Introduction
This module aims to explore the nexus of media and technology—books, magazines, telegraphs, railroads, the record player, film, radio, television, the internet—across German-speaking histories and cultures from the from the perspectives and voices of historically marginalized and overlooked groups and individuals.
Some of the questions we aim to explore in this module are:
- How do we define “media” and “technology”? Do these definitions change from the perspective or experiences of women or homosexuals or people of color?
- What is the relationship between the individual and the media apparatus or technological device?
- Does technology determine the individual and society, or is the relationship more dialectical, symbiotic, or complex?
- What are the possibilities of new media and technology to foster community and empower individuals?
- How does the invention and spread of new technologies, such as radio or film, change how we think about ourselves, our relationships to others, and our position in society?
Discussion & Activity
This activity is designed to start a discussion about queer print culture, particularly cultural journals, illustrated magazines, and lifestyle magazines from the first decades of the 20th century. It utilizes three Word documents (see below) of images and texts from three major queer publications—Der Eigene, Die Freundin, and Garconne—that have been selected for their linguistic accessibility, interesting content, and potential to spark vibrant conversation on numerous topics, instructors can proceed in multiple directions with these materials. For example, students can divide their time analyzing the visual and/or the textual aspects of the publications, considering why certain topics, such as cross dressing or the eroticization of adolescent men, where important to these historical queer communities. How do the visual and the textual communicate with each other and differently? What are the values and political commitments of these historical communities that we can read out from these texts? How are they similar to our own today?
Moreover, this activity lends itself well to a parallel lesson on adjective endings, since the first step in this activity should be the description of what students see and read. They can identify and practice these endings in a culturally “real” text, rather than a grammar exercise or worksheet.
Materials
Here are Word documents with brief introductions to and materials for:
Learning Goals
Linguistically, students refine their use of German adjective and case endings, while also practicing descriptive language. Culturally, students come away with a rich understanding of both male, female, and transgender queer communities during the first decades of the 20th century, perspectives and histories invisible in almost all conventional accounts of this period. They are prompted to reflect on the values of the past, while also their own, comparing and contrasting historical and cultural difference. Analytically, students will be prompted to practice literary and visual interpretation in order to participate in the discussion.
Future Development
This lesson functions well alongside the Music & Queer Identity Module.
One could expand this activity to a multi-week project that tasks students to create their own queer zines (in German) based on these historical examples. This could be a single-class activity in a computer lab, an extended homework assignment, a group project for a specific course unit, or even a capstone project for a semester.
Additional Materials
Below are suggested materials for a syllabus or thematic unit, for example, on media and technology in your classes.
Readings
- Christa Wolf, Der geteilte Himmel (1963)
- Gabriele Tergit, Käsebier erobert den Kurfürstendamm (1932)
- Irmgard Keun, Das kunstseidene Mädchen (1932)
- Irmgard Keun, Gilgi, eine von uns (1931)
- Mascha Kaléko, Das lyrische Stenogrammheft (1933)
- Sharon Dodua Otoo, “Herr Gröttrup setzte sich hin” (2016)
- Til Brugman, Das vertippte Zebra (1920s)
- Erika Mann, “Frau und Buch” (1930)
- Bruno Vogel, Alf (1929)
- Klaus Mann, Der fromme Tanz (1926)
- Stefan Zweig, Verwirrung der Gefühle (1926)
- Jenny Erpenbeck, Gehen, ging, gegangen (2015)
- Osman Engin, Lieber Onkel Ömer: Briefe aus Alamanya (2008)
- Zafer Şenocak, Gefährliche Verwandtschaft (1998)
Films
- Das Geräusch rascher Erlösung (1982), dir. Wieland Speck
- Der Kreis (2014), dir. Stefan Haupt
- Ein Virus kennt keine Moral (1986), dir. Rosa von Praunheim
Visual Art
- Ralf König
- Hito Steyerl
- Hannah Höch
- Klaus Nomi
- Wilhelm von Gloeden