TP 15

TWIN PEAKS
A NEWSLETTER FOR AMERICAN STUDIES
15th Issue Winter 2003
University of Leipzig
TWIN PEAKS
Editorial
Dear Readers:
In your hands, you hold the 15th issue of the TwinPeaks
Newsletter. More time than usual has ellapsed since the last issue,
because three TP-editors graduated. We have tried to use the time
to continue their good work. Of course, we are also looking for
enthusiastic students who will help us in our efforts and contribute
their ideas to the TP issues to come. (For details turn to the very last
page.)
We are starting our work with a few changes in layout, but go
on covering the known TP-categories.
Our interview features Professor Crister Garrett, who now holds
the Distinguished Chair of American Studies, which was created by
the Fulbright Association especially for the Leipzig Institute of American Studies. We talked to Crister Garrett about his work and life in
Leipzig.
Another article was written by the U.S. Consulate General
Fletcher Burton, who speaks about Lincoln and the “German
Question.”
Furthermore, you will find news from the American Studies
Alumni Association, from the Fachschaftsrat, two book reviews and
special recipes for the holidays to come.
We would like to thank our sponsor, the Fachschaftsrat Amerikanistik, for their continuous cooperation, as well as everyone else
who supported us through the year and contributed their thoughts
and articles to this issue.
We hope you will enjoy reading.
The Editors
Stine & Katja.
2
talking
h e a d s
Thank God that Course is Over.
An Interview with Crister Garrett
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○ ○
Michael Czogalla
Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
Alumni News
Jan Saeger
Informieren, Diskutieren,
Feiern und
„Netzwerken“
10
○ ○
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A Visit to an Afro-American Church
Aktuelles von der ASAA
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What is STAARS?
l o c a l
c o l o r
Five questions to the
Fachschaftsrat
Katja Kanzler
Shakespeare is the Original Klingon
13
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16
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24
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Englishness in Star Trek
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academic
v i e w s
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Reinhold Wagnleitner
Am 4. Juli feiern die USA den Unabhängigkeitstag.
Was hat der Rest der Welt zum Feiern: den Abhängigkeitstag?
Fletcher M. Burton
Lincoln and the „German
Question“
25
wandering
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○thoughts
Where the West Begins
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Martin Goodenberger
Germany
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creative
The Pei-Building in Berlin m i n d s
30
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Stine Eckert
Silence in a Vessel
Kaye DeVries
Thanksgiving Recipes
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Teri L. Messerer
Poems
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Frank Meinzenbach
Middlesex
A Review of the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
○34
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Katja Wenk
Paradessential
36
○ ○
A Review of The Savage Girl by Alex Shakar
on the
s h e l f
○ ○ ○ ○
e-mail from
America
Stine Eckert
Nebraska
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3
TWIN PEAKS
“THANK GOD
THAT COURSE
IS
OVER.”
We got it!
The Fulbright Commission grants one Disinguished Chair to
an American Studies Department in Germany each year, which
went to Frankfurt/Main, in 2002. However, the Commision was
so impressed by the application of the American Studies Institute
in Leipzig, that they decided to create an additional Distinguished
Chair in Germany - thanks to Professor Hartmut Keil and Professor Anne Koenen.
This Chair went to Professor Crister S. Garrett from the
University of Wisconsin Madison, who now holds seminars about
American politics. In order to learn more about his life in Leipzig, we talked to him.
TwinPeaks: You graduated in Political
Science and History at the University of
California Los Angeles. These are quite
heavy subjects. When did you become
interested in these issues?
American Studies Chair, which was
created for the University of Leipzig. This
Fulbright Scholarship is an award both
for the Institute of American Studies here
in Leipzig and for you.
Crister Garrett: The heaviness of the
subjects, their seriousness, stems from my
childhood. When I was a boy from about five
to ten, our family lived in Beirut, Lebanon.
My father was teaching at the American
University in Beirut. These were formative
years and I was literally living history
everyday, in terms of the region, its centuries
of history and the politics of the day. Many
of the issues were the same ones we have
today in the Middle East.
The feeling of why are things like they
are today and why are politics the way they
are as well as the history of the area were
things that I was always confronted with and
interested in from very early on. I think it
probably seeped into my skin and blood at
an early age.
CG: And I would like to congratulate the
Institute of Amerikanistik for winning this
national competition. It is very competitive,
very prestigious. And Leipzig won it. It really
shows the energy and the creativity here at
the Institute and at the University. What
happened was that there was one
Distinguished Fulbright Chair beforehand.
They held a national competition, which the
University of Frankfurt am Main won,
because they have an outstanding program,
but also because they have a lot of
infrastructure in terms of actual professors
at the university. They have built their
department over thirty years.
Leipzig essentially has been working on
this program for ten years. The Fulbright
Commission in Berlin and its committee
were so impressed with the application from
Leipzig that they created another chair and
TP: You now hold the Distinguished
4
talking
heads
said we want to recognize the quality of that
application and the quality of the program
there. The university did a lot to help that to
come into existence; it has been very
generous with its time and resources. We
should also give special thanks to the American American Consulate in Leipzig and the
Consul General, Mr. Fletcher Burton. His
office provided critical support.
TP: Do you think it makes a
difference when you meet people from
East Germany and Western Germany?
CG: You always have to be careful with
these broad strokes of looking at things. I
spent some time in Leipzig seven years ago
and at that time, when I told
colleagues from Western
Germany that I was going to
TP: And how did you get the „I don’t know
what it was,
spend a year in Leipzig, their
chair?
reaction almost every single
but I was
CG: How I got the chair was a obviously doing time was: “Why Leipzig?”
And then I would hear a
wonderful surprise. I had applied
something
story like “Well, I haven’t been
to come here as a Senior Scholar
right.“
to the East yet ...”. I was really
and had won the competition. Then
surprised by that. I thought what an exciting
Fulbright contacted the Institute of Ameriopportunity to go live in the East, to work
kanistik and said they would like to start this
here and experience something new. My
chair one year earlier than they had planned
West German colleagues didn’t see it that
and would like the chair to go to Crister
way. They were more puzzled why I would
Garrett. I felt very good about that. I don’t
want to do that
know what, but I was obviously doing
something right. (laughs)
TP: So, how does it feel to live here?
TP: When you came to Germany, did
CG: It feels great to live in Leipzig.
you find proof for the typical stereotypes
One thing is interesting: People who have
of Germans?
spent time in Leipzig or know people from
Leipzig, whether Germans or Americans, are
CG: Typical stereotypes about Germans
very enthusiastic. As am I.
... I’ll be very careful there. Do you have an
I think Leipzig has something very
example?
special. There is a certain energy, a spirit for
TP: Germans are said to be strict and innovation that I find quite striking. People
here will not say, “That’s how we do it
not to have any sense of humor.
around here.” They are much more open and
CG: The Germans I know have a very try to find a solution to every problem. And
I’ve lived in different parts of the world, so I
good sense of humor. And I think Germans
think I can bring a little bit of a broader
laugh a lot.
