Abstract
The story of the ‘Eternal Wanderer’ who is denied a home and family and whose punishment has marked him/her as a stranger, forever viewed with suspicion, unable to find a safe haven on her/his never-ending journey, has all the elements of the real-life travails of the millions of displaced people who have been forced out of their homes in search of refuge in neighboring countries or continents. While many countries have practically shut their doors to asylum seekers and migrants, claiming that immigration poses a national security threat, Europe has been willing to house and shelter an unprecedented vast number of refugees since summer 2015. This presentation is divided into two parts. First, the paper examines the current political, social, and cultural situation in Europe. It looks at statistical data and polls taken since 2015 that study the opinions and feelings Europeans have towards the so-called ‘migrant crisis.’ The second part analyzes the topics of migration, diasporic existence, and marginalization in contemporary migrant literature, particularly in the works of Iraqi-German author Abbas Khider and Turkish-German writer Selim Özdoğan who both address the endless plight of refugees on their odyssey from one country to the next, from prison to temporary shelter, from misery to hope – and back. Lastly, summarizing the many divergent viewpoints on migration, this study considers the question whether it is possible to overcome false dichotomies and a narrative fueled by disinformation and mutual distrust in order to, as Özdoğan suggests, find our common humanity.
Presenters
Christine AntonProfessor of German, World Languages and Cultures, Berry College, Georgia, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Cultural Studies, Identity And Difference, Diversity, Minorities, Immigration, Literature
