The German-Jewish Experience - JWST2103

The contribution of Jewish Germans to the social, political and cultural life of Germany and Austria from 1900 to 1933. The impact of attempted integration as reflected in the work of Herzl, Schnitzler, Kafka, Buber, Feuchtwanger, Scholem and others; the failure of the German-Jewish symbiosis as a basis for discussion of the concepts of assimilation, acculturation, ethnicity, identity and nationality.

Aims to rescue the memory of German Jewry from annihilation and abuse and reconstructing the image of a cultural pluralist society in which its aspirations could have been realised. Materials will include political and literary texts, art and film. Students will be encouraged to participate in wide-ranging class discussions as equals and to search for suitable audio-visual materials for their presentations.