I think that Germans are serious, is context to this question. There is something
something that Europeans and Americans special here.
say about Germans, but that is actually meant
TP: What are your plans as a
as a compliment. When Germans address an
issue, they do so in a very professional Fulbright Scholar?
manner. It certainly is what Germans are
CG: I hold a couple seminars each term.
respected for in the United States. And in
terms of the clichés about Germany, I think I have a Antrittsvorlesung, on December 11,
and I am looking forward to that. We hold a
they are actually signs of respect when I think
regional conference next year.
about it: seriousness, diligence.
5
TWIN PEAKS
The headline - the leitmotif - is to help
with the process of creating an American
Studies Program at the University of Leipzig that is seen in Germany and
internationally as on the cutting-edge of new
courses, new types of research. It already is
seen as that, but I want to help in any way
that I can to further that process to create a
new role of the Institute in the community,
so that people become more aware of this
program, see it as a resource and feel that
they can turn to it.
My year is meant to see what I can do to
help with that process and be here for my
colleagues.
think Leipzig has a very special place. It is
absolutely heading in the right direction.
TP: Did any differences between an
American university and a German one
strike you immediately?
CG: This is a harder question than you
think - if you get beyond the simple clichés
and try to think about genuine differences. I
suppose a bigger one might be that students
here have more freedom. The question
becomes how you define the word freedom.
What does that really mean?
Freedom can indeed mean the chance to
go off, read on your own and to discover
TP: How has your experience of the yourself. But you can do that in the United
States, too.
German university life been so far?
It is the classic debate Verschulung vs.
the traditional Humboldt system. You have
CG: There you have clichés as well, like
the Massenuniversitaet - Masse statt Klas- more time to explore the Humboldtian
system in Germany, but my experience has
se.
There are clear challenges in Germany been that students don’t necessarily do that.
as well as in the United States. We have all For them it just means they have less to do.
kinds of financial pressure in the US just as There are split opinions about that. But if I
much as you do here. Everyone knows the look at a system that no one would say is
story - pros and cons, the fees and raising Verschulung is the British university system,
the tutorial system. There, students have
money, the financial challenges, etc.
At the end of the day, universities are weekly assignments.
I think there are
about intellectual life.
clear virtues in both
And I find the intellectual
systems. The question
life here very stimulating.
„I think that
becomes how do you
I find the students very
Germans are serious,
find the right mix. I think
thoughtful. I find the
is something that
the ultimate challenge is
faculty here absolutely
Europeans and Americans to make sure that the
first rate; it’s a joy to
say about Germans,
assignments are really
work with them.
but that is actually meant pushing students to
The campus is styled
as a compliment.“
develop their analytical
differently than an Ameand thinking skills
rican campus, but it is a
through challenging
campus. You have this
building, the GWZ. You have a university, readings, writing assignments and oral
and you will have a new center on Augustus- discussions. Every sector of working life is
platz soon. I come to work everyday and I asking for these skills, whether it is nonprofit, government circles or the private
am genuinely excited. I feel part of a dynamic
intellectual community. It is a huge gift for sector. They are asking for university
the city and this region. Of course, there are graduates who can analyse complex issues,
challenges everyday, but if you stay focused sort through huge amounts of data and
present ideas clearly. It has to do with the
on what a university is ultimately about, I
6
talking
heads
information economy, that is transforming
analytical writing, analytical speaking,
our societies.
analytical reading. Students are not supposed
Of course, university is about more than
to do busy work, but they ought to have
just creating skills to find work. It’s about
repeated chances to do analytical work.
creating confident citizens who can thrive in
There are many diffean increasingly complex
rent ways to organize a very
society. Two things go hand in
good seminar. The large
hand, one can argue: being fit „At the end of the day, paper, for example, is an
universities
for an information economy
excellent exercise; it’s an
are about
and being a confident citizen
important exercise. But for
able to thrive in a complex
intellectual life.“
my year, I thought that it
society.
would be interesting for
The question then becomes for university
students to see a different model.
how to achieve that at the end of university
And I tell the students, it ultimately
education students feel they have acquired
involves a lot more work for the professor.
these skills.
It is not, because we are lazy or want to
By reading other things and learning
punish people. It actually means a lot more
about other cultures, you hopefully get to
hours of my week.
know yourself better and develop yourself,
and thus become a better citizen to the
TP: Your focus is on international
community, so you can go out to contribute
politics and transatlantic relations. What
to a robust society and are able to find diffeare your thoughts when it comes to the
rent types of meaningful employment.
current US foreign policy?
TP: What are your suggestions to
your students in terms of what they ought
to take home from the courses they take
and from academic life itself?
CG: The predominant feelings students
will have at the end of my courses is, “Thank
God that course is over.” I know they see it
as a lot of work, but I try to explain right at
the beginning the logic behind the structure,
so they do not feel that it’s willkuerlich or
just someone on a power trip.
Psychologists and education experts say
you cannot develop these skills I talked about
if you do it once or twice in the university
career. The key is in repetition, so that you
learn from your mistakes.
You don’t learn how to kick a free goal
expertly by kicking the ball three times. You
have to kick that ball a hundred times and
then you get the skill, so that you don’t even
think about it anymore. You just do it.
Academic skills involve a little bit of the
same thing, so I structure my courses that
students have several opportunities to do
CG: The current administration has
clearly made mistakes in communicating
what it wants to do as well as in content of
its policy, but they also admit that.
We need to remember that several things
the current administration has, done were
basically the similar policies the previous
administration had. While you have a
genuinely conservative administration
currently, with president Clinton you had a
progressive democratic administration. Yet,
when it comes to foreign policy, many of
their ideas were quite similar. Kyoto - they
had the same philosophy. If Clinton had
stayed in office longer, the United States
would not have approved of Kyoto. Nation
building, the idea of going into a country and
trying to put in a new set of values and
institutions, the Clinton administration
believed in as well.
There is a certain foreign policy culture
in the United States, what you call vital national interest. If theoretically a Democrat
were to win the presidential election next
year, Europeans might expect to see huge
7
TWIN PEAKS
of who could actually win against Bush?
Internally, it is someone like Howard Dean
from Vermont. He is the kind of Oskar
Lafontaine of the Democratic Party.
Everyone loves the guy, but they realize, he
does not have much of
a chance to win outside
TP: Do you think „The key for every American of the party. Wesley
presidential election is
Clark, on the contrary,
Bush is going to be rethe swing voter.“
is
the
Gerhard
elected next year?
Schroeder of the
CG: Right now it looks very tough. For Democratic Party. He is centrist enough to
basically two reasons. One is for the same have a real chance.
