This thesis explores the representation of Heimat in contemporary German novels and films by authors and directors born in the 1960s and 1970s within the context of globalisation. The following texts and films are examined: Hierankl (2003) and Winterreise (2006) by Hans Steinbichler, Wer früher stirbt, ist länger tot (2006) and Beste Gegend (2008) by Marcus H. Rosenmüller, Der Geschmack von Apfelkernen (2008) by Katharina Hagena, Klausen (2002) by Andreas Maier, and Usambara (2007) by Christof Hamann. I argue that the static notion of the concept of Heimat and concomitant concepts of identity are challenged by these authors and filmmakers as they pit them against the cultural, political, and social changes brought on by globalisation with its altered notions of identity. Within German political and public discourse, globalisation is often presented as a foreign concept threatening German institutions, customs, and even national identity itself. The dynamics between dwelling and travel/movement are at the centre of the films and novels under discussion. Each of the four chapters focuses on one of the major topics of current literary discourses of Heimat and globalisation: changing images and roles of women in general and mothers in particular; the house, which has often been fundamental in representations of Heimat, as the site at which patriarchal norms and values are being renegotiated; nature and environment as sites of threatened Heimat within the context of Heimat, tourism, and Umweltschutz; and Africa as other Heimat, threatened by, yet relatively untouched by globalisation. In their exploration of notions of Heimat, all of the texts and films discussed in this thesis self-consciously refer to the texts and films of the Heimat and the anti-Heimat genre respectively. But far from focusing on the tainted notion of Heimat within the German historical and political context, as did the generation of 1968 in their films and texts, the new generation of writers and filmmakers marks notions of Heimat much more positively and appropriates them for its own purposes. Nostalgia, irony, and ambivalence are the major characteristics of the new “Heimatroman” and “Heimatfilm.” / Thesis (Ph.D, German) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-23 18:40:27.127
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OKQ.1974/5191 |
| Date | 23 September 2009 |
| Creators | IRCHENHAUSER, MARIA REGINA |
| Contributors | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English, German |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 818520 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
| Relation | Canadian theses |
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