Much has been written about how the city of Berlin, Ontario – long a centre of Germanic industry and culture in Canada –changed its name to Kitchener in 1916 in the face of anti-German sentiments. Studies by Geoffrey Hayes and Ross Fair have particularly identified how a more acceptable form of German identity evolved in Kitchener after 1918, emphasizing the Pennsylvania Mennonite origins of many of the area’s first non-native settlers, instead of the continental German identity of much of the citizenry. But what of the Second World War, and the wave of German immigrants that came to Waterloo Region in its aftermath? Through what means did this community of immigrants establish its identity, and come to terms with the legacy of wartime Germany? How did the German community continue to evolve and react to political and social currents reverberating in Europe? This study addresses these questions by examining a number of episodes in the twentieth century that both celebrated and divided local German communities. Three examples will be discussed to help elucidate the concept of complex German identities in Kitchener-Waterloo. The formation of the Deutsche Bund Canada at the time of the Second World War, the creation of Oktoberfest in Kitchener-Waterloo in the late 1960s, as well as the visit of David Irving to Kitchener in 1992 represent events in the history of the area that lend themselves very naturally to further examination. While German immigrants have historically been regarded as a cohesive community, unified by attributes such as a shared language, it will be argued here based on these three examples, that Germans in Kitchener-Waterloo are comprised of unique groupings of ‘Germans’, whose identities vary depending on attributes such as geographic origin and time frame of emigration.

Much has been written about how the city of Berlin, Ontario – long a centre of Germanic industry and culture in Canada –changed its name to Kitchener in 1916 in the face of anti-German sentiments. Studies by Geoffrey Hayes and Ross Fair have particularly identified how a more acceptable form of German identity evolved in Kitchener after 1918, emphasizing the Pennsylvania Mennonite origins of many of the area’s first non-native settlers, instead of the continental German identity of much of the citizenry. But what of the Second World War, and the wave of German immigrants that came to Waterloo Region in its aftermath? Through what means did this community of immigrants establish its identity, and come to terms with the legacy of wartime Germany? How did the German community continue to evolve and react to political and social currents reverberating in Europe? This study addresses these questions by examining a number of episodes in the twentieth century that both celebrated and divided local German communities. Three examples will be discussed to help elucidate the concept of complex German identities in Kitchener-Waterloo. The formation of the Deutsche Bund Canada at the time of the Second World War, the creation of Oktoberfest in Kitchener-Waterloo in the late 1960s, as well as the visit of David Irving to Kitchener in 1992 represent events in the history of the area that lend themselves very naturally to further examination. While German immigrants have historically been regarded as a cohesive community, unified by attributes such as a shared language, it will be argued here based on these three examples, that Germans in Kitchener-Waterloo are comprised of unique groupings of ‘Germans’, whose identities vary depending on attributes such as geographic origin and time frame of emigration.

This study analyzes East German representations of Hungary in cultural texts to investigate the emergence of a German socialist identity in the 1950s and 1960s. I further contend that post-1945 self- and collective identity in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was complex and formulated by official, intellectual, and mass perceptions. By examining East German iconography of Hungary it becomes clear that socialist identity in the early years of the dictatorship relied on traditional expressions of society as well as ideology. Hungary provided East Germans with a practical model for socialist friendship. Though the GDR was a state that ostensibly celebrated multiculturalism, East German texts presented the People’s Republic of Hungary almost as another Germany with a shared heritage and culture. They articulated this palatable image of Hungary through the lens of ideology (Marxist-Leninist internationalism) and through traditional cultural definitions. This study concludes that East Germans used a composite of socialist ideas and folk customs to draw parallels with Hungary and create a distinct character that was both German and socialist.

This study analyzes East German representations of Hungary in cultural texts to investigate the emergence of a German socialist identity in the 1950s and 1960s. I further contend that post-1945 self- and collective identity in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was complex and formulated by official, intellectual, and mass perceptions. By examining East German iconography of Hungary it becomes clear that socialist identity in the early years of the dictatorship relied on traditional expressions of society as well as ideology. Hungary provided East Germans with a practical model for socialist friendship. Though the GDR was a state that ostensibly celebrated multiculturalism, East German texts presented the People’s Republic of Hungary almost as another Germany with a shared heritage and culture. They articulated this palatable image of Hungary through the lens of ideology (Marxist-Leninist internationalism) and through traditional cultural definitions. This study concludes that East Germans used a composite of socialist ideas and folk customs to draw parallels with Hungary and create a distinct character that was both German and socialist.

