Fine Arts in Berlin: A Look at Cross-Cultural Artistic Interpretation

Fine Arts in Berlin: A Look at Cross-Cultural Artistic Interpretation
Wonkyung Cha, Levi Lindsey, Elizabeth Korsmo

Abstract
Fine art brings people together, overcoming cultural barriers and creating a common humanity. In this project, we intend to explore art across cultural boundaries: Who partakes of Art? How is Art regarded? What role does Art play in the everyday life of people? By performing a cross-cultural comparison of how arts are regarded in both Berlin and Seattle, we hope to gain insight into the cultural differences and, more importantly, similarities between the two cities. Berlin’s unique status as a Mecca of the art world will allow us to explore a plethora of venues in both visual and performance art. Our preferred methods of acquiring insight include viewing performances and galleries, interviewing artists and observing our fellow audience members. Through this project, we intend to better understand how people with different cultural backgrounds relate to art and how art transcends human differences.

Background
All the members of our group personally identify as artists (either visual artists or musicians), and are excited to visit such an esteemed art center as Berlin. Our cultural and physical removal from the scene of the research naturally poses the question of how perception of art differs across national boundaries. Through critical analysis of these differences, we hope to better understand art on an international scale.
Preliminary difficulties have included indecision and uncertainty in forming coherent research topics and methods. Our primary anticipated problems in Berlin regard our communications (such as ordering tickets and interviewing subjects).

Individual Research Questions
Wonkyung, “How does public art in Berlin differ from that in Seattle?”
As an artist, I think it is important to look at works of others and experience different art forms followed by other cultures. This summer, I will do my research in Berlin. A place I've never been to, and also a place where I don't speak the language. My medium is fibers. I also like to work with sculpture, ceramics and screen printing.
In the summer, I would like to conduct research on public arts in Berlin. I would like to focus more on visual arts; paintings, pictures, and also sculptures displayed in public spaces. More specifically, I want to compare public arts in Seattle to Berlin. For example, here in Seattle there are whimsical sculptures in Pike Place Market where lots of visitors come for tourism. Also, the sculptures are for those of who live in the local area to simply enjoy the art. Public arts are fun to look at; however, I believe that there are some meaningful reasons why they are displayed at certain places and why in such forms. A while ago, I went to the Pike Place Market with friends; I found bronze piggybank, Rachel. It was a piece of historic public art which had meaning to it. Rachel came for the Market Foundation during the Market's 79th birthday in 1986. People come and feed Rachel with spare change and with currency from different countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, etc. Research I did on Rachel said by 2006, Market visitors contributed almost up to $9,000 to the Market Foundation by adding to Rachel's bank. Rachel was created by Georgia Gerber, a sculptor who lives on Whidbey Island, Washington. She was named after a real 750-pound pig named Rachel, the 1985 winner of the Island County Fair. Rachel's favorite holiday is March 1, National Pig Day. Rachel weighs about 550 pounds. I would like to further stretch my research while I'm in Berlin, finding the hidden meaning of many public arts and also how people react to them; how Berliners react to public arts where they probably see it very often, if not every day, and how tourists to the public arts. I want to research what people think about the public arts; how many people think carefully about the meaning behind them and the availability of public art in Berlin.

Levi, “How does the importance of classical music compare to the importance of popular music in Berlin, and how does this comparison compare to its equivalent in Seattle?”
For my research topic I chose to focus on classical music in Berlin – especially classical vocal music. I am a vocal performance major, so this subject is naturally appealing to me. I experienced quite a bit of trouble deciding on a specific question to address in this broad topic, but I finally decided on this: how does the importance of classical music compare to the importance of popular music in Berlin, and how does this comparison compare to its equivalent in Seattle? For a while I wanted to ask a very similar question regarding the “decline” of classical music; I believe that this question didn’t quite specify what exactly I intended to focus on which is more or less a ratio of the importance of classical music vs. the importance of popular music.
This question is certainly relevant in today’s society. Music is a large part of virtually everyone’s lives, and most types of music cross all social and ethnic boundaries in ways that nothing else can. Nearly everyone values music, and there is a huge rise in the value and importance of music in today’s societies due to the huge advances in audio technology in the last century. Music doesn’t have to be reperformed every time someone wants to tap their feet to a tune; they can simply plug-in their mp3 player, or flip-on the radio. The genres most benefitted by these technological advances are popular genres; many people still feel strongly that classical music loses much of its appeal when heard through speakers and not directly from the performers’ fingers. So the question of how the importance of popular music compares to the importance of classical music in today’s society is certainly applicable.
Finding an answer to this question should fairly manageable. From my preliminary research I know that classical music in Berlin, and especially opera, is heavily funded by the government – even though they are in massive dept; so information such as ticket sales, fiscal data and such should be available to the public. Also, I can collect data from individuals regarding the importance of these respective musical genres in their lives. Between venues and individuals, I have plenty of accessible information.

Elizabeth “How does music transcend cultural boundaries?”
I will be looking at instrumental classical music in Berlin, and comparing it to the experience of classical music in America. My first query is “How does classical music transcend cultural barriers?” I expect that it does, language barriers aside. Given the close history between American and European music (America’s classical music heritage is essentially all European), I would expect little difference between an American and a German classical concert. Preliminary research into the Berlin Philharmonic’s summer concert line-up would seem to support this expectation: works by composers such as Brahms, Shostakovich and Wagner are in the repertoire.
Beyond examining my personal experience, I also intend to look to the arts-patrons for understanding of how music transcends culture. I mean to do this through observation of the audience (at intermission and before/after concerts). I will be looking for age ranges, language(s) favored in conversation, and general ethnic diversity. Interviews could also prove useful; however the selection bias would likely nullify their use in this case. I would also like, if possible, to compare different concert crowds with each other. For instance, I would expect that an evening orchestra concert would attract an older and somewhat wealthier clientele than a free afternoon chamber concert (which would be more likely to draw families, students and other persons of limited means).
The month of September looks to be especially good for observation: the “musikfest Berlin” will be going on, with concerts presented nearly every night by orchestras from all over Europe (including the London Symphony Orchestra. Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, and Orchestre de Paris). There are also a number of both evening and matinee performances by the Philharmonic.

Research Methods
Our research methods vary with the individual project. Among other things, members of our group will attend musical performances, research venues of artistic merit (memorials, galleries, and public art), observe art patrons and their interactions with art, and interview Berliners regarding their relations to art and its role in their lives.
Elizabeth is not comfortable with talking to people whom she does not know (especially in a language she does not speak fluently and under circumstances in which the other parties may not be interested in being bothered at all). Thus, she is shying away from direct interviews, preferring to discern Berliners’ (and their visitors’) artistic preferences from observation of their behavior and habits at artistic venues. As only public, large-scale data will be taken, privacy is not of great concern. Depth of information is limited in this way, but breadth is readily available. The sort of information to be ascertained focuses mainly on age demographics, spoken language, ethnic background and demonstrated affluence (in order to better understand who is involved in art). By comparing different audiences, Elizabeth hopes to better understand who is attending instrumental performances in Berlin.
Levi intends two collect information through two main methods: interviewing/surveying individuals, and attempting to obtain business records (such as ticket sales, number of performances, budget) from musical venues. He will collect this data in both Seattle and Berlin and through a comparison of these numerical results he should be able to acquire definitive, quantitative conclusions. Some sample survey questions he will be asking people include: how much time do you spend listening to music during an average day (on the radio, at work, at home, etc.)?; how much of this music would you say is classical?; around how many live musical performances do you usually attend in a year?; how many of these performances would you say include classical music?; do you sing or play an instrument?; do you usually perform classical music or music of a different genre?; do you prefer listening to classical music or music of other genres? The biggest anticipated problems with this research relate to obtaining business histories from musical venues. Finding relevant information from classical venues and opera houses should be easy enough, because they receive HUGE amounts of funding from the government -- even though the government is in massive and deepening dept; the relevant data here should be available to the public. The foreseeable difficulties lie in obtaining popular venue information; these will be more privately run and there will be a lot more venues to look at, so finding the relevant information for popular music may be very difficult or even impossible to manage. If this is the case, Levi will still have plenty of applicable data from surveys and will at least be able to compare classical music in Berlin and Seattle.
Won-Kyung intends to use methods of observation, and will actually go to the place where the arts are to conduct field research and observe the people there. She believes these methods are critical to her research because she will not know what forms of public arts are available unless she actually goes to the place of the art; she will not know how different people react to the arts unless she observes them for certain periods of time. Interviewing people will also be important because she won't always be able to distinguish where they are from and what they actually think about the arts solely from observation. By applying these methods of research, she thinks her biggest obstacle will be the language. Speaking English may not be enough to communicate effectively.
For the interview, she will ask first where they are from, second, whether they are tourists or Berliners, and depending on their answer, she will then ask what they think of the art – including whether they know if it has any historic meaning behind it – or simply what they think and how they feel about it.

Cultural Sensitivity
In designing surveys, we will refrain from asking unnecessarily personal questions or in fact from collecting any identifying data beyond general demographics (no names will be used). As needed, subjects will be recruited through contacts at Humboldt University.

Daily Schedule
Preliminary Research: Levi: collect survey data from Seattleites over the course of the summer and try to find performance/attendance data for the Seattle Opera and the Seattle Symphony. Also, purchase tickets for Berlin performances. Elizabeth: attend performances in Seattle (hone crowd-watching technique and gain reference data), finalize and order tickets for Berlin performances (listed performances represent a few preliminary choices, more will be added). Won-Kyung: TBA
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
25-Aug
26-Aug
27-Aug
28-Aug
29-Aug
30-Aug
31-Aug

Levi: attend Fidelio at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #1
Levi: attend Staatsoper für alle at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #2
1-Sep
2-Sep
3-Sep
4-Sep
5-Sep
6-Sep
7-Sep
Levi: attend STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN at the Philharmonie Berlin
Levi: attend Tristan und Isolde at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden *(depending on time availability) Elizabeth: attend Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (performing Stravinky and Tschaikovsky) at Philharmonie Berlin
Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #3
Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #4
Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #5
Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #6

8-Sep
9-Sep
10-Sep
11-Sep
12-Sep
13-Sep
14-Sep

Elizabeth: Lunch Concert in Philharmonie Foyer(?)


Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #7
Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #8
Levi: attend The Flying Dutchman at the Deutsche Oper Berlin Elizabeth: Berlin Philharmonic (performing Schreker and Bruckner) Won-Kyung: find and research art venue/object #9
15-Sep
16-Sep
17-Sep
18-Sep
19-Sep
20-Sep
21-Sep
Levi: attend Rigoletto at the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Levi: attend IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden *(depending on time availability) Elizabeth: Lunch Concert in Philharmonie Foyer(?)


Bibliography
Berlin Philharmonic
Musikfest Berlin
Oper Berlin

Between Xenophobia and Integration- The Life of a Turkish- German in Berlin

Zwischen Ausländerfeindlichkeit und Integration-
Das Deutschtürkische Leben in Berlin

(Between Xenophobia and Integration- The Life of a Turkish- German in Berlin)

Immigration Group
Anja Barnard
Rachel Schlechty
Mary-Grace White

1. Abstract:
In our studies in Berlin, we have chosen to pursue three different facets of the question of Deutschtürken—German Turks. This topic falls under the heading of Immigration. Anja will focus on government policy/laws and how they impact the community. Mary Grace will examine religious education in the public school system and what various religious organizations in Berlin think should be changed in response to the Islamic-Turkish influx. Rachel will research the impact that Turks are having on the German language and the impact it has on how people perceive the German language. All of us will form a cohesive observation of the life of a Turkish immigrant in Berlin in space and time.
2. Background:
a) Context: Why is it relevant? How will it advance yours and others
understanding of the issue? Remember to consider why it is of personal interest
to you.
Immigration is an issue that all countries struggle with, and all must grapple with forming policy around it. Some choose to integrate foreigners into society, others seek to promote xenophobic policy to keep foreigners out to begin with. Germany does not have the greatest record when it comes to religious tolerance, and we would like to examine whether they are using education to promote tolerance amongst different groups. We all became interested in this topic because it differed from our previous studies in Berlin. Large quantities of Turks were brought in by the East German government in the postwar era to work, they were not expected to stay. East Germany’s desire to maintain East Berlin as a productive and prosperous city led to the continued influx of foreign workers or Gastarbeiter. After the fall of the Berlin wall and the Iron Curtain, Germany was more concerned with reunification efforts among its own people to worry about assimilating those from another country and culture. Almost two decades after the fall of Communism the ‘Turkish Question’ comes to a head. Germany’s less than impressive track record with foreign peoples living among them no matter how long makes this an interesting and frankly decisive conflict that will quite possibly shape the future of immigration politics in the western world.
We have divided the question into three specific areas for each of us to research, based on what are some of the most fundamental bases/facets of German life: language, government, religion/education. Each is of particular interest to us. Anja is interested in researching the official policy of the German state vis a vis Turkish immigrants to Berlin. She will approach this subject through meetings with leading policymakers at the Bundestag from which she can better formulate an understanding of official discourse on the legal status of and government view of Turkish immigrants to Berlin. Then she will meet with community leaders and those active in social networks among Turks in the Kreuzberg area, where the largest of the Turkish immigrant population resides. Her research product then, is in essence a contrast between the words and deeds of policymakers and the ways in which those affected by said policies are responding to them and living under them.
Mary Grace will be focusing on the combined area of religion and education as she explores the ways in which various religions are taught in the public school system in Berlin. Through interviews with local religious leaders from among the Abrahamic faith and spokesmen, teachers, students, and their parents and with policymakers she will explore the different sides of the debate that has caught the world’s attention. With any luck, greater understanding of all sides of said debate will be achieved.

b) Problems: What are the struggles you have encountered while investigating your research?
Rachel’s topic is new and there has been little academic discourse on it so far. None of us speaks Turkish, so it will be harder for us to communicate with the older generations of Turkish immigrants. Time management is a key problem for all of us. We are all undertaking monumentally colossal endeavours with our research proposals. Luckily we have already a fairly advanced background in the history, language, and culture of Germany. Our broad topics have thus far allowed us to gather information indiscriminately at this early stage in the research process, narrowing down our monumental undertaking (albeit at this point somewhat unorganized) mountain of research will be made all the easier by the fact that we are acknowledging this problem in advance. We are all genuinely interested in our topics and have been voraciously devouring all the information we could even prior to our acceptance on the Berlin seminar. We are already in contact with professors, politicians, and religious leaders with whom we are arranging meetings during our stay in Berlin.
Of course we are encountering other problems within our own fields. Rachel is researching a dynamic linguistic change that is currently in progress, and will be at a disadvantage for the lack of previous study published on or conducted with this demographic. Mary Grace is having difficulty attracting the attention of leaders of religious groups in Berlin that because of media attention are already frequently besieged by requests for interviews and commentary regarding their faith. As far as we can tell perseverance and display of prior understanding of the religion and the education system, and perhaps some sort of bridging contacts are going to be the only way of establishing communications prior to landing in Berlin. Of course when dealing with non-Christian groups overcoming the ‘stupid white Christian American stereotype’ is probably going to be the most difficult challenge this trip will present.

3. Research Questions for Each Group Member: Topic and Specific Question
Anja Barnard: State policy on immigration is a dynamic area of study right now, as it is still adapting and unfolding in Europe as we speak. I am most interested in seeing how the debate turns out in the European Union, and Germany specifically, for Islamic peoples/Turkish immigrants and their rights as inhabitants of Germany and Berlin. I imagine that state policy differs vastly from the mainstream opinion thereof in the immigrant community and would like to have discourse with members of both demographics to develop and understanding of this conflict and how it is manifesting itself in the streets of Berlin. What is the relationship between official state policy on Deutschtürken (their rights, etc.) and the perception among this immigrant community on their place within Berlin/German society?
Mary-Grace White: Integration has been a highly debated problem in Europe, especially with regard to Islamic immigrants. The teaching of Islam in public schools has been a particularly poignant issue as it touches on the other issues of religion, promoting tolerance, equal opportunity, and education. What do the students, their parents and various religious organizations in Berlin think about the way in which religion is taught in the public schools of Berlin and what, if anything, do they think needs to be changed, particularly concerning Islamic education?
Rachel Schechty: The question that I will be attempting to address is twofold; what has been the overall linguistic effect of the mass migration of Turks to Berlin, with respect to Türkendeutsch, and how do both the Turkish and the Germans view this change?
This question relates to our larger group topic of immigration by addressing the varied perceptions and views of integration through one of its most pivotal components, language.

4. Research Methodologies: approx 1-2 pages, interviews, field research, observation, library research, expert opinion/interview, case studies, etc. Include interview questions in this section.
Anja will be meeting with members of the Left Party (Die Linke) and Turkish members of the Berlin regional Parliament to discuss official state policy, both at a local and national level, on immigration, with specific attention paid to the lives and rights of Turkish immigrants. She will also conduct field research in mosques, community centers, the Turkish market in Kreuzberg, and Turkish restaurants in the area. Additionally, she has planned a rigorous reading schedule for German Law Review journals, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Berliner Morgenpost, and naturally the New York Times to stay abreast of both current events and the state of legal/policy discourse on the matter prior to her arrival in Berlin. This will give her a better sense of the overall atmosphere amongst those who wield the decision-making power, and academics alike. She will also look for different ways to ascertain the feelings of the Turkish community on the ground such as through Turkish newspapers or perhaps blogs maintained by young Turks in the area. Prior to heading to Berlin my research here involves a correspondence with Political Science graduate students and professors researching Muslims in Europe, and heeding their advice for where to go with my research. Additionally I will be thoroughly researching the language and intricacies of the 2005 headscarf/integration legislation that was passed, before I embark, so that I may ask pertinent questions without offending my interviewees. Furthermore, I have been avidly perusing NYT pieces on Turkey, Deutschtürken, and Turkish-Kuridsh relations so that I have a background knowledge on which to build my research foundation.
Given the nature of my meetings with politicians and policymakers and the sensitive nature of the material we’ll be discussing, I will need to conduct more research in order to craft carefully-worded questions that will reap useful information without revealing my bias or upsetting my interviewees. The policies I am researching are HIGHLY controversial and unpopular among many, and I have to approach my interviews very diplomatically or I will not be privy to any information I am seeking. As I come to be more familiar with the legal and policy atmosphere of current debates I will post my questions, in their embryonic stages, on my blog in the lead up to our departure for Berlin.
To understand law and policy:
− Interviews at the Bundestag with Die Linke (The Left Party), SPD (Social Democratic Party)
− Interviews with Turkish politicians in the regional Parliament: Evrim Baba (Berlin HOR, PDS), Dilek Kolat (Berlin HOR, SPD), Özcan Mutlu (Berlin HOR, Grüne), Bilkay Öney (Berlin HOR, Grüne), Ülker Radziwill (Berlin HOR, SPD), Giyasettin Sayan (Berlin HOR, PDS)
− Familiarizing myself with the current debate through German law review articles
− Meetings with Humboldt Law Forum faculty to discuss their perspective on the issue
− Re-reading the German Constitution
− Reading Humboldt University’s (and FUB’s) Anti-discrimination policy
− Discourse with UW faculty and graduate students currently studying Islam in the EU
− Review of German Islam Conference held March 13th
− An understanding of the debate and policies between Erdogan (Turkey) and Merkel (Germany) concerning assimilation and integration (they have diametrically opposed views on the subject)

To understand the Turkish/Immigrant Perspective:
− Case study with a Turkish family
− Visiting the Turkish markets in Berlin
− Visiting Mosques in Kreuzberg
− Meetings with the head of the Islamic Community in Berlin- Islamic Society in Germany (IGD) and VIKZ (Association of Islamic Cultural Centers)
− Talking with shop owners at Dönerkebaps