The key for every American presidential
reason his father essentially lost in 1992: the
economy. The current Bush administration election, just like in Germany, is the so called
has tried a lot to allow the economy to grow. swing voters. In both our countries the
But economy is transforming, not just in percentage of swing voters is at about 30
American society, but also throughout percent, which is very high. One third of the
Europe. Namely, it is shifting from an electorate is essentially a swing voter.
industrially based economy to an information Typically, they don’t decide how to vote until
the last two or three weeks of the elections.
economy.
For example, since President Bush has They sit back and look at the different
candidates. They tend to be moderate,
been in power, about 2.7 million jobs have
been lost, about 2.5 million of these jobs are middle-class voters. They generally have
manufacturing-based jobs. American employment and a university education. They
employers say, those jobs are not coming tend to be most independent sociologically.
For the Democrats, Wesley Clark has the best
back. They are now to be found in India, Chichance to appeal to these swing voters. It is
na, Romania or Indonesia.
The situation in Europe is similar. And going to be very, very close.
there is not much a president can do to keep
TP: As an American, how did you feel
those jobs in a country, unless you have
about the confrontations between
certain protectionist policies or you try to
Germany and the US?
steer your currency in a certain way.
It’s going to be very tough for President
CG: I was startled by it. I think everybody
Bush to show that he’s been a good president
for the economy, although he has taken really was startled by the pace at which this
quite aggressive steps through tax cuts etc. antagonism arose after September 2001. I
think people who are students of transatlantic
to try to help with that.
And the other reason is the Iraq war. Of relations and work with these issues were
course, Iraq could end the Bush startled by it as well as the broader publics.
administration. We’ll see what happens there. But if you step back a little bit and look at it,
you begin to see the reasons
why it took off the way it did. I
TP: Is there a Democratic
„It is like the
candidate who could challenge morning after.“ think we are facing a period
where we really need a serious
Bush next year?
ongoing, respectful dialogue
with each other to understand what the big
CG: There are two parts to that
questions. One is to look at the Democratic challenges in each country are, where the
Party internally. The other one is the question commonalities are, where the different ways
changes in American foreign policy, but they
will probably be disappointed then, because
the changes will not be very dramatic. They
will probably be in style, in communication,
but the interests are more stable, irrespective
of the regime.
8
talking
heads
and had not done. And I said I would like to
that we are choosing to go as societies lead,
what that means for our relationships in an go to the cabaret, because Leipzig is known
international context. I really see it as a gene- for that. But I did not have the confidence,
because cabaret is about plays on words. I
rational challenge.
just didn’t feel I had the language and the
At the end of the Cold War, there was a
knowledge.
sense
of
And she said,
euphoria so that
“’Watch out for women from Saxony,
“Maybe we’ll
a lot of issues
because they are so dangerous.’
do that.“
were not looked
I can only confirm that rumor.“
So, that’s
at closely. Now
how it started.
we are really
I only heard about these clichés later: “Watch
there. It is like the morning after, to use a
cliché. Now we have to decide what we want out for women from Saxony, because they
are so dangerous.” I can only confirm that
to do with that. The generational challenge
rumor.
for our societies is to talk about what is it
That is obviously another reason why I
about our societies that leads to a certain
foreign policy culture and what it means for wanted to come to Leipzig, but Leipzig - the
university and the city - is a very exciting
our relations for the next generation. It is
place for me professionally and intellectually.
going to take a long time, but I think the
I don’t think I would have applied for a
results will be very useful for both societies.
Fulbright without that. I might have come
TP: What do you find most important here to spend time as a family in different
ways. Yet, there is something very special
in everyday life?
about the city and this university that makes
it really fun and intellectually stimulating to
CG: Well, I have a daughter who is oneand-a-half years old. She has changed my work here. Those things have to come
life. Before that it was my wife. We have together.
been married for four-and-a-half years. She
TP: Professor Garrett, thank you for
really changed my life. I used to be what you
the interview.
would call a run-of-the-mill workaholic.
Now I am just a moderate workaholic, I
guess my wife would say.
I try to remind myself each morning
when I wake up and at the end of each day:
***
Have you really spent meaningful time with
your family? And that’s where it all starts. If
I haven’t, then I don’t feel good about my
day. If I have, then I can go to my work.
If you are curious about Professor
TP: How does your family cope with
life in Germany?
CG: They love it. My story is a little bit
unique there. My wife is from Leipzig. She
was born and raised here. I met her six years
ago, the last time I was in Leipzig. I met her
at a university event, where Professor Keil
introduced us. She asked whether there were
things I was interested in doing in Leipzig
Garrett and could not get a place in one
of his seminars, you get a chance to see
him on December 11, when he will hold
his Antrittsvorlesung at 6 p.m. at the Geschwister-Scholl-Haus (Ritterstraße). The
topic of his lecture will be „Toward a New
Culture of Communication: Constructing
Transatlantic Relations for the TwentyFirst Century.“
9
Alumni News
TWIN PEAKS
Informieren
Diskutieren
Feiern und
von Jan Saeger
„Netzwerken“
So lassen sich die Aktivitäten der American Studies Alumni Association (ASAA)
im letzten Jahr beschreiben. Jeweils ca. einhundert Alumni, Studierende, Lehrkräft und Gäste
von außerhalb der Universität konnten im Rahmen der ASAA Lecture Series fachlich wie
rhetorisch anspruchsvolle Vorträge amerikanischer Gäste erleben. Der persönliche Kontakt
mit den Referenten im Anschluss an die Vorträge lieferte weitere interessante Einblicke.
Zusätzlich wurden speziell für Studierende bisher zwei Veranstaltungen unter dem Motto
„Amerikanistik – und dann?“ geboten. Hier erhielten Studierende von den Alumni Tipps zu
Bewerbungen um Stipendien und Einblicke in die Berufsfelder, in denen Absolventen der
Amerikanistik aktiv sind. Der zweimonatliche Stammtisch (jeweils am 2. Donnerstag in den
„geraden Monaten“) sowie die umfangreiche, zweisprachige Website (www.asaa-leipzig.de)
und E-Mail-Newsletter für Mitglieder und Interessierte helfen zusätzlich, den Kontakt zwischen den Alumni, aber auch zwischen Ehemaligen und Studierenden zu festigen.
Festliches Highlight des Jahres war der Absolventen-Empfang am 11. April. Im eleganten Ambiente des Kuppelsaals in der Zentrale der Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB)
konnte die ASAA dank der Unterstützung ihrer Sponsoren (LVB und Amerikanisches Generalkonsulat) einen Sekt-Empfang ausrichten, der dem Studiums-Abschluss der Absolventinnen und Absolventen des Sommersemesters 2002 bzw. des Wintersemesters 2002/03
einen würdigen Rahmen verlieh. Die Mitglieder der ASAA erhielten dann im Sommer eine
exklusive Einladung von Generalkonsul Fletcher M. Burton. Er lud eine Gruppe in seine
Residenz, um im persönlichen Gespräch mit den Mitgliedern einen Eindruck ihrer Sichtweise zu aktuellen Themen zu gewinnen.
