New Masculinities in Contemporary German Literature: From ‘‘Native’’ to Transnational

Description

The complex nexus between masculinity and national identity has long troubled, but also fascinated the German cultural imagination. This has become apparent again since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the turn of the millennium when transnational developments have noticeably shaped Germany’s self-perception as a nation. This book examines the social and political impact of transnationalism with reference to current discourses of masculinity in novels by five contemporary male German-language authors. Specifically, it analyses how conceptions of the masculine interact with those of nationality, ethnicity, and otherness in the selected texts and assesses the new masculinities that result from those interactions. Exploring how local discourses of masculinity become part of transnational contexts in contemporary writing, the book moves a consideration of masculinities from a "native" into a transnational sphere.  Note on Translations Acknowledgements Contents About the Author Chapter 1: Introduction: Masculinity, Transnationalism, and the German Cultural Imagination Approaching Masculinity in Twenty-First-Century Germany Masculine Anxieties and the Other The New Visibility of Masculinity New Masculinities in Contemporary German Literature: From “Native” to Transnational References Chapter 2: Men Without Women: Clemens Meyer East German Masculinities in a Transnational World Becoming Men at the Cusp of 2000: Als wir träumten Marginalized Masculinities—Local and Transnational: Im Stein Men in Love, or Shifting Masculinities References Chapter 3: Masculinity in Conflict: Maxim Biller Masculinity and the (Negative) German-Jewish Symbiosis Fierce Encounters: Die Tochter “Liebe in Deutschland”? Love, Conflict, and German Jewish Masculinities References Chapter 4: Masculinity and Religion: Navid Kermani Difference, Islam, and Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity Marketing Difference: Kurzmitteilung Negotiating Difference: Große Liebe Experiencing Difference in Politicized Worlds References Chapter 5: Masculinities Across Borders: Feridun Zaimoglu Literary Models of Masculinity and Feridun Zaimoglu’s “Border Thinking” Romantic Transnationals: Liebesbrand Coda: Romantic Masculinity in Hinterland Working-Class Locals: Ruß Writing Masculinities Across Literary Borders References Chapter 6: Man in Crisis: Ilija Trojanow The Explorer’s Crisis: From “Native” to Transnational From Weltensammler to “Eco-Warrior,” or Crisis of Masculinity Meets Crisis of Nature: EisTau Encountering Nature and the Male Self: Responsibility, Otherness, and Affect Post-Nature—Post-Masculinity Crisis, Ambiguities, and New Masculinities References Chapter 7: Conclusion: Towards New Masculinities in Contemporary German Literature References References Index