Rachel: An essential part of my research will be developing an understanding of official European Union and German policy related to linguistic integration. The need to understand these laws and regulations is of the utmost importance because I will be asking people how these policies have affected them and what they think about them. If I wish to question people about the policies, I have to know what they are and be able to explain them if need be. I intent to acquire the needed knowledge for this aspect of the project before leaving for Berlin. This includes reading both the European Union policy on minority language and linguistic integrations, as well as reading published laws and articles produced within Germany.
In terms of determining the linguistic effects of the Turks in Berlin, I intend to undertake two courses of study. I hope to contact the department of linguistics at the Berlin universities and see if any faculty members are examining Türkendeutsch. There is also a professor at the Universität Hannover who I know is working on such a project, but I would prefer working with someone in Berlin, rather than communicating through e-mails or the phone. Through this contact, I hope to be referred to academic articles and other resources that detail the linguistic interaction taking place in Berlin. The second aspect of answering this question is observation. My observations will be done in two main ways: interviews, which I will explain later and direct observation. Direct observation for me will entail spending a significant amount of time in area of high migrant population including Kreuzberg and Prinzlauerberg. I have seen several academic and news articles about Türkendeutsch and I would like to experience it first hand. Because I have an advanced understanding of German, I hope to be able to both listen for anomalies in people’s speech and have some conversations with Turkish Berliners.
In terms of surveys, I plan to develop two surveys in order to discover the different perceptions of the linguistic change occurring in Berlin. Both surveys will be oral with an oral consent script explaining who I am, the goals of my project, and that no names are being recorded. One survey will be directed towards Turks addressing their use of multiple languages, their feelings on official policy and their opinion of German. I have begun to compile a list of possible questions for this survey in both English and German. (Please see attached.) The second survey will be used to obtain the German perspective on linguistic integration, focusing specifically on the changing qualities of German. As of now, I have been unable to develop questions for this survey, but I intend to have an outline of my intended interviews before leaving for Germany. In terms of gathering opinions on linguistic integration, the age of my subjects will differ tremendously in order to look for a pattern, but I do not intent to survey individuals under the age of 18. Based on what I’ve encountered so far, these surveys should reveal, that young people are the most willing to integrate. I intent to recruit my subjects mostly through social groups, community organizations, and face-to-face encounters at local hang out spots. I hope that visits to the Turkish markets and Marzahn will give me a good perspective on the possible groups of subjects that I could interview.
The final avenue I would like to pursue is doing a case study. I feel that having some sort of extended interaction with a multi-generation migrant family would provide our group with a better understanding of the impact of integration and immigration policies. Our group has found a few organizations in Berlin that may be able to facilitate a case study for us, both approaching individuals and explaining our project may be a daunting task. I hope to ask our German contact at Humbolt how to approach this task. Ideally we would be able to spend extensive amounts of time with one family so that they would feel comfortable openly expressing their feelings with us. This could include having dinner with the family, spending some time at their home, or any other activities they would feel comfortable with. I intend to ask our case study family, should we be successful in finding one, questions similar to those that I have created for my interviews and surveys.
Fragen für das Gespräch mit einem Türken
• Seit wann sind Sie in Deutschland?
• Welche Generation Migrant(in) sind Sie?
• Welche Generation Migrant(in) sind Sie?
• Wie fühlen Sie sich auf Deutsch?
• Ist es ihnen lieber, ihre Muttersprache zu benutzen oder Deutsch?
• Gibt es Situationen in denen Sie nur ihre Muttersprache betnutzen können oder wollen? Ist das auch so für Deutsch?
• Wie haben Sie Deutsch gelernt? War es schwierig? Haben Sie das gerne gemacht? Ist es ihnen wichtig, gut Deutsch zu können? Glauben Sie, dass andere Leute auch ihrer Meinung sind?
• Ist es Ihnen wichtig, dass ihre Kinder ihre Muttersprache lernen?
• Was denken Sie über die Sprachpolitik? Sollen die Schulen ihre Türkish lehren?

Possible Interview Questions
• How long have you lived in Germany?
• What generation immigrant are you?
• What languages do you speak?
• How do you feel speaking German?
• Do you prefer your native language or German?
• Are there situations in which you can only use your native language or situations that you only want to use your native language in? Is this true of German too?
• How did you learn German? Did you find it hard? Did you want to learn it or where you resistant? Do you think it’s important to know German? Do you think others agree with your opinion?
• Is it important to you that your children learn your native language?
• What do you think about the politic of language? Should Turkish and east European languages be supported in German schools?
Mary Grace:
Interviews with leaders/prominent figures/spokesmen of local religious groups.
Interviews with religious education teachers (if possible)
Interviews with students
Case studies with immigrant families
Interviews with policy drafters (if possible)
I have already sent out emails to various religious organizations in Berlin and have received answers from a couple of them.
Questions:
Due to the fact that we are still testing the waters for what is/not appropriate for interviewing religious teachers and students in Germany my questions are still in the formation process. I will pay attention to cultural sensitivity with regards to age and religious group and all of these questions will need to be formulated in German as well. However, there is information I know I want to obtain from each group such as their feelings towards the laws, how they interact underneath the laws, what they would change, what they view as popular sentiment, how they feel their religion fits in with the law, how they feel their position as a teacher/student/religious leader/parents is affected by the laws, and whether or not the laws should be changed. More research is necessary before developing a list of official questions and I will probably not have my final draft of questions until after I have spoken with some of my contacts in Berlin to test the waters; hopefully this can be accomplished over email but if not there will be some furious question-drafting during my first few days in Berlin.
5. Cultural Sensitivity: ethical research 1)discuss methods for recruiting interview subjects 2)measures taken to guarantee confidentiality and anonymity.
We have each individually taken cultural sensitivity into account in the above descriptions of our research. It is such a large part of our project that we felt it cannot be separated into its own section because it is in and of itself only important in its application. Given the topic we are researching and its highly personal and identity-political nature, we will be taking the utmost precautions to ensure privacy and continued respect of those who are gracious enough to help us, at all times and in all communications.

6. Daily Research Schedule while in Berlin. Tentative. You may have both group and individual schedules. Include people names/titles, places/addresses, equipment you’ll need and information you’ll gather.
-Turkish Market in Kreuzberg on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Go to Turkish restaurants in Kreuzberg area. Dönerkebaps, etc.
-Religious education classes
-Mosques in Kreuzberg
-Case Study with a Turkish family
-Anja’s professional meetings in the Bundestag, Berlin regional Parliament, and Islamische Gemeinden
-Meetings and interviews with HU (Humboldt) and FUB (Free University of Berlin) professors
For reasons relating to anonymity and cultural sensitivity we decline to provide names and addresses for our research partners and professional contacts in Berlin. We have provided names of the organizations and partners we will be in contact with during our stay in Berlin, and that suffices for the purposes of this proposal.

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BdI. (2003). Islamismus. Berlin: Bundesministerium des Innern (BdI).

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Bernstein, R. (2004, June 30). Lessons of Islam in German Classrooms. New York Times.

EKD. (2000). Zusammenleben mit Muslimen in Deutschland. Bonn: Rat der Evangelischen
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Emmerich, M. (2005, January 21). Kopftuch, Kreuz und Kippa verboten. Berliner Zeitung.

Greve, M. & Çinar, T. (1998). Das Türkische Berlin. Berlin: Ausländerbeauftragte des
Senats.

Hartmann, T. & Krannich, M. (Eds). (2001). Muslime im säkularen Rechtsstaat.
Berlin: Das Arabische Buch.

http://www.islamische-foederation.de/

http://www.jg-berlin.org/site/01e_about/01_0start.htm

http://www.all-saints-berlin.de/index.html

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http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1506557,00.html

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Painting a Portrait: The Cultural Life of a Young Berliner

Painting a Portrait: The Cultural Life of a Young Berliner
Anne Marie Avey
Lauren Badell
Kareem Cervantes
Nisha Nariya
Phil Rodenbough
Jackie Schwartzstein
Aya Yanagida

1) Abstract
The purpose of this research project, in short, is to explore the cultural lives of typical young Berliners. In particular, each group member has chosen a different aspect of youth lifestyles to explore, so this project will encompass seven different facets of youth culture. The seven different sub-topics are each complex, but can be basically thought of as homosexuality, drug abuse, film, assimilation, rock music, arts education, and fashion.
Each sub-project is unique, and as such, each sub-project will utilize different methods for exploring the topics. Questions will often be answered by case studies, but the project will also include other methods such as interviews and observation.
We are doing this research project because, as youth in America, we are interested in discovering what it is like in other countries and cultures (specifically that of Berlin) and interested in seeing how we may have been different had we been raised in Berlin rather than in America. It is a project of cultural relativism, intended to broaden our horizons.
Ultimately, we hope to construct a compilation of the many aspects of life as a young Berliner, painting a portrait that is both accurate and interesting.

2) Background
A) Context
This project, overall, is relevant to the group members because we are all participants in American youth culture. As such, we are interested in comparing our own culture to different youth cultures. Are we the same? Are we different? How do our cultures interact? What evidence of American youth culture is present in German youth culture? These are some of the questions we hope to answer, through seven different lenses.
In addition, each individual member of the group has chosen an individual topic that is of special interest to him or her, as detailed in the research question section of this paper. There is can be seen that because of the freedom to choose individual sub-topics, this project is personally interesting to each group member.
This project will certainly advance group members’ knowledge of German youth culture. We have each chosen research questions to which we have no current answers. Perhaps someone who has participated extensively in both American and German youth culture would already have answers to the questions we are posing, but German youth culture is relatively unfamiliar to us. If we successfully answer our research questions, we will become more multi-culturally aware, more internationally savvy, and we will be one step closer to becoming truly global citizens.
By choosing such sub-topics that are so youth-centric, we will hopefully end up with a project that is interesting to other young people who are interested in relevant aspects of German culture from an American perspective. We will be presenting our research in a public setting, so in that way, we will increase others’ knowledge of German youth culture as well.
It should lastly be noted that because all the members of this group have significant knowledge of American youth culture, bias may be introduced in our research. We are aware of the biases that may accompany our American background, and will be sure to consider this in as we proceed in our research.