Die Veranstaltungsreihen werden fortgesetzt, und Anfang kommenden Jahres sollen
weitere Projekte und inhaltliche Schwerpunkte entwickelt werden. Die Planungen für den
nächsten Absolventen-Empfang beginnen ebenfalls in Kürze. So soll auch in Zukunft die
richtige Mischung zwischen Information, Diskussion, Feiern und Möglichkeiten zum
„Networking“ geboten werden. Alle Termine werden auf der Website www.asaa-leipzig.de
angekündigt. Termin-Hinweise gibt es außerdem per E-Mail-Newsletter.
Für Fragen ist der Vorstand der ASAA unter [email protected] jederzeit erreichbar.
*****
We, the Fachschaftsrat Anglistik/
Amerikanistik, are currently launching a set of initiatives to improve the communication between us
and our constituency (that is you, the students) on
the one hand, and among the students of Anglistics
and American Studies on the other hand.
Recently, for example, we conducted a freshmen
weekend trip to Augustusburg. Due to the big success of this endeavor we are going to organize similar events on a regular basis. We are planning to es-
10
tablish a monthly Anglistik/Amerikanistik
Stammtisch and we are working hard on improving
our web performance. The cornerstone of our efforts,
however, is STAARS, the mentorship program for
Anglistics and American Studies.
You wonder what STAARS is about? Well,
TwinPeaks asked Victor Muschiol and Klaus
Hückstädt a handful of questions. To read their
answers, turn to page 24.
l o c a l
c o l o r
Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
“Where we worship Jesus Christ and minister to the total person!“
by Michael Czogalla
Attendance of an Afro-American Church Service
at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, Houston, Texas.
Sunday, 28 September 2003
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
I love you!
That is how the members of the Wheeler
Avenue Baptist Church greeted each other
before the service started. That is also how
many of them greeted us. As the regular type
of Germans: undercooled, we needed a couple
of minutes to adjust to the new situation. When
we finally realised it was “I love you” Sunday
we had no problem receiving the greetings as
well as telling everybody how much we loved
them! Red roses were given away outside the
church. Church goers could get one or more and
then give them to other church members and
tell them “I love you”. One thing is certain: the
sun sure liked the theme because she was
shining very bright above this Baptist church
in Houston, Texas.
Seated in the first two rows of the middle
isle we had a fantastic view into the altar room
and the choir. The church was a modern round
building, which seemed huge. A couple of stair
steps led the way up into the altar room, which
besides the many chairs for the choir had three
chairs standing right in front of the choir for
the Founding Pastor, the Associate Pastor, and
the Deacon of the week. There also was a small
organ to the right and a nice-looking piano to
the left. Just behind the piano stood an
impressing set of drums. Built right into the
wall behind the choir was a gigantic TV-screen,
which during the sermon showed the singing
choir, the reading pastor, the congregation or
even the lyrics of some of the music and psalms.
It seemed a bit unusual that the altar was not
standing right in the middle of the altar room
but right down in front of the stairs that lead
up to the altar room. However, they did use the
altar during the service.
One other interesting observation was the
two flags standing near the piano. The left one
showed the parish emblem, the other was the
Stars and Stripes flag. Out of my own
experience, this is nothing out of the ordinary.
Every single American church I have visited so
far had the Stars and Stripes standing
somewhere close to the altar room. What
amazed me, though, was the missing crucifix,
which usually hangs above the altar or
somewhere in the back of the altar room.
However, there was no such thing. I suppose
the choice was between the gigantic TV-screen
or a crucifix. Even this is nothing unusual. Most
American denominations have a somewhat different view of certain ceremonials that might
be absolutely common in our culture area.
The Ministry of Music led by the well
known Hanq Neal, who not only played for
various Presidents of the United States but for
Queen Elisabeth II. as well, started the service
with a musical prelude. Accompanied by the
men’s ensemble, one of the six church choirs,
the music turned out to be very catching.
Reverend William A. Lawson, the Founding
Pastor of the Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
then started the service by greeting the
congregation as well as the many guests. As
we found out after the service Reverend Lawson
used to be a close friend of Martin Luther King.
He organized the Civil Rights Movement in the
Houston area. Even though he looked a healthy
and handsome sixty, this man was well over
eighty years old. He seemed full of energy and
was able to share this with the whole
congregation. As it turned out we were not the
only ones being interested in the church and its
service. We surely were the biggest group and
we sure were the only ones who had to get up
the stairs and stand a couple of minutes right
in front of the whole congregation. Reverend
11
TWIN PEAKS
Lawson greeted each of us and made us tell our
names. Well, that wasn’t too bad. It actually
felt very nice. The warm welcoming words and
the clapping congregation made us feel part of
this special sermon. Reverend Lawson asked
Prof. Keil to speak to the congregation and
explain the reasons for our coming.
pay for all their bills at the end of the month.
He would just tell them not to use their credit
cards for useless things; not to go to restaurants
five times a week.
Prof. Keil started by thanking the
congregation and Rev. Lawson for letting us
share this service. He also explained to the
congregation that it was a special request of
the students to visit an Afro-American Baptist
church service, which the students had heard
so much about. That definitely broke the ice, if
in fact there was any left. Everybody was
cheerfully clapping now and all students just
went along.
Many people agreed loudly with what the
Reverend had said. There were many “Yes!,
That’s right!,” and “Praise the Lord!” shouted
from the pews throughout the sermon.
After having introduced all the guests
Reverend Kyra Hinckson asked all the children
to come forward. She had two red balloons in
her hand. One rather small with a short ribbon
hanging loosely from her hand. The other one
big with a long ribbon and standing high up in
the air. The Reverend asked one boy to hold
the stronger looking balloon, while she kept the
other one. She started a little conversation with
the children asking questions why one was
small and loose while the other seemed big and
strong. The explanation was quite interesting.
Reverend Hinckson had filled the small balloon
herself, which is why this one was hanging so
loosely from her wrist. She also considered this
balloon unworthy because it was only filled by
human breath. The other one, she told the
children, was filled with better stuff: the right
stuff.
The stuff God would use!
She then took all children with her to attend
Jewels for Children, which was just another
term for Sunday school.
By that time Reverend Lawson started the
sermon with the scripture reading. Matthew
25:14-30 tells about love giving the best, and
the best should be given to God. One should
give one‘s talent, time and money to God. This
way he is able to help the people. Reverend
Lawson tried to explain to the congregation that
one can always give to God. Though many
people might disagree and explain their
misfortune and how they don’t know how to
12
You have to cook! It’s possible! Live
economically! You can’t afford not to!
Put God on top!
The whole sermon was centered around this
little phrase. Put God on top! The parish agreed
and the ministry of music stroke the keys of
the organ once again. The men’s ensemble sung
along and people were clapping and singing.
One women on the other side of the room even
had her very own tambourine, which she
enthusiastically clapped to the rhythm. As we
found out later she had eleven adopted children
and was a very devoted member of the parish.
