Writing Genocide Writing Identity

In his recent Der Kampf um die europäische Erinnerung, Claus Leggewie argues that the foundation of a common European identity may be searched for in the experience of genocidal attempts in various European regions in the course of the last century. And indeed, genocide appears to serve as a focal point for the collective memories of a number of oppressed people and nations. The most memorable example is certainly the Shoah, or Holocaust. Others can be found in the still hotly debated Armenian genocide or the massacres at Srebrenica in the Yugoslavian War; leaving Europe one may think of massacres of the Tutsi in Rwanda or of late 19th- and early 20th-century Australian racial policies aimed at breeding out the Aborigines – a policy that has come to be regarded and represented as genocidal. Placing its focus in Europe, but also casting some glimpses at other continents, our seminar is going to discuss current theories on the identificational function of genocide before assessing literary representations. Special interest will be given to how these fictional texts not only reflect, but also actively contribute to the construction of a collective memory that will, in turn, propose national or transnational identities through a founding myth that is based on a narrative of genocide. Texts to be dealt with include Markus Zuzak’s The Book Thief; Morris Gleitzman’s children’s trilogy Once, Then and Now (both on the Holocaust); Louis de Bernière’s Birds without Wings (on the Armenian genocide); and the graphic novels Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacchi (on the war in Bosnia) and Maus by Art Spiegelman (Holocaust). Students are expected to read the following texts in full (please get your own copies – all books are available second hand at little expense): • Morris Gleitzman, Once and Then (to be read by beginning of November); • Markus Zuzak, The Book Thief (to be read by mid-November); • Louis de Bernière, Birds without Wings (to be read by January) Extracts of the following texts will be provided for in a reader: • Morris Gleitzman, Now; • Art Spiegelman, Maus; • Joe Sacchi, Safe Area Gorazde Recommended secondary sources: Benz, Wolfgang. Ausgrenzung, Vertreibung, Völkermord: Genozid im 20. Jahrhundert. München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2006. Gerlach, Christian. Extrem gewalttätige Gesellschaften: Massengewalt im 20. Jahrhundert. München: Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 2011. Leggewie, Claus. Der Kampf um die europäische Erinnerung: Ein Schlachtfeld wird besichtigt. München: Beck, 2011. Anglistik - Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft Lehramt: erfolgreicher Abschluss der Zwischenprüfung 2 LP (Lehramt GY; MA): short oral presentation with visualization OR short written assignment on a title that is not dealt with in class (either your own choice or from a list to be distributed via moodle and in the first week of term) (1000-1500 words), to be handed in by 23 January 2012. 5 LP (Lehramt GY): oral presentation / expert session with visualization and written elaboration (total of 2500-3500 words) to be handed in by 16 March 2012. 7 LP (MA): oral presentation / expert session with visualization and written term paper (total of 3500-4500 words), to be handed in by 16 March 2012. Universität Siegen WiSe 2011/12 Univ.-Prof. Dr. Müller Anja