As memórias The Speckled People e The Sailor in the Wardrobe, lançadas em 2003 e 2006 respectivamente, narram de forma ficcional a infância, adolescência e início da vida adulta do escritor irlandês Hugo Hamilton. A narrativa relata a complicada formação identitária do autor-personagem no período de grandes transformações depois da Segunda Guerra Mundial e em meio as suas ascendências alemã e irlandesa. O ponto de partida desta pesquisa é a afirmação de que a identidade herdada de seus pais é como um pecado original e que ele deve crescer para encontrar a sua inocência. Essa afirmação inicia um projeto de transformação identitária. O objetivo da presente dissertação de mestrado é analisar e problematizar o percurso de transformação identitária vivido pelo personagem. Entendemos que há um sentimento de culpa, individual e histórica, em sua relação as suas identidades herdadas. Dessa forma, buscamos averiguar como esse sentimento o interpela em sua busca pela inocência e por um novo tipo de identidade. Além disso, nos propomos também a estabelecer um diálogo com várias perspectivas teóricas acerca do conceito de identidade para compreender os possíveis desdobramentos desse percurso e constatar se o personagem consegue encontrar a inocência que deseja através da reformulação de sua identidade hereditária. / The memoirs, The Speckled People and The Sailor in the Wardrobe, written by the Irish writer Hugo Hamilton and published in 2003 and 2006, narrate the authors complex process of identity formation, considering his German, Irish and English ancestry in a period of great transformations after the World Wars. According to the author, his identity was inherited at birth and he carried the Irish and German traditions, like an original sin. He says he wants to grow up and gain his innocence. This marks the beginning of his project to transform his identity. The objective of this M.A. dissertation is to analyse the process of his identity transformation. As we see it, there is an individual and historical feeling of guilt attached to his inherited identity. Therefore, we seek to understand how this feeling interferes in his pursuit of innocence and of a new kind of identity. In order to do so, this work aims to establish a dialogue with various theoretical perspectives in relation to the concepts of identity to understand the possible effects of this process of his self-assertion and whether he can eventually gain his innocence

As memórias The Speckled People e The Sailor in the Wardrobe, lançadas em 2003 e 2006 respectivamente, narram de forma ficcional a infância, adolescência e início da vida adulta do escritor irlandês Hugo Hamilton. A narrativa relata a complicada formação identitária do autor-personagem no período de grandes transformações depois da Segunda Guerra Mundial e em meio as suas ascendências alemã e irlandesa. O ponto de partida desta pesquisa é a afirmação de que a identidade herdada de seus pais é como um pecado original e que ele deve crescer para encontrar a sua inocência. Essa afirmação inicia um projeto de transformação identitária. O objetivo da presente dissertação de mestrado é analisar e problematizar o percurso de transformação identitária vivido pelo personagem. Entendemos que há um sentimento de culpa, individual e histórica, em sua relação as suas identidades herdadas. Dessa forma, buscamos averiguar como esse sentimento o interpela em sua busca pela inocência e por um novo tipo de identidade. Além disso, nos propomos também a estabelecer um diálogo com várias perspectivas teóricas acerca do conceito de identidade para compreender os possíveis desdobramentos desse percurso e constatar se o personagem consegue encontrar a inocência que deseja através da reformulação de sua identidade hereditária. / The memoirs, The Speckled People and The Sailor in the Wardrobe, written by the Irish writer Hugo Hamilton and published in 2003 and 2006, narrate the authors complex process of identity formation, considering his German, Irish and English ancestry in a period of great transformations after the World Wars. According to the author, his identity was inherited at birth and he carried the Irish and German traditions, like an original sin. He says he wants to grow up and gain his innocence. This marks the beginning of his project to transform his identity. The objective of this M.A. dissertation is to analyse the process of his identity transformation. As we see it, there is an individual and historical feeling of guilt attached to his inherited identity. Therefore, we seek to understand how this feeling interferes in his pursuit of innocence and of a new kind of identity. In order to do so, this work aims to establish a dialogue with various theoretical perspectives in relation to the concepts of identity to understand the possible effects of this process of his self-assertion and whether he can eventually gain his innocence