After the scripture reading, Reverend
Lawson introduced and welcomed new parish
members. They had to stand up and many
greeted them with a warm “welcome”.
Reverend Lawson also invited people to come
up front and share some of their Christian
experiences. About half a dozen followed the
invitation and told about their experiences and
how they try to share their believe by devoting
time and energy to the church.
After the service was over - it took about
three hours - they treated us very kindly and
invited us to a delicious “self cooked” lunch.
While we ate we had the pleasure of meeting
several young parish members. We had the
chance to talk to them about various issues and
some students exchanged email addresses to
keep in touch.
The time we spent at the Wheeler Avenue
Baptist Church gave us an amazing inside view
of how lively, fervent, and deep these Baptist
live their faith every single day.
For more information, you can visit
www.wheelerbc.org
academic
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„SHAKESPEARE IS THE
ORIGINAL KLINGON“ –
ENGLISHNESS IN Star Trek
BUT THAT DREAD OF SOMETHING AFTER DEATH,
THE UNDISCOVER’D COUNTRY FROM WHOSE BOURN
NO TRAVELLER RETURNS, PUZZLES THE WILL,
AND MAKES US RATHER BEAR THOSE ILLS WE HAVE
THAN FLY TO OTHERS WE KNOW NOT OF?
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, HAMLET
by Katja Kanzler
Have you ever wondered why so many
aiens in American Science Fiction films
speak with an English accent? Addressing
the phenomenon of English presences in U.S.
film in general, R. J. Dickinson finds that
Englishmen (sic.) keep on playing a recurring
role in American film. Surveying a number
of figures that employ „English“ signifiers the theatrical actor, the gentleman, the villain,
the spy, and others -, Dickinson notes that
English presences in American film draw on
notions of America’s past, of its origins as
an English colony. Putting it most simply,
English figures provide American culture
with an opportunity to work through aspects
of its history, to come to terms with its own
genesis as a nation.
But why, then, are the English so frequent
guests in Science Fiction films – a genre
supposedly all about America’s future rather than its past – and why do they tend to
appear in the guise of end-of-the-galaxy
aliens? Rather than giving a definite answer
to that question, I want to discuss one Star
Trek feature-film that nicely illustrates the
phenomenon: Star Trek VI: The
Undiscovered Country (1991) not only
features central stage a bunch of very English
aliens, it also sheds a different light on the
role Englishness may play in American
culture.
As The Undiscovered Country is based
on the 1960s’ original Star Trek, it makes
use of this series’ prime representatives of
good and evil. There is, on the one hand, the
“United Federation of Planets,” an enlarged
yet thoroughly Americanized version of
today’s United Nations. The Federation’s
self-conscious image as a melting pot taken
to the stars finds itself mirrored in the crew
of the star ship Enterprise. Peopled with all
kinds of exotic ethnic and alien presences
(all in ornamental positions, of course), the
Enterprise stands under the strong and
competent leadership of its American
Captain James T. Kirk. Kirk – the 23 rd
century star ship Captain – is quite openly
modeled on the figure of the Frontier hero:
distrustful of bureaucratic structures, he
prefers to settle conflicts by “unorthodox”
means, i.e. sleeping with the bad guy’s girl
friend and/or a good, old-fashioned fist-fight.
13
TWIN PEAKS
The film has the Enterprise face the
Klingons, an alien species who, throughout
the original series, acted as the Federation’s
arch-enemies. Conflating ideological, national and ethno-racial differences, the Klingons
serve as an allegory of America’s Cold War
opponents – the Klingons’ status as villains
is never interrogated: They simply are evil,
cruel, imperialistic, and utterly different.
Whereas the 1960s’ television program
as well as the five previous feature films used
to monitor the Enterprise’s (always
successful) battle against its enemies, The
Undiscovered Country narrates the end of
the confrontation between Federation and
Klingon Empire, and the challenge this poses
to those (on both sides) who had grown used
to seeing the universe through a bipolar lens.
The end of the Cold War in Star Trek’s world
also marks the end of the Enterprise and its
crew, paving the way for a new ship and crew
to take over the franchise. In the spin-off,
the Klingons will serve an entirely different
function: shifting the focus from the aliens’
ideological to their cultural difference and
coding it as exotic spectacle, Star Trek: The
Next Generation will functionalize the
Klingons for narratives that establish the
Federation’s multicultural tolerance.
In narrating this re-ordering of Star
Trek’s world view, and the Klingons’
concomitant conversion from enemy to
something more complex, the film
considerably draws on signifiers of
Englishness. The Undiscovered Country
makes use of two such signifiers: one, it
represents Englishness on the level of
language, as the film’s major Klingons are
all played by British actors who are not trying
to “pass” for anything else (among them
Christopher Plummer as Kirk’s most
spectacular opponent, General Chang); and,
two, the film has the Klingons repeatedly
quote Shakespeare; even more, it has them
claim that Shakespeare was, in fact, a
Klingon.
One of the film’s most central scenes
depicts the first encounter between the crew
of the Enterprise and the Klingon Chancellor
Gorkon and his entourage, whom the
Enterprise is to escort to a peace conference.
In this scene (and in the film as a whole),
signifiers of Englishness serve a number of
purposes, among them to invest a popular
film like Star Trek with the cultural prestige
of a high-brow icon like Shakespeare. I,
however, want to make a case for the way in
which the scene employs signifiers of
Englishness to write a strong ambiguity into
its negotiation of difference and sameness,
an ambiguity necessary for the recoding of
these aliens the film sets out to accomplish.
On the one hand, the scene heavily relies
on the spectacle of the Klingons’ difference
- their leather-clad appearance, their rustic
table manners - to convey a tense and uneasy
atmosphere. The Klingons’ more spectacular
differences converge with a linguistic
difference: the aliens are bilingual, featuring
a distinct native tongue (which we hear only
briefly) and commendable skills in the
English language - British English. Their
language sharply contrasts with the linguistic
practices of the crew of the Enterprise, where
even an alien like Mr. Spock speaks with a
distinctly American accent. In the face of an
American linguistic core so solidly
institutionalized, the crew can afford to
feature some degree of linguistic variation,
represented in this scene by Scottie’s Scottish
and Chekov’s Russian dialect. From a
lingusitic point of view, then, signifiers of
Englishness are used to sustain and highlight
the Klingons’ difference.
On the other hand, however, the scene
employs signifiers of Englishness to evoke
A scene from The Undiscovered Country
14
academic
v i e w s
sameness, or, more specifically, with an idemoments of sameness between the crew of
al of sameness.
the Enterprise and the aliens. Within the
Several critics have commented on the
scene’s atmosphere of hostility and distrust,
ideological implications of evoking the
the Klingon’s knowledge and fondness of
cultural difference embodied by the English
Shakespeare calls for surprise and even
– and of choosing Shakespeare, a “highadmiration. Shakespeare manages to disrupt
the dinner’s tense atmosphere and provides culture,” canonized author as its major
for the scene’s only relaxed moments of representative – to narrate a multicultural
laughter and tacit understanding. The conversion. However, I want to argue, the
ideological subtext this narrative
Klingons’ literacy concerning an icon of
constellation certainly has is not all that
European high culture seems to redeem them
powerful. In the process of appropriating
despite their table manners.
