Eine neue Solidargemeinschaft? Die soziale Bedeutung der Flucht-und Migrationsliteratur

Abstract

This thesis explores the capacity of literature about flight and migration to contribute to shaping a community of solidarity in contemporary German society. It analyses three novels published after the 2015 refugee “crisis” – Ohrfeige by Abbas Khider, Gott ist nicht schüchtern by Olga Grjasnowa and Gehen, ging, gegangen by Jenny Erpenbeck. To examine the impact of such literature on readers, I apply Rita Felski’s theory about the uses of literature, and in particular in relation to the first two novels, its capacity to create shock and deliver social knowledge. In Ohrfeige, I argue that ‘shock’ is used as a strategy to arouse uneasiness, in order to encourage thoughtful listening and understanding about the frustration experienced by asylum seekers. In Gott ist nicht schüchtern, readers are encouraged to expand their empathy while negotiating traumatic stories of war, torture and despair. In the interpretation of Gehen, ging, gegangen, I apply the theories of memory studies scholars such as Aleida Assmann and Michael Rothberg to highlight the parallels between refugees’ memories of fleeing and Germans’ memories of the Nazi and East German communist past. These parallel memory spheres resonate with each other and can lead to critical self-reflection among the German and European communities. Across these three chapters, this thesis argues that literature about flight and migration has the power to evoke empathy towards refugees and strengthen solidarity across differences in society.