B) Problems
The biggest problem facing this group is the language barrier. As a whole, our group speaks very little German. This might make it difficult to do research that involves communicating with German people.
We are under the impression, however, that most Germans know English. If this proves true, it will be very fortunate, greatly increasing our ability to communicate and do research. Individual problems for sub-projects are detailed later.

3) Individual Research Questions
Note that this section includes, to various degrees, individual answers to part 4 (research methods), part 5 (cultural sensitivity), and part 6 (schedule for Berlin).

A) Avey – Homosexuality in Berlin
I think researching homosexuality in Berlin is relevant because it’s important to know how gays and lesbians are treated in a different country. This is because we can hopefully learn from Berlin’s mistakes, yet gain from their positive attributes to the gay community. The more we know, the more we can change in our own society. This topic has a personal interest to me because I am in a field where homosexuality is a norm and I have become very close with gays and lesbians. I find it interesting how they find the strength to come out in a country that generally has a negative connotation to the term “gay.” I want to know if this is the same in other places, such as Berlin. And if not, why? Why is it easier to come out in Germany than the U.S.A.? The land of the free? The melting pot of the world? Is it because the mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, is gay himself? All these things I am curious to find out, but my main question would be this: What are the advantages to being gay and living in Berlin?
Now, I am prepared that there might not be any advantages, so I definitely have a backup question, but for now this one seems to be my focus. Why Berlin? You could be anywhere in Europe, but why are homosexuals coming to live here in Berlin? What is so special about it?
One of the problems I am having with researching my topic is that I need to talk with people! I know I will be able to do that when I get to Berlin, but this really is a person based study. I plan on maybe trying to interview the mayor. I know that might be hard to do, but I am fascinated that he is gay and I’m wondering why he thinks Berlin has such a great community, especially for the gays. What steps are they taking to ensure non-descrimination, are they trying to get equal rights passed, and so on.
Another person I would be interested in talking to would be a counselor from Humboldt, to get their take on how accepting the community is based on the cases from the students. Plus, I would be willing to find a group organization (preferably within Humboldt) that I could chat with as a group. And finally, doing a case study. Finding someone that wouldn’t mind me following them around for a week or so and see what they go through as a gay Berliner.
I think these methods are useful because it gets me to talk to them one on one and I would be able to make a connection with that person. I am pretty easy to get along with and enjoy listening to others. Hopefully, I will make some great friends out of this as well. The limitations I see is maybe they wouldn’t tell me the truth about everything because it is so personal, and instead they would lie. But I am hopeful to make people comfortable so they are able to talk and discuss with me their personal life stories. My biases are me being an American, knowing the history of gay culture in America, knowing the general negative standpoint in American about gay culture, and that I am straight. But I love my gays! So I want to do this topic justice!
One of the places I plan on visiting is Kreuzberg. It seems to be the place where the gays hang out. Plus, some great clubs that have been mentioned especially for the gay community are SchwuZ and SO36. I am excited to go there and do some investigating! I think I will be needing a video camera for sure. I want to record when I go out and I also want to record my interviews. I am a verbal person and I think most of my research will be dealing off-book.

B) Badell – Breaking down the wall: An exploration of drug and alcohol addiction and recovery in Berlin
How do young people in Berlin cope with addiction and alcoholism? What are the challenges that young people in sobriety face? Are the services provided comparable to those in the United States (specifically Seattle?) Are drug and alcohol use more acceptable, considering Germany’s proximity to places such as Amsterdam and the laxity of legal restrictions on drug use there, as well as the younger legal drinking age?
I plan to attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous while in Berlin in order to meet young people in recovery. After talking to the young people and conducting interviews, I hope to be able to speak also with people in active addiction. This can potentially happen on the street, or through observation in dance clubs or other social gatherings. Based on case studies of these people, I want to discover why they started using drugs and whether or not their drug and alcohol abuse resulted from the more liberal environment, peer pressure, family influences, etc. In exploring how drug addicted/alcoholic youth are experiencing recovery in Berlin, I will ultimately compare it to my own experiences of young people in addiction and recovery in the states.
An experiential methodology is the most appropriate for conducting my research; being a participant observer will ultimately generate the most compelling and informative research. Through conducting interviews with the young people that I meet in the program, I plan to compare the information that I gather about their experience in recovery to my own. As my research is based on a comparative approach, interviews in Berlin will coincide with information I have collected from friends in recovery in the United States, as well as with my own experience. The more interviews that I collect, the more adequately prepared I will be to determine a case study to conclude my final research project. Again, in line with the comparative approach, I am ultimately searching for a person to act as a mirror to my experience in the United States. The ultimate goal is not that this case study has had the exact same experience as the general majority of sober youth in the United States, but that there is a common thread that knits youth and recovery together, regardless of location.
The challenges that may present themselves while I am in Berlin are most predictably speaking with people in active addiction and I do not know if I will have the opportunity to do so. Even if I do end up meeting active alcoholics and drug addicts, an essential aspect of the disease is a lack of honesty and openness and I do not know if they will be willing to talk to me about their addiction; they may not even recognize that the addiction exists. In traveling to different places around the world and going to meetings, as well as being active in my personal recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, I have found that people following a similar trajectory tend to open themselves in ways that are pretty profound. The challenge then lies in finding these people in meetings in Berlin; English-speaking meetings tend to be dominated by travelers or foreigners in residence in the country.
The following questions will be included in some form in the interviews that I conduct: How old are you? At what age did you have your first drink? Was it with your family or friends? When was the first time that you remember getting drunk? Why (peer pressure, just because, family issues, etc.)? What drugs have you used and what ages? Do you feel like you have a problem with drugs and/or alcohol? If so, at what age did you realize that you had a problem with drugs and/or alcohol? What factors (social, personal, etc.) do you feel contributed to your addiction? What services, if any, have you used to cope with your alcoholism/drug addiction? Do you feel like there is enough support for young people in Berlin?
Finding young people who will be willing to serve as research subjects in recovery will be based on my ability to create friendships within the meetings; as I share my experience and listen to others’, I plan to integrate myself into the community, especially during the first week, so that people are more willing to talk to me than they would a total stranger. As I become more integrated into the community and progress with my interviews, I plan to use the ‘snowballing’ effect, whereby I will ask the people who I am interviewing whether or not they have friends who are still in active addiction who would be willing to talk to me. If not, I plan on contacting a friend of mine who lives in Hamburg to see if she knows anyone who would be willing to talk to me. In finding a case study who is on the active side of his or her addiction, I am planning on finding service work to do through the program where I might be able to help in a homeless shelter or speak in a drug rehabilitation center. I do not know if these opportunities are available in the breadth that they are in Seattle, but I will have to wait until I attend several meetings to determine whether or not this approach will be viable. In the case these approaches do not yield the desired outcome, I will go to bars and nightclubs and simply observe the level of alcohol intake, whether or not drugs are an integral part of the evening, and the level of intoxication that occurs within a given population.
Protecting the people I am researching is a major priority; not only is anonymity one of the keystones of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, the nature of alcoholism and drug addiction is so sensitive that I doubt that I would find people living in active addiction who would be willing to expose themselves. Therefore, in recruiting my interview subjects, I will engage with them immediately by first stating that whatever they say will remain completely anonymous. I will draft a document that reiterates this fact and will sign it, explicitly stating that the only reason that I would break their anonymity is if they gave me direct permission to do so. Unfortunately, unless this permission is granted, I will not be able to audio-visually record any of my research and will have to either take physical or mental notes. My hope is that through the common bond of addiction and recovery that my peers will allow recording of some nature, but will accept and respect their decision either way.
I plan to attend a meeting a day in the first week of the program in order to make contacts orient myself in the program in Berlin. As the week goes on and I continue to meet people who are willing to be interviewed, I will pass out consent forms and make appointments for interviews.
During the second week, I will determine which meetings have a majority of young people and stay in those meetings, but if none of them have the demographic population that I am looking for, I will try Narcotics Anonymous.
Over the weekend following the second week, I plan on doing whatever service work that I have found to do in order to meet alcoholics/ drug addicts in active addiction or just starting the recovery process.
By the third week, I hope to have found at least two people to focus on in my case studies, one from the recovery perspective and the other from the addiction perspective. I will continue to spend this week going to meetings and doing service work, but will ultimately spend more time with specific people as opposed to conducting more dispersed interviews.
During the fourth week I will continue to attend meetings, but will be focusing more on writing my findings from the previous three weeks into a cohesive final report, as well as working with the larger group on our compositions.

C) Cervantes – German Hollywood Dreams: What does it take to make it in Berlin as an actor?
I want to know what a young Berliner with dreams of becoming a Hollywood star, has to go through in order to step foot into the acting business, primarily in Film. What “look” is the right look for today’s Berlin Film Industry. I want to know what is considered the “it” factor that agents search for in young talent.
My research will start off really basic, for the summer, and for my first week in Berlin, I will be watching German film, hopefully finding things either filmed in Berlin or movies about Berlin in some way. I’ll make notes on the actors’ appearances, abilities, physical qualities and type. Having done that, I will then begin searching for upcoming talent through international talent agencies such as Quickbook and Affinity Talent, to try and find people interested in becoming my case studies. I would follow them around with a camera, do interviews, and see what it is like for them day to day with auditions, work, life, etc. I would of course follow of the privacy and information protocol with contracts and waivers and what not. My targeted age range for my specific research would be the one that I fall under as an actor, 18-25.
At the same time, some of my research will be done through self exploration. I will give a whack at auditions for agencies in Berlin. Perhaps attend a few open calls, and see if I can’t land any work myself. My major focus of course, will be on the talent agencies themselves. What are they looking for? How do they know what casting directors want? What work is available during the time that we will be spending in Berlin? And most importantly, how similar is the life of a Berlin actor to that of an American actor? Or, how different? Is the film/acting industry the same everywhere, or is it easier/harder for some?
I want to try and answer all of these questions and maybe a few more during my stay there. Being an actor myself, I want to know that there are opportunities outside of the American Film Industry and that success doesn’t have to be accompanied with mass celebrity.
My timeline is as follows:
Week 1: Viewing film in local cinemas, finding talent online, visiting agencies.
Week 2: Begin case study work, go on auditions by myself and with case studies
Week 3: Interviews with case studies and agency/casting directors
Week 4: Compile and edit mini documentary.