Yet the communication the two crews’ Shakespeare, the film considerably re-writes
shared interest in Shakespeare provides for him, thus de-stabilizing the Anglocentric
is far from easy and harmonious. The scene cultural authority it conjures up. This rewriting becomes obvious,
has the Federation crew
first of all, in the film’s
and the aliens battle for
title, a quotation from
appropriating ShakeHamlet’s
famous
speare, each side trying
soliloquy. Yet, whereas in
to use and reShakespeare’s original,
contextualize
the
“undiscovered
Shakespearean
country” refers to death,
soundbites to authorize
in the film, it comes to
their point of view.
signify a future that would
Shakespeare provides
bring an end to years of
the characters with a
war. In fact, it is the
projection space in which
Chang
protagonists’ quest to
debate
what
the
make sure that “the
architecture of a future
undiscovered country”
beyond confrontations
would look like. “To be or not to be” comes would no longer bear its Shakespearean
to focalize each party’s anxieties about a new meaning; the film celebrates as a victory the
world order. This battle for interpretations re-coding they afford, their emancipation
from Shakespeare as cultural authority.
will continue throughout the film,
On a second note, the film also re-writes
underscoring the military confrontation
between Kirk and Chang that results from a Shakespeare by translating him to the “oriconspiracy planted to undermine the peace ginal” Klingon. The scene’s brief reference
to Shakespeare’s “Klingon roots” has taken
negotiations.
In The Undiscovered Country, signifiers on a life of its own in Star Trek’s fan culture.
Fans have expanded the Klingon language
of Englishness thus serve as catalyst in Star
Trek’s transition from a Cold War to a into a fully-fledged linguistic system; they
multicultural world. For Star Trek, founded the Klingon Language Institute,
which holds summer camps in which
Englishness uniquely qualifies for
anybody interested can learn the artificial
dramatizing a “multicultural turn”: it marks
language. And, appropriately, among the
a difference that blends in with the very core
Institute’s first projects was a Klingon
of American national narratives, a core
multicultural discourse is actually struggling translation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
to decenter; it evokes a highly ambivalent
difference that is saturated with notions of
15
TWIN PEAKS
„AM 4. JULI
WAS
FEIERN DIE
HAT DER
DEN
USA
REST
DEN
DER
UNABHÄNGIGKEITSTAG.
WELT
ZUM
FEIERN:
ABHÄNGIGKEITSTAG?“
von Reinhold Wagnleitner
„Ist Patriotismus anziehend? Die Bekleidungsindustrie hat bereits die Antwort darauf
gegeben. Amerika – wir tragen Dich nicht nur
in unserem Herzen, sondern zeigen es auch.
Sternchen und Streifen – alles, was die Herzen
von US-Fans höher schlagen lässt, ist derzeit
käuflich zu erwerben: Gürtelschnallen, Schuhe, Pullover, T-Shirts, Taschen und vieles mehr.
Die Palette reicht von dezent bis schrill.
Die elegante Art, diesem Trend zu frönen,
ist, die Stars and Stripes auf Accessoires zu beschränken: Beispielsweise indem man ein
unifarbenes Outfit in Blau, Weiß oder Rot mit
knalligen Pumps, Gürtel und Bag koordiniert.
Auch mit Shirts oder Pullis mit unauffälligem
Sternenmuster seid ihr total in, ohne übertrieben „beflaggt“ zu sein. Tipp: Fashion à la
„USA-light“ kann man selbstverständlich auch
im Büro tragen.
Ein bisschen mehr darf´s in der Freizeit
sein: Jeans-Jacken aufgemotzt mit Buttons,
dazu heiße Hotpants und als Draufgabe ein Top,
sind eine besonders verführerische Variante,
Flagge zu zeigen. Die peppige Schuh-Alternative zu den damenhaften Pumps sind
Riemchensandalen mit Plateauabsatz. Der Gag:
Sternenbanner-Muster auf der Innensohle.“
Dieses Zitat aus der Stylezone des Kurier
vom 24. Februar 2002 zeigt: die USA repräsentieren Spaß, Europa Fadesse. Die USA signifizieren Freizeit, Europa Arbeit, wenn auch
vielleicht bald New Work oder doch nur neue
16
Arbeitslosigkeit.
Irene Prugger blieb im Diarium der Wiener Zeitung kürzlich buchstäblich die Spucke
weg, als ihr die letzte Version des US-Military
Look offeriert wurde. „Eine Verkäuferin,“ so
Prugger, „war keineswegs erschrocken über
meine heftige Reaktion und meinte gelassen,
zu der beigen Hose repräsentiere das Hemd mit
dem verwischten Tarn-Muster einen sehr sanften Militär-Look, feminin abgeschwächt durch
so genannte Safari-Elemente, weswegen diese
Kombination eigentlich mehr dem Kolonialstil
zuzuordnen sei. Ich sagte zur Verkäuferin, wenn
sie ein richtiges Tarnkäppchen hätte, dann würde ich es gern kaufen. Aber alles, was sie hatte,
waren soldatische Schildmützen, die leider keineswegs unsichtbar machten, sondern sogar
ziemlich auffällig ins Auge stachen. Für so etwas wollte ich meinen Kopf nicht hinhalten und
verließ enttäuscht das Geschäft.“
Die nicht enttäuschte Sicherheitsberaterin
von Präsident Bush, Condoleezza Rice, führte
letzte Woche eine noch kriegerische Variante
vor:
Eigentlich sind die USA semiologisch betrachtet schon seit langem überhaupt kein Staat
mehr, sondern ganz einfach nur mehr ein Markenname im Wert von vielen Tausenden Trillionen Dollar. Sie repräsentieren daher also
nicht mehr fünfzig Bundesstaaten, sondern
academic
v i e w s
Lautsprecher nicht doch eher bald durch ein
fünfzig dominierende Marken. Dass sich die
funktionierendes Hörgerät ersetzen sollte.
USA als Markenname (America™) kaum mehr
von McDonald’s und Marlboro unterscheiden,
Diese reale Macht steht hinter der USmag einigen blasphemisch erscheinen. Aber de
Infotainmentindustrie. Wie die kulturelle Hefacto handelt es sich bei den USA auch um ein
gemonie des Britischen Weltreiches auf der
(populäres) religiöses Konstrukt, das immer
Kontrolle der Weltmeere ruhte, so formt die
wieder Erweckungsbewegungen, Missionare
bisher massivste Aufrüstung der Weltgeschichund Kreuzzüge produziert(e). „Die Freiheit, die
te durch die USA sowie die damit einhergehenwir vertreten, ist nicht Amerikas Geschenk an
de Ausbeutung und Zerstörung der weltweiten
die Welt – es ist Gottes Geschenk an die
Ressourcen die materielle Basis für das EmMenschheit“, so George W. Bush über seine
pire of the Fun. Allerdings dürfen wir den
Irak-Mission.
