Who can speak and who is heard/hurt?: facing problems of "race," racism, and ethnic diversity in the humanities in germany

Kultur und soziale Praxis. Ethnic diversity, 'race', and racism have been subject to discussion in American studies departments at German universities for many years. It appears that especially in the past few decades, ethnic minorities and 'new immigrants' have increasingly become objects of scholarly inquiry. Such research questions focus on the U.S. and other traditionally multicultural societies that have emerged out of historical situations shaped by (settler) colonialism, slavery and/or large-scale immigration. Paradoxically, these studies have overwhelmingly been conducted by white scholars born in Germany and holding German citizenship. Scholars with actual experience of racial discrimination have remained largely unheard. Departing from a critique of practices employed by the German branch of the American studies, the volume offers (self-)reflective approaches by scholars from different fields in the German humanities. It thereby seeks to provide a solid basis for thorough and candid discussions of the mechanisms behind and the implications of racialized power relations in the German humanities and German society at large. Table of Contents Acknowledgments Who Can Speak and Who Is Heard/Hurt? Facing Problems of Race, Racism, and Ethnic Diversity in the Humanities in Germany: A Survey of the Issues at Stake I. Race in Translation: Comparing Racial and Xenophobic Formations in Germany and the United States ‘Ausländer’ – A Racialized Concept? ‘Race’ as an Analytical Concept in Contemporary German Immigration History Perspective Matters: Racism and Resistance in the Everyday Lives of Youths of Color in Germany Beyond a Trifling Presence: Afro-Germans and Identity Boundaries in Germany Race and Racism in Translation: “Who Can Speak?” in German Renderings of Literary African American English II. Normative Whiteness in the German Humanities Post-Racism, Colorblind Individualism & Political Correctness: Contemporary Modes of Materialization in American Studies and German Academia Kanak Academic: Teaching in Enemy Territory The Migrant Scholar of Color as Refugee in the Western Academy Keeping Academia White: A Case Study III. Diversity-Conscious Approaches to Academic and Pedagogical Practice On Racism without Race: The Need to Diversify Germanistik and the German Academy “So You Want to Write about American Indians?” Ethical Reflections on Euro-Academia’s Research on Indigenous Cultural Narratives “The Danger of a Single Story”: Addressing Contemporary Public Discourse and Protest Movements in American Studies Classrooms in Germany IV. Shifting Perspectives: Transatlantic and Genre-Crossing Reflections on White Normativity Goethe Meets Baldwin: Notes towards a Comparative Perspective beyond Misappropri Notes from the Margin: Academic White Spaces and the Silencing of Scholars of Color Transatlantic Postcolonial (T)Races in the Classroom: From Defoe’s Desert Island to Larsen’s Quicksand and Black-ish Suburbia Passing Tone/Note Contributors

Ethnic diversity, race, and racism have been subject to discussion in American Studies departments at German universities for many years. It appears that especially in the past few decades, ethnic minorities and 'new immigrants' have increasingly become objects of scholarly inquiry. Such research questions focus on the U.S. and other traditionally multicultural societies that have emerged out of historical situations shaped by (settler) colonialism, slavery, and/or large-scale immigration. Paradoxically, these studies have overwhelmingly been conducted by white scholars born in Germany and holding German citizenship. Scholars with actual experience of racial discrimination have remained largely unheard.Departing from a critique of practices employed by the German branch of American Studies, the volume offers (self-)reflective approaches by scholars from different fields in the German Humanities. It thereby seeks to provide a solid basis for thorough and candid discussions of the mechanisms behind and the implications of racialized power relations in the German Humanities and German society at large.

Ethnic diversity, 'race', and racism have been subject to discussion in American studies departments at German universities for many years. It appears that especially in the past few decades, ethnic minorities and 'new immigrants' have increasingly become objects of scholarly inquiry. Such research questions focus on the U.S. and other traditionally multicultural societies that have emerged out of historical situations shaped by (settler) colonialism, slavery and/or large-scale immigration. Paradoxically, these studies have overwhelmingly been conducted by white scholars born in Germany and holding German citizenship. Scholars with actual experience of racial discrimination have remained largely unheard. Departing from a critique of practices employed by the German branch of the American studies, the volume offers (self- )reflective approaches by scholars from different fields in the German humanities. It thereby seeks to provide a solid basis for thorough and candid discussions of the mechanisms behind and the implications of racialized power relations in the German humanities and German society at large