Even 24 years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, modern day Germans are still preoccupied with the contentious dynamics of the post-Wall unification process. Concern with geo-political fractiousness is deeply rooted in German history and the reason for Germany's desire to become a unified nation. The Fall of the Wall, and the subsequent rejection of socialism, was a chance to recover and unify what was perceived to be an "incomplete" nation. Yet, despite these actions, social unity between East and West Germans has never occurred and the Wall still persists as a metaphorical barrier in the minds of German citizens. Thus, the unification process should be critically evaluated so that the lingering (social) disunity between East and West Germans may be better understood and potentially remedied. This thesis examines how two post-Wall films, Good Bye, Lenin! (2003) and Berlin is in Germany (2001) reveal patterns that explain the lingering disunity between East and West from an underrepresented lens: an East German perspective. I do so by investigating whether these films offer insights into the culture of the former GDR, which was ideologically, institutionally, and socio-economically divided from the West for over 40 years. This argument is supported by an analysis of how Good Bye, Lenin! and Berlin is in Germany confront the audience with a new (East German) hero who has to navigate a "foreign" terrain and is expected to adapt to and embrace this entirely new culture. Both films allude to the East German sentiment of longing for GDR culture and values as an attempt to maintain an East German identity while being threatened by overpowering "colonization" by the West.

(in English) The presented diploma thesis analyzes German borderland novels (Grenzlandroman) of the interwar period, namely Robert Hohlbaum's Grenzland (1921), Rudolf Haas' Heimat in Ketten (1924), Das Dorf an der Grenze (1936) by Bruno Nowak, writing under the pseudonym Gottfried Rothacker, and Die Brüder Tommahans (1937) by Wilhelm Pleyer. As a literary genre, the borderland novel took conflict between nations as its central theme, while addressing contemporary or recent social evolution. German borderland novels from interwar Czechoslovakia give evidence of how not only the authors but also the whole social groups reflected societal changes in the aftermath of 1918. An analysis of the narratives typical of this segment of literature confirms its relevance to the formation of the German population's identity in interwar Czechoslovakia. Stereotyping mechanisms play a crucial role in instilling abstract notions of nationality in the everyday perception of ordinary people. The borderland novels' narrative practices contribute to the reconstruction and fixation of this stereotypical perception of reality. This perception not only affects the way individuals and social groups view their surrroundings, but also interferes with the interpretation of events. Analysis of the selected texts enables us to...

In the German Democratic Republic (GDR) the overthrow of the socialist regime did not only bring about both an economic and political shift, it resulted also in the inclusion of the GDR into the Federal Republic of Germany. The fall of the Wall brought with it transformations in everyday life as well as changes in social identities. This study examines how people who grew up in the GDR define the East and the West in unified Germany, as well as identifying which concepts play a role in the self-interpretations given by former GDR citizens. Through applying discourse theory, I investigate how identities are partially fixed and change over time, relating this always to historically situated discourses. In the analysis, East and West are considered as floating signifiers, which, through articulations made with other categories such as class, nation, place and gender, come to be filled with meaning. The study is based on twenty-five life story interviews conducted in Eastern Germany. The group of interviewees consisted of fifteen women and ten men born in the GDR between the years of 1970 and 1979, all of whom had different levels of education. The demise of the socialist state and the transition to a capitalist society is central in the interviewees’ life stories. Their narratives about the past are formed in a discursive order other than the one in which the events themselves took place. Conversely, the past is used as a foil against which the present is compared. With the dislocation, the interviewees have developed a reflexive stance to both themselves and the world. The study reveals both how East and West are still used to make the world intelligible in a number of fields and, at the same time, how these same concepts are transcended. It shows in what ways the interviewees employ different strategies to adapt to the new circumstances and to handle a potentially marked position in unified Germany.

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