D) Nariya - What does Indian assimilation with German culture look like?
Being of South-East Asian descent and growing up in America, I feel that my life is a fusion of east and west. However, it has always been an interest of mine to see how other youth of similar descent have assimilated their lives with different cultures. What does Indian assimilation with German culture look like? I am especially interested to see the youth cultural assimilation of Indian culture with German culture to see if German culture is flexible enough to allow assimilation, or if it is dominating that in order to be part of German culture, all ethnic culture has to be compromised. By seeing the assimilation of Indian youth in Germany it will show insight into a way of life of a group of people that typically are not researched upon because they are not a dominate minority group. My research should give insight into what youth cultural assimilation resembles in Berlin, Germany. I then hope to compare the assimilation trends I see in Berlin with Indian-American cultural assimilation looks like.
Since I am of Indian descent and have had to assimilate my life, I have a bias of what assimilation should resemble. Thus, it is going to be important for me not to jump to conclusions or make assumptions. To help me counter my personal bias I am going to employ various research methods that will help me answer my research question.
Ideally, to research the cultural assimilation of youth in Berlin a case study will be used. However, if I am unable to obtain a case study or if it proves to have limitations I will use methods of library research, opinions/interviews, and observation to facilitate in gathering substantial information that will furnish answers for my research question.
A case study would be ideal to study cultural assimilation because by following an Indian youth around it will show me exactly what life of a young Berliner is like. It will also give me insight into how much of their life is lived through German culture and how much is lived through Indian culture. Though this is a method that will allow me to view first hand the cultural assimilation it does have its limitations. Finding someone to participate in the case study may prove difficult. Furthermore, there may be a language barrier, which may impede my comprehension of the assimilation. In addition a case study gives insight to the life of one person or possibly a few. Generalizing assimilation from the experience of a few people may give a skewed outlook on what Indian youth assimilation in Berlin resembles. This is especially true if I end up following a youth around who has not assimilated both cultures and has completely accepted one culture and rejected the other. Thus, if the data collected seems skewed I will combine this method with other research methods.
The method of library research will not be used to directly to answer my research question, it will more be of use to guide me in the right direction, to find answers. I will probably spend time researching online articles. These articles will show me the influence of Indians in Berlin and suggest possible places for me to visit to view the Indian effect in Berlin and to meet people of Indian descent. By researching possible places to go before I get to Berlin and reading about their influence, it will give me a good basis to conduct field research when I get there. I cannot use library research as a main form of research for my project because it would not show what assimilation looks like in Berlin, for that interactions with people need to occur and places need to be visited.
Another method that I will use in addition to case study if there proves to be limitations, is through opinions and conducting interviews. I plan to have a list of interview questions. I would like to formally sit with youth of Indian descent and talk through the questions with them. I feel it will allow them to elaborate more and answer any follow of questions that I may have once I receive their answers. However, in addition to the communication barrier it may be difficult to get time to converse with the youth, so then I will provide them with the list of questions to answer, like a survey. I plan to then go through the data I collect from the interviews/surveys and pinpoint any trends that show what assimilation resembles in Berlin. This method will allow me to interact with a number of youth, so the results I get should not be biased to the experiences of a few. Of course, the people I chose for these interviews will probably provide for a bias. If I am at an Indian cultural event handing out these surveys then of course my responses may show more assimilation than if I were to hand out these surveys elsewhere. Thus to control for this bias I am going to try to interview the youth at several different locations and try to get as many interviews as possible. The questions I have developed for this are:
1. What is your name? (Do they go by a German name or an Indian name?)
2. Are you a first or second generation? Were you born here?
3. Do you visit India?
4. Do you speak your ethnic language, what ethnic language do you speak?
5. Do you take part in any German cultural activities here?
6. Do you take part in any Indian cultural activities here?
7. Do you feel you are in touch with you Indian heritage, why or why not?
8. Do you think you have assimilated? What does it look like in your life?
9. On a scale of 1-10, how close to you Indian culture do you feel you are? Why did you give yourself that score?
10. On a scale of 1-10, how close to German culture do you feel you are? Why did you give yourself that score?
11. Would you refer to yourself as more German or Indian?
12. Do you hang out with more Indian youth or German youth in general?
In addition to conducting these interviews in Berlin I will conduct them here in the States as well so that I may do a comparison on what assimilation in Berlin looks like compared to the United States.
The last method I plan to employ is observation. I plan on going to random places of Indian culture (e.g. Temple, movies, restaurants) and random places of German culture (Museums, parks, night clubs) and seeing how Indian youth behave in the different environments. In addition to observing their behavior I also plan on observing how many Indian youths on average are present in the different environments and whom they associate themselves with (do they have more German friends or do the Indian youth congregate in groups?) By seeing if the behavior is different and where Indian youth spend a lot of time congregating it will give insight into how much assimilation has occurred and what it resembles.
The type of research method used will effect my recruiting of the subjects and measures taken to guarantee confidentiality and anonymity. I hope to be able to gain access to an individual or a few individuals who will be willing to be a case studied for this research project. I plan on going to places where Indian youth congregate (e.g. Restaurants, movies, temple, school) and finding a few who would allow me to do this, thus gaining their consent. I will formalize their consent by having them sign a piece of paper that states the research question I am trying to answer and that they have voluntarily accepted to be part of the study. I would of course change their names when writing about their assimilation to protect their anonymity.
When conducting interview questions I plan on getting as many personal interviews as possible and if that does not work then I plan on handing out the interview questions to get answered. I will conduct these interviews with youth I find at various establishments within the city, the best places would be when Indian youth are standing in line for movie tickets or waiting for the bus. It is important not to intrude the youth when they are taking part in a religious service or at dinner. It will also be important to take into consideration what types of interruptions are considered rude by German culture and to avoid from taking part in these. When I approach them to be interviewed I plan on stating what the responses will be used for so that they have full disclosure, their consent to take part in the interview will be oral. Also, they will not need to provide me with a name to provide for confidentiality and anonymity.
In addition to case studies and interviews, I may use observation. When observing the youth it will be in a public setting and for only short periods of time. I will also vary the youth I am watching. This will protect for their individual privacies and anonymity. If I choose to photograph the youth, I will ask for their consent before any pictures are taken. The last method I will employ is library research. I will provide for citations for the websites and books I used to facilitate my findings, this will account for ethical issues. This is how I am going to deal with cultural sensitivity, ethical issues, and protect for confidentiality and anonymity when conducting research in Berlin.
I have constructed the following draft of a schedule for myself.
Week 1
1. Explore Berlin and look for the Bollywood cinema and other places Indian youth congregate. In addition to finding locations, observe and record observations
2. Find out how to gain contact with Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple Committee or attend Hindu temple
3. Track down possible youth to be used for case studying and set up schedule
4. Conduct at least 5 interviews/surveys
5. At the end of the week go through the data collected looking for trends. Also, analyze problems with methods if any, and how to solve these problems.
Week 2
1. Follow case study
2. If no case study or need more information, observe youth at 2-3 different locations
3. If no case study or need more information, conduct at least 10 interviews/surveys
4. Analyze data and start drafting research paper
Week 3
1. Follow case study
2. If no case study or need more information, observe youth
3. If no case study or need more information, conduct between 5-10 interviews, at a different location than previously used for research
4. Finish analyzing data and work on paper. Get together with group to work on composition, if have not started before.
Week 4
1. If need more research to answer question, conduct more research
2. Finalize paper
3. Finalize / Perform composition
I have constructed the following list of places to explore to find Indian youth: Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple Committee, Hindu Temples, Bollywood cinemas, Indian Restaurants (India Haus - Feurigstrasse 38, or Ashoka - Grolmanstrasse 51), popular German hangouts (Bergstubl - Veteranenstrasse 25, or Central -Rosenthaler Strasse 39).

