http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1840793,00.html
Citizenship
http://www.turkishweekly.net/articles.php?id=32
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1627912.stm
http://www.berlinistanbul.de/
**this last one would be a lot more useful if I spoke Turkish....but it's not that bad. I'll look into this.
Mittwoch, 23. April 2008
Other Resources
- Middle East Studies Association/Bulletin
- http://fp.arizona.edu/mesassoc/Bulletin/white.htm
- post 9/11?
- Turkish Studies Association
- Middle East Outreach Council
- Middle East Economic Association
- Wirtschaftswunder time period when large migration
- Gastarbeiter status / parallels with American issues with immigration, Mexican workers
- SPD
- Die Linke/SPD passed the ban on headscarves-->2005
- Turkish members of regional parliaments: Evrim Baba (Berlin HOR, PDS), Dilek Kolat (Berlin HOR, SPD), Oezcan Mutlu (Berlin HOR, Gruene), Bilkay Oeney (Berlin HOR, Gruene), Uelker Radziwill (Berlin HOR, SPD) , Giyasettin Sayan (Berlin HOR, PDS)
Durchsichtig aber ich kümmere mich gar nit darum
- Most Turks in Germany Feel Unwelcome
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3189718,00.html
They misspelled the Kanzlerin's name in here. Angela Merkel, not Angel. :)
- also check out the German Islam Conference from 13.03
- Milli Gorus Turkish-Islam Association (IGMG)
- Islamic Society in Germany (IGD) and the Association of Islamic Cultural Centers (VIKZ) -- and do not necessarily represent the majority of Muslims in Germany
-
"The opinions represented in the survey show that we have to do more to strengthen the feeling of belonging for those in Germany with Turkish backgrounds," said Germany's Integration Commissioner Maria Boehmer. "The 2.7 million people in Germany from Turkish families belong to us; they're an important part of our society."
Also on Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret that German Chancellor Merkel did not attend the mass rally he held for Turkish immigrants during his visit to Cologne in February.
"If we had stood on the stage together there, it would have been a message to the German society and a motivation to the Turks living in Germany," said Erdogan in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "We can make it up whenever Ms. Merkel likes."
- To delve further, we are dealing with diametrically opposed DEFINITIONS of assimilation:
Erdogan had attracted criticism in Germany when, during the rally, he warned Turks in Germany not to lose their culture. Merkel had responded by saying she didn't share the prime minister's view of integration.
"Assimilation is tantamount to a crime against humanity," Erdogan had said in February.
- http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1432,3159799,00.html
Dienstag, 22. April 2008
Topics/Research
- Immigration, specifically Turkish/Muslim communities in Kreuzberg, etc.
- Arts vis a vis integration/domestic policy regarding the above community ^^ and how it differs from/finds it place within mainstream Berlin art scene/or not?
- Youth culture: domestic and international relations. What do German youth think about the upcoming U.S. presidential election? Hopeful/not? Why or why not? Does this change their view of the U.S. or them? Does this in any way affect their view of and/or treatment of immigrants/outsiders..how does this affect internal security/homeland security/counter-terrorism ideas?
- Internal Security. Differences/similarities with the U.S. and how we see homeland security and counter-terrorism policies when implemented at a domestic level (Patriot Act, etc.).
- Memorials--->the politicization of art and space, how enduring this is, how different groups perceive the same space, controversy, has this changed over time
DAS ENDE..fuer jetzt
Donnerstag, 17. April 2008
Ghosts of Berlin: Reaction
BOO!!
This poor excuse for a book is something I could do without. (Note: Readers may notice a trend in my blogging; I tend not to sugarcoat my reactions. Why would I do that? There's no point in wasting anyone's time. )
The lecture today by Sabine Lang was cool. She really got my mind going with all the policy-oriented part of my research...Political Science Thesis here I come! That was nice.
Discussions of our research thus far haven't been that fruitful, at least my perception of them, which you are free to take with a grain of salt. I'm at the point where I would like to put an end to sitting around talking about what we will do and start putting my money where my mouth is and get into the culture and policy research that drew me to the Viewpoints program from the outset. This just means I am excited, and I suppose I could try a little harder to rein that in, but again that may be counterproductive for the end result.
Also the more we speak about our research the more I am left to puzzle how I am going to convey this research via a composition with my group.