Grundwiderspruch der Globalisierung nicht
Tatsächlich ist die Provokation von
aus den Augen verlieren: während die materiAmerica™ gar nicht so weit entfernt von der
elle Basis dieses Imperiums tatsächlich global
brillanten Einschätzung Berndt Ostendorfs.
ist, beschränkt sich der Spaß immer mehr auf
Denn die scheinbar simple, tatsächlich aber eseine relativ kleine Minderheit der Weltsentielle Frage, warum denn nun die US-Kulbevölkerung. Denn die
tur überhaupt so popuGlobalisierung brachte,
lär sei, beantwortet der
neben einer immer deutli„Eigentlich sind die USA
in München wirkende
cheren Umverteilung des
Gelehrte damit, dass der
ein Markenname
Reichtums zugunsten
Erfolg dieser Kultur
im Wert von vielen
kleiner Gruppen innerüberhaupt nicht in irgendeinem ihrer indivi- Tausenden Trillionen Dollar: halb der „Ersten Welt“,
auch einen rasanten
duellen Merkmale beSozialabbau, zuerst in der
gründet sei. Vielmehr
America™“
„Dritten Welt“. Die „Dritliege die Attraktion
te Welt“ zog aber auch in
überhaupt im Gesamtdie „Erste“ ein, und zwar
design der USA als bewusst konstruierter libenicht nur als Immigranten, sondern auch durch
raler Utopie einer Neuen Welt.
die Verarmung großer Bevölkerungsschichten
als Folge von Reaganomics und Thatcherism –
Unbestritten verfügt dieses Gesamtdesign
zuerst in den USA und Großbritannien, dann
über weltweiten Einfluss. Die symbolische
in allen entwickelten Gesellschaften.
Macht der USA hat derartige Proportionen anWährend die Rüstungsausgaben nach dem
genommen, dass sie gar nicht mehr als solche
Zusammenbruch der Sowjetunion weltweit sanwahrgenommen wird. Vielmehr scheint sie nun
ken, stiegen die Militärausgaben der USA auch
gleichsam ein ganz natürlicher Teil der interin den 1990er Jahren weiter, um nach den
nationalen kulturellen Ausstattung geworden zu
Terroranschlägen vom September 2001, für den
sein. Und dies ist wieder der schlagende Be„Krieg gegen den Terror“, die Kriege in Afghaweis dafür, dass die soft power der USA seit
nistan und Irak (und?) noch einmal massiv erlangem ein Höchstmaß an Subtilität und Raffihöht zu werden. Damit kündigt sich ein neuer
nesse erreicht hat. Wird doch ihre ideologische
Rüstungswettlauf an, der zu weiterem Abbau
und symbolische Übermacht als quasi-natürder Ausgaben in den Bereichen Bildung, Solich empfunden, wenngleich sie in Realität doch
ziales und Kultur führen wird. Lag das USauf der Macht des Finanzkapitals sowie miliRüstungsbudget 2000 noch bei 288,8 Milliartärischer, ökonomischer und kommerzieller
den US-Dollar, so stieg es 2003 auf 396,1 MilHegemonie beruht. Seit hundert Jahren sind die
liarden Dollar – wobei in dieser Summe die 80
USA die führende Emissionsquelle von Zeichen
Milliarden für den Krieg gegen den Irak noch
und Mythen. Sie sind das bei weitem sichtbargar nicht berücksichtigt sind. Und diese giganste und hörbarste Land, aber nicht das am betischen Rüstungsausgaben werden von den
sten verstandene. Der Ersatz der Monroe-DokBudgetwünschen der Bush-Administration für
trin durch die Marilyn-Monroe-Doktrin brachdie kommenden Jahre noch einmal weit in den
te den USA zweifellos Vorteile. Dennoch stellt
Schatten gestellt. So werden für das Jahr 2004
sich die Frage, ob Uncle Sam seine gigantischen
17
TWIN PEAKS
399,1 Milliarden, für 2005 419,6 Milliarden,
Verteidigungsbudgets aus.
für 2006 439,7 Milliarden, für 2007 460 Milliarden, für 2008 480,4 Milliarden und schließlich für 2009 502,7 Milliarden US-Dollar proAngesichts dieser ungeheuren Summen
jektiert. Die Gesamtsumme wird sich auf
stellen sich zumindest zwei Fragen. Wovor ha2.701,5 Milliarden US-Dollar belaufen.
ben die Eliten der USA solche Angst? Und wer
Es lohnt sich, diese Aufstockung der USprofitiert von dieser Aufrüstung am meisten?
Militärausgaben um fast zwei Drittel im Lichte der schon Anfang des 21. Jahrhunderts, je
Auf die erste Frage gibt die Studie „Genach Lesart – eindrucksvolmeinsame Vision 2020“ der
len bzw. Furcht erregenden
Stabschefs der US-Streit„Wovor haben die
– militärischen Hypermacht
kräfte, die im Juni 2000, also
der USA, mit dem Rest der
14 Monate vor dem 11. SepEliten dieser Welt
Welt zu vergleichen.
tember 2001 vorgelegt wurAngst?
de, überraschend offen Auskunft. Denn die US-Planer
1
So geben die USA
wiesen nur einem Umstand
Wer profitiert
schon 2003 mehr für
Bedeutung zu.
von dieser Aufrüstung?“ entscheidende
das Militär aus als
Die Tatsache, dass sich der
alle anderen G7-LänAbstand zwischen den Besitder zusammen.
zenden und Habenichtsen der
Welt immer rasanter vergrößert, stelle die ein2
Das US-Militärbudget ist fast siezig verbliebene Supermacht vor eine weit
benmal größer als jenes von Russland.
schwierigere Aufgabe als jeder vorstellbare
Gegner. Wolle die USA weiterhin die führende
3
Das US-Militärbudget ist mehr als
Militärmacht bleiben, dann könne sie diesen
26mal so groß wie jenes der so geneuen Herausforderungen nur mit der Stratenannten Schurkenstaaten (Kuba, Iran,
gie der „Full Spectrum Dominance“ begegnen:
Irak, Libyen, Nordkorea, Sudan und
also der Dominanz zu Lande, auf dem Wasser,
Syrien) zusammen.
in der Luft und im Weltraum.
1
4
Das US-Verteidigungsbudget ist höher als die Militärbudgets der nächstfolgenden 25 Staaten zusammengerechnet.
5
Die Vereinigten Staaten und ihre Alliierten geben nicht nur mehr für Rüstung aus als alle anderen Staaten der
Welt zusammen genommen. Ihre Verteidigungsausgaben alleine belaufen
sich schon 2003 auf mehr als zwei
Drittel der globalen Militärausgaben.