E) Rodenbough – The Language of Rock
My research question is centered on the cultural phenomenon that some German rock musicians choose to sing in German, while others choose to sing in English. This issue was brought to my attention during my interview with Geoffrey Cox, a UW graduate student in Germanic Studies. My question is: how do musicians make this choice, and what does that choice illustrate about German youth culture and rock music? My hypothesis is ultimately that most musicians choose to sing in English. I further hypothesize that the ultimate reason for doing so is not simply to reach a wider audience, but because rock music is fundamentally rooted in the English language.
First I need a way to go about finding answers to my question. I plan on spending many nights at Wild at Heart in Berlin, a club that looks like it puts on good underground rock shows. This venue hosts German Rock bands, as well as bands from the rest of Europe and the US. I will need to make sure to be there on the nights that German bands are performing. It won’t hurt to interview bands from places outside of Germany, as this might add another dimension to my project, but German rock is definitely the focus.
I believe that underground musicians, universally, want to talk with fans. Therefore, when the musicians are mingling with the fans either before or after a show, I can praise them on their music and ask them why they sing in English or German. This might take a bit of prodding, but I think I’ll be able to get a useful answer in most cases. That will basically be my research, and how I will answer my question.
An alternative way of seeking answers to my question is to turn to Berlin radio stations. This will surely change the focus from underground music to more mainstream music, which although might paint a more accurate picture of German mainstream culture, will be less interesting. This will be reserved as a back-up plan if the club plan doesn’t work. I can either listen to the radio and draw conclusions from that, or I can contact radio DJ’s (either by email or in person) and ask them what they think about the language issue.
Once I have a number of answers, I can start thinking about what these answers mean. For example, if everyone sings in English and says that they do so because that’s how rock music is supposed to sound, that would be evidence supporting the hypothesis that rock music is a genuinely American cultural artifact. If the musicians say that they choose to sing in English to reach a larger audience, that would be evidence supporting a different conclusion. I would thus be led to the conclusion that rock music doesn’t necessarily have a fundamental language, and that German musicians don’t necessarily identify themselves by the language in which they sing. If the musicians say that they sing in German because they’re German, this would be evidence toward the emergence of more prominent sense of German nationalism. Clearly, there are many possible outcomes to this research project, depending on the various answers. It is my personal prediction that I will find rock to be a genuinely American cultural artifact, trumping any sense of German nationalism.
This hypothesis relates to the larger group project quite well. If shown to be correct, it will illustrate that Americans and Germans are in the same, in the sense that they like their rock music in English. It will also illustrate the stunted sense of German nationalism that has haunted Germany in recent years.
I don’t think I’ll have to be too careful about cultural sensitivity. Apparently everyone speaks English anyway, so going up and talking to people in clubs won’t be a problem. I’m asking pretty non-invasive questions, anyway.
My research schedule is centered on the bands that will be playing at Wild at Heart. The venue schedule is posted online, although dates are sure to change, and more dates are sure to be added, as August and September approach. Therefore I shouldn’t get too caught up in a detailed schedule yet. I can also explore other venues as well, although this one looks really fun.
This topic is personally relevant to me because I play the bass in an amateur, original rock band. So I have a vested interest in rock music.

F) Schwartzstein - How are underprivileged youth in the vibrantly artistic city of Berlin being given their opportunity to become educated in the arts?
Many middle to upper-class families in this country find it important to introduce their children to the arts at some point in their early childhood. A large portion of those children even continue to play an instrument well into their early teens, when they suddenly become defiant enough that their parent’s cannot force them to practice anymore. The teenagers that continue to practice their art are encouraged by the stories of their parents, who wish that they only continued their art of dancing or playing the piano throughout their high school and college years. Adults who were exposed to the arts seem to value their early arts education; and yet, here in America, the funding for arts education is slipping out of the grasp of many public schools, especially those in already impoverished areas. It seems unfair that only the wealthy are capable of enriching their lives, and the lives of others, with participation in the arts, and many institutions have sprung up over the last few decades to attend to this need. These institutions have seen a measure of success in helping children get in touch with a more artistic side of themselves, not only as a fun, free, activity, but also as a way of recovering from a traumatic home life. Having taught children in the arts, and even worked with such underprivileged youth, I was interested to discover and experience this aspect of the life of a young Berliner.
I was uncertain if there would be a parallel problem in the extremely artistic community of Berlin, especially because of the differences in German schooling methods from those that I grew up with, but I was quickly able to find the website of an institution called Fusion Street in Berlin. Situated just outside of Kreuzberg, Fusion Street serves just the purpose and population that I was searching for. Established in Berlin in 1996, the FUSION project began with incorporating young people of German, Turkish and Arabic origin, from Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Marzahn, into the Karneval der Kulturen, or the Carnival of Cultures. A few years later it went on to incorporate youth of Berlin into the well known LOVE PARADE. Around this time the group also branched into the “Manege” children and youth center. The goal of this youth center in particular is to make children aware of and responsible for their own activities, through the arts. In response to this wonderful find, I determined that my project would be centered around the youth arts project in Berlin, though a case study of Manege (as well as the founder, Fusion Street) and hopefully even through a few of the participant’s points of views, if they are within reach during our time in Berlin.
Through a series of interviews with the project directors of Manege, and a general survey for the participants of background and feelings towards the program, I aspire to develop a sense of how necessary and effective this group is towards the welfare of Berlin. I would like to do this through a case study of one of the directors of the programs there, as well as through the point of view of one of the young adults who regularly enjoys the benefits of Manege. In this way I will be contrasting the purpose of the program with the perceived outcome by the participants. Case studies would most effectively achieve this because I would get the chance to get to know someone who participates in artistic youth culture in Berlin, and even become close enough that I could ask slightly more personal questions, for example about family life. This leads me to the point that, as in any case study, I must be careful not to offend the people that I am interviewing, and keep in mind that my background and theirs will be quite different in some ways, though I may find interesting connections to American youth in places where I least expect them. I hope to find that artistic youth centers have brought together the young people of Berlin from different religious, cultural, and monetary backgrounds, reinforcing their confidence and self-awareness. This will, ideally, answer my question of how underprivileged youth in the vibrantly artistic city of Berlin are being given their opportunity to become educated in the arts with a resounding feeling of efficacy and value for youth arts education.
Potential interview questions:
1. How did you become involved in the Fusion Project?
2. How long have you been working with Fusion/Menege?
3. Would you encourage your own children to come here and participate?
4. What kinds of people can you meet when you come here (ages, ethnicities, temperaments)?
5. What kinds of opportunities do you find here?
6. What projects are coming up next?
7. How does participation affect the youth involved?
8. Are there many centers like this in Berlin? Who do they cater to?
9. Do children need to be educated in the arts/cultural community?
10. How have you benefited from working here?

G) Yanagida – Berlin Fashion
As Berlin start to regain its status of the leading fashion center in Europe, the street fashion scene encompasses various style that incorporates the trend and the unique identity of Berliners. Youth plays a role in creating the Berlin fashion by actively bringing in the global trends but the style should still retain Berlin style in some extent. This energy and creation of Berlin style can be sent to the global community as the fashion leading city. The goal of this research is to explore the style of Berlin fashion of youth and how that style is created within the within the local community and how that is related to the global community.
Research Question
How does the global fashion trends of summer 2008 are treated and incorporated in the Berlin youth fashion scene? In order to articulate the influences in fashion, I need to take a close look at what other fashion are offered in the world, and what are the biggest influences. Two possible outside influences on the Berlin fashion are high-end fashion from the Runway and the American fashion from Hollywood celebrities. Also the different subgroups in the community often create unique style and manifest their own culture in fashion. I want to take a look at the intra-city influences among different groups
The research is primary done through the observation of the city. I will first take a look at the general trends of the city and work my way down to the fashion of different subgroups. The data collection will be done through the photograph. I am taking a photograph of general population and also asking for an individual snapshot with their approval. Also I will conduct a quick interview at the boutiques in Berlin, mainly asking for what are the trends for this summer, what are some trendy clothes they offer, and who are the target population for their style. I figured that they are more approachable, but I am also also hoping to have an interview to the individuals as well.
In order to efficiently use time at the site, I must conduct a background research of summer trend at another influential fashion centers prior to the arrival at Berlin. I select three different cities, Hollywood (Los Angeles), Tokyo and Paris, to compare the street style in Berlin. First I will take a look at the runway collection of spring / summer 2008 of different cities, which gives me the idea of what high end fashion are offering for this summer, and how they might have influenced the commercial fashion. Then I will take a look at the teen fashion magazines of United Sates and Japan to see what they are offering to the readers. Finally the similar observational study will be conducted at Japan (Shibuya and Harajuku) and Paris (Marais, Les Halles) before arrival at Berlin.
There are some limitations of the observational studies, such as biased choice of. Also since the location affects the population present at the site, it is critical to choose a location that local Berlin youth are present and not the tourists. Also because there are infinitely many styles that are present, I must recognize that I am choosing a style which may create some bias.

4) Research Methods
Because each sub-project is unique, each sub-project will have different research methods. As such, the different methods are detailed, to various degrees, in part 3 (individual research questions) of this proposal.
As an overview, this project will use a wide variety of research methods. Some sub-projects include extensive shadowing of German youth. Others include giving people surveys, asking casual questions, general observation, and more.

5) Cultural Sensitivity
Again, each sub-project involves different levels of invasiveness. Of course all group members need to be aware of cultural sensitivity, but group members who are asking extremely personal questions need to be particularly aware of this issue.
Some ideas include assuring confidentiality during any interviews, using only first names for the final project, and only using identifiable personal information when permission is given to do so.

6) Daily Research Schedule for Berlin
This will also vary for each sub-project, as detailed earlier. We must all adhere to a general schedule, however, so that we all finish at the same time. In general, our schedule looks like this:

Week 1:
- Developed an idea of our projects as they fit into our situation and surroundings
- Learn to navigate Berlin
- Make contacts with the people we will be interviewing

Week 2:
- Get everyone’s plans and needs arranged (who is needed to travel, perform interviews, film, record, set up, etc.)
- Set up a schedule and begin interviews and research
- Assess progress at end of week, change direction if needed.

Week 3:
- Perform interviews and research
- Finish interviews and research by the end of the week
- Begin discussion of composition, conclusions, and group paper

Week 4:
- Composition and tying up lose ends of projects
- Working together on group paper and conclusions

7) References

"Alcoholics Anonymous Berlin." 2008. Alcoholics Anonymous Berlin Berlin Intergroup/CER. 11 June 2008
.

"Child Centre for Children At Risk in the Baltic Sea Region." Childcentre. The Council
of the Baltic Sea States. 01 June 2008
.

Cox, Geoffrey. Personal Interview. May 27, 2008.

Goel, Urmila. "The Virtual Second Generation." Goel Seminar. Aug. 2004. 02 June 2008 .

Mathur, Rakesh. "Understanding the Difficult Transition for East Germany." Hinduism Today. Jan. 1991. Himalayan Academy. 02 June 2008 .

"Narcotics Anonymous Berlin." 11 June 2008 .

"Outreachwork in Europe: Social Integration." Junge. 11 June 2008
.

Permien, Dr. Hanna. “Street Careers in Germany Between Families, Youth Welfare Services, and Prison.” In Referat auf der Internationalen Konferenz: „Problems of Vagrant Children“ in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China vom 21.-25. 10. 2003.

Poiger, Uta G. Jazz, Rock, and Rebels: Cold War Politics and American Culture in a Divided Germany. University of California Press, 2000.