Also, also! Was there a composition assignment today for next week? There was one on the syllabus. Hmm...being someone who does not stay for the language instruction portion makes me wonder if I'm missing announcements to the group in general since only three or four of us leave.
If I sound particularly caustic please excuse me, I am fighting off the plague (thanks coworkers!).
This poor excuse for a book is something I could do without. (Note: Readers may notice a trend in my blogging; I tend not to sugarcoat my reactions. Why would I do that? There's no point in wasting anyone's time. )
The lecture today by Sabine Lang was cool. She really got my mind going with all the policy-oriented part of my research...Political Science Thesis here I come! That was nice.
Discussions of our research thus far haven't been that fruitful, at least my perception of them, which you are free to take with a grain of salt. I'm at the point where I would like to put an end to sitting around talking about what we will do and start putting my money where my mouth is and get into the culture and policy research that drew me to the Viewpoints program from the outset. This just means I am excited, and I suppose I could try a little harder to rein that in, but again that may be counterproductive for the end result.
Also the more we speak about our research the more I am left to puzzle how I am going to convey this research via a composition with my group.
Also, also! Was there a composition assignment today for next week? There was one on the syllabus. Hmm...being someone who does not stay for the language instruction portion makes me wonder if I'm missing announcements to the group in general since only three or four of us leave.
If I sound particularly caustic please excuse me, I am fighting off the plague (thanks coworkers!).
Mittwoch, 16. April 2008
R & R
Research 101 & Rethinking, Thinking that is....
accolades to Rethinking, Thinking
Research 101 was mildly helpful.
Rethinking Thinking solidified and put in words concepts and feelings I have had for a long time. It makes sense (and Research 101 echoes this) that an emotional investment is necessary to succeed in any endeavour. And great success is arrived at through complex processes of abstract thought, that are not necessarily linear or readily translatable to other media. This is how I feel when I know I wrote a well thought-out and articulated paper, or when I finish a poem that just flows from me organically, or how I felt when I skated. When the right ingredients are there you can create amazing results. Kudos Rethinking, thinking. It is exactly this mindset that drew me into this program in the first place.
So, mach's weiter.
Proceed.
accolades to Rethinking, Thinking
Research 101 was mildly helpful.
Rethinking Thinking solidified and put in words concepts and feelings I have had for a long time. It makes sense (and Research 101 echoes this) that an emotional investment is necessary to succeed in any endeavour. And great success is arrived at through complex processes of abstract thought, that are not necessarily linear or readily translatable to other media. This is how I feel when I know I wrote a well thought-out and articulated paper, or when I finish a poem that just flows from me organically, or how I felt when I skated. When the right ingredients are there you can create amazing results. Kudos Rethinking, thinking. It is exactly this mindset that drew me into this program in the first place.
So, mach's weiter.
Proceed.
Samstag, 12. April 2008
PNB does Midsummer Night's Dream
1 part aesthetically pleasing, yet altogether crazy, glittery costuming
mix with Mendelssohn
marinate in equal parts opera virtuoso performance and overly-contrived emotive displays
let sit for two hours
entertainment may be thin at first glance, but with time lasting impressions will congeal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above sounds horrendously critical, but I don't mean it to be so, just candid really. Disclaimer: ballet isn't really my thing. As a former figure skater I empathize to a certain degree, but on the whole I didn't find them all that graceful, at least not as much so as I had expected to. Perhaps I set my expectations too high in this and other arenas. But, I digress. The first act was a whirlwind and what really struck me was the emotion. And, it seemed, that the more important someone's role was, the more glitter their costume had. Layers of ascriptive difference, man. I also spent a lot of time contemplating what things must have been like behind the scenes. When I did ice shows I know relations with some of my fellow soloists weren't exactly sterling off the ice, but we didn't let that show when we were performing. I kind of watched for that during PNB's performance, just for an inkling, an itsy bitsy tidbit that hinted at strained relations. I came out empty-handed but it could be because I was tired and have horrible eyesight..At any rate, that is a valuable lesson for moi. That no matter what happens in/out of the group or class, when we go on stage the rest is external and does not gain admission. You can't let the audience see it-b/c if discord is there, they will pick up on it.
