Colonial Fantasies

Lasting from 1884 to 1918, Germany's scramble for overseas colonial territory began late and was relatively short lived. However, the nation's lack of colonies did not keep Germans from dreaming and fantasizing about faraway lands and their inhabitants. In this course we will explore such "Colonial Fantasies" (Zantop), and will also consider Germany's era of actual colonialism in Africa and the South Pacific. We will examine literary and cinematic representations of colonial life and political debates about the colonies, and discuss traces of colonialism and colonial thinking in contemporary Germany. Readings will include texts by Kleist, Heine, Keller, May, Timm, Ayim, and Hahn-Hahn. 3 hrs sem.