Rimmer, David. Time Out Berlin. 7th ed. Berkeley, California: Time Out Group Ltd, 2006.

"The Inder." The Inder. 12 June 2008 .

"Two Temples for Berlin's Hindus." The Times of India. 25 Feb. 2008. 02 June 2008 .

Weinhauer, Klaus. “Drug Consumption in London and Western Berlin During the 1960s and 1970s: Local and Transnational Perspectives”. In The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs 20 (Spring 2006): 187-224. 1 June 2008


Wild at Heart, Berlin. .

"Young Germany: YG India Special: Germany Grooves to Bollywood’s Beat." Young Germany. 2008. Young Germany Mobile. 02 June 2008 .

"Ich Bin Berliner" Unraveling the Complexities that Shape Berlin Today

“Ich Bin Berliner”
Unraveling the Complexities That Shape Berlin Identity

University of Washington: Honors International Engagement
2008

Kristin Copeland
Prano Hiremath
Rachel Kim
Minjeung Koh
Michael Yamamoto
Table of Contents


Abstract………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Background…………………………………………………………………….. 3

Architecture (Koh)…………………………………………………………….. 5

East German Goods (Yamamoto)…………………………………………. 7

Advertisement (Copeland)………………………………………………….. 9

East German Integration (Kim)………………………………………………10

Youth (Hiremath)……………………………………………………………….13
















Abstract:
Collective identity is the values, beliefs, and self-perception of a group. Benedict Anderson defined a nation as an imagined political community; similarly, we define a collective identity as an imagined community to which individuals choose to belong. Berlin is an ideal place to study identity, since it is a cohesive, functioning city though its identity has been in flux for the past century. German and immigrant history has also significantly shaped the Berlin identity. We wish to uncover the factors make Berlin unique, and reveal interactions between different social spheres. Group members will conduct detailed research in architecture, youth, East/West integration, East German goods, and advertising. Together, we will link the threads of identity as it is manifested in these topics. Ultimately, Berlin will be a case study in a greater understanding of urban identity itself. We propose to find the factors that shape identity as well as those that complicate the definition of a clear perception of self in Berlin.

Background:
The international community today consists of many countries with diverse and integrated populations, such as the United States. Though the US holds many cultures, they are mixed into a semi-homogenous society. Germany, specifically Berlin, is unique in that it has yet to reach this stage though they do in fact have cultural diversity. Berlin could be seen as the “salad bowl” whose ingredients have mixed, but remain separate. Since these groups have not fused, we can study where and how boundaries prevent mixture. Each of our projects places a different piece into the identity puzzle by exploring youth, architecture, East German goods, advertising, and East/West integration.
Germany has a dynamic history from shining moments with Frederick the Great, to the shameful times of the Nazis. Events of the past can never be erased, however, and lay the foundations of a person’s identity. A city’s history is captured in both the style and structures of their buildings. One of the research topics this summer will explore architecture to discover the effect of history in forming Berlin identity. A well-known event in past is the reunification of East and West Germany. The case of ostaglie and revitalization of East German past is a large part of the identity for the entire country. These themes will be studied by taking a closer look at the increased sales in East German goods to find how people reach to their past. As for the present influences on Berlin identity, analyzing advertisements discloses the current values that a society holds. Also, observation on the mental and emotional extent of East German integration is an attempt to study assimilation beyond the outer appearances. Finally the future of Berlin identity lies in the hands of the youth, thus they will be our insight into when integration might occur. The combination of these five individual projects will provide a better picture of the implications that build and hinder a clear Berlin identity.

Defining identity is a struggle that resonates in Berlin, but is unavoidable for every individual. The relevance of this topic is what drew us to conduct research on this matter. Identity is an intricate issue and is something possessed by all, yet slightly different for each person. This subject of our group is different from others in that it does not single out groups (for example, youth, artists, and immigrants), but attempts to encompass the entire population of Berliners.

Despite our passion for this subject, the biggest problem we faced during the beginning of research was embracing the broad and indistinguishable nature of the topic. Identity is not clear-cut; it is subtle, broad, and beneath the surface of what the average Berliner thinks about on an everyday basis. Thus, it was a challenge for us to find tangible ways in order to research an intangible topic.












Architecture

a) Context (Why is the topic relevant. How will it advance yours and others
understanding of the issue? Remember to consider why it is of personal interest
to you.)

Architecture is one of the most effective way to form its elements to represent an era, culture and power. Berlin went through several transformations during last two centuries and searching for its identity from the chaotic history. Recently, the German government decided to destroy ‘the Palace of Republic’ and rebuilt ‘the Prussian Royal Palace,’ so called, ‘Stradtschloss.’ Because in history, the architecture was used as a tool to form identity of society several times, I think rebuilding Stradtschloss is one of the stages the government is taking to form Berlin identity. This change will eventually make big differences in future by influencing perception of people because people will start forgetting about ‘the Palace of Republic’ and only recognizing existing rebuilt ‘Prussian Royal Palace.’

b) Problem(s) (what are the struggles you have encountered while beginning your
investigation?)
I want to hear how Berliners think about the issue, but since it already had been really sensitive and controversial issue in German and in Berlin, people might not want to talk about it any more or might over react to my questions. How to gather a good information is also a big problem. Another serious problem is I do not speak any German, which will limit my boundary of research a lot.

3. Research Questions (this is individual--but of course get member feedback and suggestions). This is where each group member sets up their individual research as one component of the overall group research project. Each group member should discuss their topic and develop a specific research question:
Berlin went through many transformations from a capitol of glorious Prussian Empire to a frightful war zone to a capitol of communist East German to a capitol of liberal German as a united Berlin. Architecture changes over different eras and under different powers since architecture is one of the powerful elements to represent the era, culture, history and power.
‘The Palace of Republic’ was built on the ruin of ‘Stradtschloss,’ the Prussian Royal palace under the East German regime after the World War II. Although Stradtschloss was already destroyed during the war time, building another significant public/governmental building on top of the destroyed symbol of fell empire symbolizes change of era and declaration of reshaping the identity of the city. And on 21 century, Berlin is on the stage of integrating different culture and social ideas. To shape ‘a new Berlin’ or some other reasons, ‘the Palace of Republic’ is deconstructed to rebuild ‘the Prussian Royal Palace.’ Does it mean erasing a part of history that considered ‘disgraceful’ or ‘unnecessary’ and going back to glorious powerful German?
Architecture is a way to visualize identity of a place and I always have thought about how many local people are aware of their architecture and how many people think a specific architecture represent their culture. I want to find out how many people think is this case apply to the shaping identity and how many people are aware of this changes and also what will be the influence in future by will this help to build united identity of East and West German? Or will it bring more struggles? Since East German people are already uncomfortable with this decision of destroying the Palace of Republic. East Germany’s last Prime Minister, Lothar de Miziere, admits the glass and asbestos behemoth isn’t very charming, but he is angry about how East German’s history is being discarded. He thinks tearing down the “Palace of Republic” would no do justice to the place this building has in the in the history of 20th century Berlin.

4. Research Methods (approximately 1-2 pages), i.e. interviews, field research,
observation, library research, expert opinions/interviews, case studies, etc. etc.

Since I am not able to interview people because I can’t speak German, I am thinking about hading out a short survey questions to people around the Stradtschloss.
1. Which building is symbolizing and identifying Berlin?
2. Do you agree with rebuilding Stradtschloss?
3. Do you think destroying ‘the Palace of Republic’ is erasing a significant history of Berlin?
Thinking about getting some interview from professors or students in Humbolts University about the issue.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,406448,00.html
http://www.atlantic-times.com/archive_detail.php?recordID=162
http://www.germany.info/relaunch/culture/new/cul_berlin_stadtschloss.htm
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1432598?&Search=yes&term=stadtschloss&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dstadtschloss&item=19&ttl=35&returnArticleService=showArticle



The Persisting East German Culture

Question: Is the persistent culture of east Germany limited to the nostalgia of an aging generation or is there a continuation through a younger population seeking the artistic freedom and creativity romanticized by “ostalgie”?

Despite the harsh, austere lifestyle of east Germany, time has allowed perceptions of the past to warp. Many members of younger generations now associate the divided Germany with a time of explosive creativity and carefree rebellion. Associated with the hippie 60s, it was a time of open rebellion and free spiritedness. In response to this and the nostalgia of the generation which lived through the events, east German products are now being resold and movies about east German life are being produced.

Research methods:
I plan to visit both the commercialized shops at Checkpoint Charlie and around the main tourist venues as well as find small towns on the outskirts of east Berlin that have not since been renovated. In both of these locations, I plan to observe the kinds of patrons who buy the products as well as their reactions to purchasing them. I will also be looking for the age group which tends to purchase these items.

Cultural Sensitivity and Ethical Research:
I plan to only discreetly observe the patrons and owners and will, ideally, not make my presence felt or known.

Sources:
Blum, Martin. (2000) Remaking the East German Past: Ostalgie, Identity, and Material Culture
The Journal of Popular Culture xxxiv (3) , 229–253.

Berdahl, Daphne. "Go, Trabi, Go!": Reflections on a Car and Its Symbolization over Time. Anthropology & Humanism.

Cooke, Paul. "Surfing for Eastern Difference: Ostalgie, Identity, and Cyberspace." Seminar: a Journal of Germanic Studies (2004).

Good Bye Lenin. Dir. Wolfgang Becker. DVD. 2003.

Polzin, Christine. Ostalgie - a part of a new East German identity?.









Advertisement
I am studying German advertising, focusing on billboards and other large, still images in the city. An important thing to remember about advertising is the fact that it both creates and reflects the values and beliefs of the culture it is in. Though there are obviously failed ad campaigns, for the most part, they are carefully constructed by highly skilled individuals to appeal [appeal should be in italics, but facebook doesn't do that] to people; they have the knowledge of what people respond to. German advertising will be designed to make Germans think “x,” like “x,” dislike “y” by using things they already like, dislike, et cetera, and staying within cultural boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. For example, Germans, like most Europeans, use sex in advertising far more than Americans. The other face of the issue is how advertising creates cultural values, the most obvious being the changes in female beauty in the United States. Once I have observed common themes and strategies in German advertising, I will have a fairly decent idea of what modern Berliner values are, and connect this to my group’s research, as values are a part of identity.