Act II...Divertissement. I didn't really know what the purpose of the second act was. I decided to focus on the music. The costumes, of the secondary characters at least, were soo horrendous. (The girls in the shrimp-colored tutus?? erlack! They looked like cheap candycanes. All in all, it doesn't much matter because the costumes were not the main idea and won't likely be in our compositions, or at least I won't have to look like a candycane...most likely). So I closed my eyes a lot, which helped with focusing on the music and really feeling it pulse through me. I also imagined, especially for the really sloooow moving songs that went on for eons and eons, if I were to skate to it what would I do with my body to express how it made me feel, how I interpreted it? And it was almost eerie but whenever I opened my eyes to see what they were doing on stage it almost entirely mirrored what I had envisioned in my mind.
All in all I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the music and the white dresses more than anything. Again, ballet is not my divertissement of choice so take my flotsam with a grain of salt. I miss going to the symphony.
I think it was cute that a lot of us said we hadn't really been to any other ballets since the Nutcracker. And that there was a cute little girl in a pink dress dancing through the lobby during intermission. That was me, 17 years ago, an aspiring sugar plum. I still am-aspiring that is.
mix with Mendelssohn
marinate in equal parts opera virtuoso performance and overly-contrived emotive displays
let sit for two hours
entertainment may be thin at first glance, but with time lasting impressions will congeal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above sounds horrendously critical, but I don't mean it to be so, just candid really. Disclaimer: ballet isn't really my thing. As a former figure skater I empathize to a certain degree, but on the whole I didn't find them all that graceful, at least not as much so as I had expected to. Perhaps I set my expectations too high in this and other arenas. But, I digress. The first act was a whirlwind and what really struck me was the emotion. And, it seemed, that the more important someone's role was, the more glitter their costume had. Layers of ascriptive difference, man. I also spent a lot of time contemplating what things must have been like behind the scenes. When I did ice shows I know relations with some of my fellow soloists weren't exactly sterling off the ice, but we didn't let that show when we were performing. I kind of watched for that during PNB's performance, just for an inkling, an itsy bitsy tidbit that hinted at strained relations. I came out empty-handed but it could be because I was tired and have horrible eyesight..At any rate, that is a valuable lesson for moi. That no matter what happens in/out of the group or class, when we go on stage the rest is external and does not gain admission. You can't let the audience see it-b/c if discord is there, they will pick up on it.
Act II...Divertissement. I didn't really know what the purpose of the second act was. I decided to focus on the music. The costumes, of the secondary characters at least, were soo horrendous. (The girls in the shrimp-colored tutus?? erlack! They looked like cheap candycanes. All in all, it doesn't much matter because the costumes were not the main idea and won't likely be in our compositions, or at least I won't have to look like a candycane...most likely). So I closed my eyes a lot, which helped with focusing on the music and really feeling it pulse through me. I also imagined, especially for the really sloooow moving songs that went on for eons and eons, if I were to skate to it what would I do with my body to express how it made me feel, how I interpreted it? And it was almost eerie but whenever I opened my eyes to see what they were doing on stage it almost entirely mirrored what I had envisioned in my mind.
All in all I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the music and the white dresses more than anything. Again, ballet is not my divertissement of choice so take my flotsam with a grain of salt. I miss going to the symphony.
I think it was cute that a lot of us said we hadn't really been to any other ballets since the Nutcracker. And that there was a cute little girl in a pink dress dancing through the lobby during intermission. That was me, 17 years ago, an aspiring sugar plum. I still am-aspiring that is.
Freitag, 11. April 2008
Die Wahl 2008 / Election 2008
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3258473,00.html
I hadn't even considered this but given the timing of our visit to Berlin it would be FASCINATING to talk to people on the ground, and at the Bundestag since I have an in, and get a feel for how they perceive the upcoming election. Very cool!
I hadn't even considered this but given the timing of our visit to Berlin it would be FASCINATING to talk to people on the ground, and at the Bundestag since I have an in, and get a feel for how they perceive the upcoming election. Very cool!
Donnerstag, 10. April 2008
Geschichte/History
Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like an nightmare on the brains of the living.
