debates about the fluid situation in post-1990 Germany. Its focus on the cultural, social, and historical Berlin offers a rich variety of analytical perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches and provides the readers with lively and interesting investigations of that city's changing role."-Ruth-Ellen B. Joeres Professor of German and Women's Studies University of Minnesota
For those unfamiliar with Berlin and its history, this is an excellent introduction; for those familiar with Berlin this offers nonetheless a concise overview of the city's turbulent history....For anyone teaching a course on contemporary Berlin or interested in recent changes in Berlin, Berlin in Focus will prove lively reading and an invaluable resource with its informative essays and extensive biographies.-Colloquia Germanica
"For those unfamiliar with Berlin and its history, this is an excellent introduction; for those familiar with Berlin this offers nonetheless a concise overview of the city's turbulent history....For anyone teaching a course on contemporary Berlin or interested in recent changes in Berlin, Berlin in Focus will prove lively reading and an invaluable resource with its informative essays and extensive biographies."-Colloquia Germanica

Author Bio

BARBARA BECKER-CANTARINO is Research Professor at Ohio State University. She has held Visiting Professorships at the Free University of Berlin and has published studies on Berlin authors and German culture, among them The Enlightenment and Its Legacy (1992) and Literary Discourses on Friendship (1993).