Research methods
I will conduct my research by photographing as many billboards and large ads as possible during the first two weeks, then sitting at my computer looking for themes within the ads. I will do preliminary translation of any text myself, but will mostly be relying on others. I will be rooming with Mary Grace, who is proficient in German. Rachel Schlecty already told me she could help me to some extent. For any ads that may be beyond people with German as a second language, I plan on asking Manuela to help me for an hour or two, probably in the third week.

• People (names, titles, etc.): Manuela, who is already helping us
• Places (address): across the city
• Equipment you'll need: my camera
• Information you will gather: photos

My research schedule:
1st week: photographing during the day, translating during the night
2nd week: continuing photographing during the day, translating, and starting to collect themes
3rd week: doing a close analysis of two or three photos, finishing up with themes, making sure my translations are final and accurate, starting to combine the group's findings
4th week: composition
East German Integration

Research Question:
As Germany concludes its second decade of reunification, to what extent do East Germans feel integrated in Berlin? The outwardly variances in East and West lifestyles are tough to decipher, but what are the mental boundaries that hinder complete integration?

Research Methods:
The investigation to answer this question will consist of interviews, a case study, and comparative observation of former east and west Berlin. A camcorder will be used for data collection and analysis. Because this inquiry will not have a visible or concrete answer, the data from my research will not answer the questions directly. However, the collected information should infer a general mental state that the East Germans currently experience.
First I will begin by visiting the DDR (German Democratic Republic) Museum. There I will interview the visitors to discover their purpose for attendance, whether it be tourist interest or nostalgia. Also, this will be an opportunity for me to be more exposed to the daily life of East German citizens. Then I plan to visit the former Stasi prison, now called the Berlin-Hohenschonhausen Memorial. There I will interview tour guides who are former inmates. I hope to unravel the political aspects of East Germany, as well as the darker side of East German life. More interviews and observations will be conducted at Hotel Ostel where I will be booked for a night. This summer I will attempt to get in contact with the owner of Hotel Ostel or the DDR Museum to form a case study around their business. Such a case study will focus on the intentions of the owner in recreating the East German household. I assume that their intentions will either be so that the East German life is not forgotten, or because of the market potential in showcasing communist life to tourists. The former reason indicates East Germans have yet to feel completely comfortable in the Capitalist society. Finally I will visit the far eastern areas of Berlin that still hold traces of the existence before the fall of the Wall. These observations will be used to compare the east and west lifestyles firsthand. The trip will also disclose how romanticized or exaggerated some of the interviewees’ reactions were.
Interviews will be held throughout my stay in Berlin and the questions will attempt to reveal whether East Germans actually believe they are able to practice true freedom in a capitalist society. Furthermore, the pros and cons of both Communist and Capitalist lifestyles will be questioned. The interviews, however, are limited to how willing the people are to speak openly about their thoughts.

Cultural Sensitivity:
During the interviews I will have release forms for people to sign before I film them. Also, it is very important that I do not ask for personal, identifiable information. Some people may be sensitive to the issue of living in the past Soviet Union and the boundaries of comfort must not be passed. The interview with the former Stasi inmates may reveal private information. If anyone is uncomfortable with their face being filmed, I can always resort to the pencil and paper.

Research Schedule:
Week 1— Visit DDR Museum and Berlin-Hohenshonhausen Memorial
Week 2— Stay a night at Hotel Ostel, Interview owner of DDR Museum or Hotel Ostel
Week 3—Travel to eastern side of Berlin with Michael
Week 4— Analyze data, edit videos, composition

DDR Museum
Contact: Peter Kenzelmann
Address: Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 1, direct an der Spree, gegenuber dem Berliner Dom, 10178 Berlin
Berlin-Hohenshonhausen Memorial
Address: Genslerstr. 66, 13055 Berlin
Hotel Ostel (9 euro/nacht)
Address: Wriezener Karree 5 – 10243 Berlin



Bibliography:

Bernstein, Richard. "Peek Into This East German Museum, and It Peeks Back." New York Times. 20 July 2006. Berlin Journal. 16 May 2008 .
Hunt, Jennifer, comp. Is the Transition in East Germany a Success? 20 Apr. 2006. McGill University and NBER. 30 May 2008 .
Hunt, Jennifer, comp. Post-Unification Wage Growth in East Germany. Vers. Working Paper Number 304. Nov. 1998. Yale University and NBER. 30 May 2008 .
Ladd, Brian. The Ghosts of Berlin: Confronting German History in the Urban Landscape. Chicago: University of Chicago P, 1998.
Von Hallberg, Robert. Literary Intellectuals and the Dissolution of the State. Chicago: University of Chicago P, 1996.










Youth
My subtopic is identity of Berlin youth. Specifically, how has the identity of the generation born after 1989 formed in relation to the fall of the Berlin wall? If every individual has many layers to their identity, one layer of these Berlin youth must include their youth and the fact that they, unlike the older generations, grew up without directly experiencing the Berlin wall. I wish to probe individual identities of Berliners born after 1989 in order to understand whether they are ruled by this sphere of separation, or if they are more loyal to their national, ethnic, or religious sphere. Does the memory of the wall still manifest itself in their lives? If so, it may be a testament to the significance of the wall and its lasting effects on Berlin as a whole. If not, perhaps it shows change brought by time or resilience of the city.
Wladimir Kaminer wrote in Russian Disco, “Nothing is the real thing here, and everyone is at the same time himself and someone else” (89). Is this statement true for the youth of Berlin, and, if so, how do they reconcile these separate identities? If Turkish youth are seen as Turkish, might they still consider themselves German? I want to characterize identity by looking at the manifold identities of each individual. It is tempting but untrue, however, to believe that German youth are tossed by the tides of their surroundings without a strict say. Indeed, the German word for youth’s tendency to assert themselves is “Selbstbehauptung” (Yates). Thus, I believe that primary identity is the meta-identity: how the youth see themselves.
By understanding youth identities, I will be able to see which walls have been built, and which have been torn down. In how many dimensions do Berlin youth undergo Andreas Glaeser’s “experience of otherness” (8)? A study extrapolated identity from a Stylized Turkish German language, noting that in those who use neither standard German nor a mother tongue “a youth identity of deviance and otherness is presented” (112). Is there still a wall between East and West Berlin youth? If so, is it the old wall of their parents or a new wall formed after the end of the concrete wall? Are there new walls between the immigrant and native German youth, or are there rebels and outcasts that do not conform to any identity? What about the walls of imposed identity? In Fatih Akin’s Head On, a dizzying junction of imposed identities motivates the (ultimately tragic) actions of the young characters. Is the common collective nature of youth identity able to tear down the “wall in the heads of the people” (Ladd, 30)? Through all of their individual diversity, youth of Berlin have a deeply layered collective identity that I want to explore, identify, and connect to Berlin’s urban identity.
Research Methods:
Prano:
Case studies and interviews: immigrant youth, native German affluent youth, and non-affluent youth. These methods will give me the opportunity to observe German youth in a natural, noninvasive environment. I will hopefully be able to converse and observe their attitude towards identity and related topics. The questions will not be direct necessarily. Here I observe Zeisel’s ideas of dynamically and variably intrusively observing environmental behavior, as a recognized outsider, and a range of marginal versus full participant (marginal in brief interviews, full in case studies).
Observations: these will be observations of art, space, and people that inherently reveal something about identity. According to Zeisel, this observation is intended to “find reflection of previous activity not produced”. Within his context, I’ll try to look for connections, separations, and displays of self through personalization, identification, group membership, public messages, and illegitimate displays such as graffiti. Instead of design decisions, I will look for the context of Berlin, city as space, and city as an identity. I will be a secret outsider, hopefully not too obvious a tourist.
At this point, I do not wish to conduct a written survey because I do not think it would accurately represent identity since people do not usually think about identity so directly.
My main limitation is that I will not necessarily get an accurate overview of German youth. Biases and assumptions will arise when extrapolating from observations. A challenge will be to find the youth and employ the right dynamic so that they will let me know what they really think.
Cultural Sensitivity:
Prano:
I will select case studies through contacts I establish this summer, and through Manuela. I will also consider Schlesische 27 and other youth groups. I will be very clear in my purpose and intent before beginning to ask questions. I want to befriend youth so that they will be comfortable talking to me, but I must prevent betrayal of friendship trust make my research position clear. To guarantee confidentiality and anonymity, I will not use real names or include personal details in my research conclusions. If necessary, I will create a waiver form for the research participants.
Schedule:
Week 1: find contacts and cases/youth to participate
Week 2: conduct interviews, shadow youth, make observations
Week 3: conduct interviews, shadow youth, make observations, follow more detailed leads
Week 4: draw conclusions, integrate with group
Bibliography
Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities. London: Rutgers UP, 1983. 12 June 2008 .
Eksner, Julia H. Ghetto Ideologies, Youth Identities and Stylized Turkish German. Berlin: Lit Verlag Berlin, 2007. 12 June 2008 .
Glaeser, Andreas. Divided in Unity: Identity, Germany, and the Berlin Police. Chicago: University of Chicago P, 2000. 12 June 2008 .
Head On. Dir. Fatih Akin. DVD. 2004.
Kaminer, Wladimir. Russian Disco. London: Ebury P, 2002.
Ladd, Brian. Ghosts of Berlin. Chicago: University of Chicago P, 1997.
Yates, Miranda, and James Youniss. Roots of Civic Identity: International Perspectives on Community Service. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999. 12 June 2008 .
Zeisel, John. Inquiry by Design: Tools for Environment-Behavior Research. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Honors Berlin Site. 12 June 2008