Marx, Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1852)
or, the more fun version:
Die Menschen machen ihre eigene Geschichte, aber sie machen sie nicht aus freien Stücken, nicht unter selbstgewählten, sondern unter unmittlebar vorgefundenen, gegebenen und überlieferten Umstaenden. Die Tradition aller toten Geschlechter lastet wie ein Alp auf dem Gehirne der Lebenden. Und wenn sie eben damit beschäftigit scheinen, sich und die Dinge umzuwälzen, noch nicht Dagewesenes zu schaffen, gerade in solchen Epochen revolutionärer Krise beschoweren sie ängstlich die Geister der Vergangenheit zu ihrem Dienste herauf, entlehnen ihnen Namen, Schlachtparole, Kostüm, um in dieser altehrwürdigen Verkleidung und mit dieser erburgten Sprache die neue Weltgeschichtsszene aufzuführen. (Marx and Engels: Werke, Vol. 8. Berlin: Dietz Verlag 1960, p. 115)
for the Anglophiles-the full version:
Men make their own histories, but they do not create them out of isolated pieces, nor under self-selected circumstances, rather under immediately/directly encountered, given, and transmitted circumstances. The traditions of all deceased generations bear down (as an encumbrance) on the minds of the living like a goblin. And when they appear to be occupied in revolving themselves and objects around one another without achieving presence, precisely in such times of revolutionary crises they conjure up the spirits of the past and call them to their posts, they borrow from them names, battle cries, costume, in order to set the stage with this borrowed language (battle cry) for the new scene of world history in the time-honored costume.
setting the stage. new scene. costume. borrowed language.
and my parents still wonder why I'm in this seminar.
Marx, Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1852)
or, the more fun version:
Die Menschen machen ihre eigene Geschichte, aber sie machen sie nicht aus freien Stücken, nicht unter selbstgewählten, sondern unter unmittlebar vorgefundenen, gegebenen und überlieferten Umstaenden. Die Tradition aller toten Geschlechter lastet wie ein Alp auf dem Gehirne der Lebenden. Und wenn sie eben damit beschäftigit scheinen, sich und die Dinge umzuwälzen, noch nicht Dagewesenes zu schaffen, gerade in solchen Epochen revolutionärer Krise beschoweren sie ängstlich die Geister der Vergangenheit zu ihrem Dienste herauf, entlehnen ihnen Namen, Schlachtparole, Kostüm, um in dieser altehrwürdigen Verkleidung und mit dieser erburgten Sprache die neue Weltgeschichtsszene aufzuführen. (Marx and Engels: Werke, Vol. 8. Berlin: Dietz Verlag 1960, p. 115)
for the Anglophiles-the full version:
Men make their own histories, but they do not create them out of isolated pieces, nor under self-selected circumstances, rather under immediately/directly encountered, given, and transmitted circumstances. The traditions of all deceased generations bear down (as an encumbrance) on the minds of the living like a goblin. And when they appear to be occupied in revolving themselves and objects around one another without achieving presence, precisely in such times of revolutionary crises they conjure up the spirits of the past and call them to their posts, they borrow from them names, battle cries, costume, in order to set the stage with this borrowed language (battle cry) for the new scene of world history in the time-honored costume.
setting the stage. new scene. costume. borrowed language.
and my parents still wonder why I'm in this seminar.
Seattle Monuments
When prompted to write about Seattle's monuments, my first reaction was to deconstruct the word and do some word work (thanks, Speed!). Monument in German is das Denkmal. Denken means to think. Generally in English we associate monuments with people or places that we remember. It is interesting to me that in German it is referred to in the present tense (past tense of denken is gedacht, dachte) and I think this speaks volumes on the way the German people interface with their own history and culture. History and monuments are not static, one-dimensional, or fixed. They may refer to one person or time of history, but those monuments stay with us and mean different things to a wide variety of audiences, whether intended to do so or not. My trusty friend dict.leo.org came up with a list of the different types of monuments one can contemplate: of nature, literature, art, architecture, cultural monument, protected monument, victory monument, monument of the national hero. Many monuments in Berlin have a somber past relating back to the National Socialists or the DDR/East German and Soviet past. While these are painful eras and burdens on the German psyche, they are nonetheless aspects of their being and must be acknowledged, not effaced.
Drawing on my own memory, which is active and not just a function of what happened in the past, the Seattle monument I choose to reflect on is Pike Place Market. This microcosm, which I visited as a child and now frequent today, represents much the way my brain works. The Market is a dynamic cultural, economic, artistic, tourist center and I'm sure if you asked people on the street you could compile a wide variety of experiences and opinions relating to the market and its place in and significance as a part of Seattle. There is a picture I found in a family photo album of me standing alongside my mother near a floral display in the market. At the time I was 12 and relations with my mother were a lot more cordial than they have been in more recent years. My aunt took the photo (my mother's sister). Had you asked each of us, myself, my mother, and my aunt what the market and that particular outing meant to us you would certainly have gotten different responses. Both my mother and my aunt grew up in the Puget Sound area and went to the market as children, so it would be a nostalgic visit for them. Had you asked 12 year old Anja what she perceived of the market that day it would have been new sounds and smells and the promise of a fun afternoon with my family. Just during the last year I have been to the market quite a bit and its place in my life is ever-changing. During the fall I passed through the market every day on my way to work at the World Affairs Council and as I went I did my best to filter it all out--all of the sights, sounds, smells, and most of all the crowds of people. It became a routine and was not a luxury or a pleasing sensual experience any longer. Now that I no longer work downtown I go to the market at my leisure and frequent the Crepe de France establishment or enjoy the fresh produce and take the time to really imbibe all the sights and smells that I tried so hard to block out before when I was just operating on auto pilot just to get to and from work every day. Thus monuments can stand for different things for each individual at different times. And I think I side with the Germans on this one; they are best though of in the present tense, rather than a figment of the past to be overlooked and tread over as time passes.
I love you, Mom.
Drawing on my own memory, which is active and not just a function of what happened in the past, the Seattle monument I choose to reflect on is Pike Place Market. This microcosm, which I visited as a child and now frequent today, represents much the way my brain works. The Market is a dynamic cultural, economic, artistic, tourist center and I'm sure if you asked people on the street you could compile a wide variety of experiences and opinions relating to the market and its place in and significance as a part of Seattle. There is a picture I found in a family photo album of me standing alongside my mother near a floral display in the market. At the time I was 12 and relations with my mother were a lot more cordial than they have been in more recent years. My aunt took the photo (my mother's sister). Had you asked each of us, myself, my mother, and my aunt what the market and that particular outing meant to us you would certainly have gotten different responses. Both my mother and my aunt grew up in the Puget Sound area and went to the market as children, so it would be a nostalgic visit for them. Had you asked 12 year old Anja what she perceived of the market that day it would have been new sounds and smells and the promise of a fun afternoon with my family. Just during the last year I have been to the market quite a bit and its place in my life is ever-changing. During the fall I passed through the market every day on my way to work at the World Affairs Council and as I went I did my best to filter it all out--all of the sights, sounds, smells, and most of all the crowds of people. It became a routine and was not a luxury or a pleasing sensual experience any longer. Now that I no longer work downtown I go to the market at my leisure and frequent the Crepe de France establishment or enjoy the fresh produce and take the time to really imbibe all the sights and smells that I tried so hard to block out before when I was just operating on auto pilot just to get to and from work every day. Thus monuments can stand for different things for each individual at different times. And I think I side with the Germans on this one; they are best though of in the present tense, rather than a figment of the past to be overlooked and tread over as time passes.
I love you, Mom.
Donnerstag, 3. April 2008
03.04.08 Erste Klasse
http://www.weltreisefotos.de/Urlaubfotos/bilder.php?foto=260Intro to Viewpoints (my reaction is a poem):
interesting, dynamic, fast-paced
time constraint made 'composing' difficult but exciting
'exquisite pressure'? is the term, I believe
find the river,
the island,
Tiergarten :)
Alexander Platz
Schloss Sans Souci - "Das Preussische Versailles" <
oh and Humboldt ist nahe an den Brandenburger Tor. Freu mich riesig! :)
Humboldt University is close to the Brandenburg gate. I'm tres excited!
Take home message: Practicing viewpoints/'viewpointing' (if I may take the liberty of making that a verb) is a lot more meaningful than simply reading about it was for me. It cemented the concepts in my mind a lot better; it was expressive rather than descriptive. Also, I really enjoyed meeting fellow Berlin ViewpointERs who will be composing and researching and traveling and performing with me. Really looking forward to seeing how this all unfolds.
Exeunt...
Abonnieren
Posts (Atom)