Sie investieren also gemeinsam 40mal
mehr in die Rüstung als die sieben so
genannten Schurkenstaaten.
6
Und: diese sieben möglichen Feinde
geben gemeinsam weniger als 30 Prozent des gegenwärtigen US-
Die Auswirkungen des neuen weltweiten
Rüstungswettlaufes und die damit verbundenen Senkungen der Ausgaben für Erziehung,
Kultur und Soziales, gerade auch in den USA
selbst, sind bisher überhaupt nicht abzuschätzen. Allein wegen der Rüstungsausgaben ist bis
2008 ein US-Budgetdefizit von einer Trillion
Dollar zu erwarten. So musste die Regierung
Kaliforniens im April 2003 – gleichzeitig mit
dem Einmarsch in Bagdad – ankündigen, dass
der Bundesstaat, der alleine die fünft größte
Wirtschaftsmacht der Welt darstellt, 25.000
Lehrerinnen und Lehrer entlassen werde: das
sind 20 Prozent der gesamten Lehrerschaft. Das
früher erstklassige öffentliche Schulsystem
Kaliforniens steht nun bei den Bildungsausgaben nur mehr an 41. Stelle aller Bundesstaaten. Nach Angaben des National Council
of State Legislatures, haben die US-Bundes-
National Conference of State Legislatures, April Budget Press Release, 24. April 2003
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2003/030424.htm
18
academic
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staaten 2002 im Bereich der öffentlichen Dienste (bei Gesundheit, Wohlfahrtsunterstützung
und im Erziehungswesen) Kürzungen um 49
Milliarden Dollar durchgeführt. Für das Jahr
2003 sind weitere Einschnitte um 25.7 Milliarden geplant. Das sind 75 Milliarden Dollar,
fast exakt die Summe, die Präsident Bush dem
Kongress zur Finanzierung des Irak-Krieges
vorlegte.1 Das öffentliche Schulsystem zählt
daher zu den einheimischen Kollateral-Schäden
einer Politik der Hochrüstung nach Außen und
der Kontrolle und des Gefängnisbaus im Inneren. Tatsächlich verdienen in Kalifornien nun
Gefängnisaufseher das Doppelte eines Lehrergehaltes, und es ist bezeichnend, dass Gouverneur Gray Davis, gleichzeitig mit der Ankündigung der Entlassungen auch den Bau eines
neuen Todestraktes im Gefängnis von San
Quentin um 200 Millionen Dollar bekannt gab.
Ein gutes Beispiel für Österreich, wo ja auch
vor wenigen Tagen gleichzeitig die Pensionsreform und der Ankauf von Kampfflugzeugen
bekannt gegeben wurden.
Unter dem Deckmantel der Verhandlungen
über das Allgemeine Abkommen über Handel
mit Dienstleistungen (GATS) versuchen multinationale Konzerne, angeführt von der US
Coalition of Service Industries, ihren Zugang
zum Bereich bisher staatlicher Dienstleistungen zu erweitern, und die Bildung ist ganz besonders im Visier. Der kanadische Philosoph
John Raulston Saul charakterisierte diese Entwicklung als einen „coup d’etat in slow
motion“ – einen Staatsstreich in Zeitlupe –
obwohl die Attacke der transnationalen Unternehmen und Banken eigentlich zutreffender als
ein coup contre d’etat – als ein Antistaatsstreich – umschrieben werden könnte. In
den letzen Jahren hob auch die EU die Bildung
als Schlüsselbereich hervor, der für Liberalisierung besonders reif sei, verschleierte aber das
Wesentliche: ein rapides Senken staatlicher
Bildungsbudgets mit dem Ziel, die höhere Bildung ganz zu privatisieren. Allerdings wurde
es der EU im Verlaufe der GATS-Verhandlungen der letzten Monate dann doch zu heiß. Denn
GATS sieht Inländerbehandlung für alle Bewerber vor. Und das bedeutet nichts anderes, als
dass entweder allen ausländischen privaten
Konkurrenten am Bildungsmarkt eines europäischen Staates gleich hohe staatliche Unterstützungen zustünden wie den staatlichen Universitäten – oder aber das Ende der staatlichen Uni-
versitäten überhaupt.
Wir beobachten in den USA seit den 1960er
und weltweit seit den 1980er Jahren eine Bildungspolitik, deren Strategie darauf hinaus
läuft, Bildungsinstitutionen zu schaffen, die,
sowohl auf nationaler als auch auf globaler Ebene, systematisch mehr Ungleichheit schaffen.
Unter dem Titel Bildungsreformen wird ein internationaler neoliberaler Rahmen gebaut, welcher per Definition eine Kürzung der Bildung
für diejenigen bedeutet, die sich die Kosten nicht
leisten können: also die große Mehrheit der
Weltbevölkerung. Der Neoliberalismus ist aber
weder „neo-“ noch „liberal“. Er hat auch wenig mit einem „freien Markt“ zu tun hat, sondern propagiert einen Markt in Privatbesitz –
und das ist eine gänzlich andere Prämisse.
* * *
Mythos 1: angesichts der Tatsache,
dass das Pentagon den bei weitem umfangreichsten Haushalt der Welt verwaltet, kann man zwar davon ausgehen, dass sich die Wirtschaft der USA
in Privatbesitz befindet, dass sie zugleich aber auch in fast allen profitablen Bereichen massiv aus Steuergeldern finanziert wird.
* * *
Mythos 2: viele der besten Universitäten der USA sind zwar privat im Sinne
ihrer rechtlichen Konstruktion, allerdings nicht im Bereich der Finanzierung. Mehr als die Hälfte aller
Forschungsgelder – über 46 Milliarden
• - werden in den USA aus Steuergeldern in militärische Forschung investiert. Gerade die Parade-Privatuniversitäten konstituieren daher einen
wichtigen Teil des militärisch-industriellen Komplexes der USA. Es handelt
sich hier also nicht nur um ideologische
Verschleierung basierend auf der Theologie des freien Marktes, sondern um
eine Marktverzerrung ersten Ranges.
* * *
Private Unternehmen, welche bereits 20
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TWIN PEAKS
Prozent der weltweit für Bildung investierten
zwei Billionen Euro kontrollieren, versuchen
mit allen Mitteln, ihren Marktanteil zu vergrößern. Schon bis zum Jahre 2010 erwarten sich
die Infotainment-Giganten gleich hohe Profite
aus ihren Bildungsangeboten – weltweit verfügbar über ein System von Fernsehen, CDRoms, DVDs, Kabelsystemen und Internet –
wie aus ihren Unterhaltungsprodukten. Und
dieser Markt wird immens wachsen. Die UNO
schätzt, dass in den nächsten 30 Jahren die
Anzahl der Menschen, die nach einer Ausbildung streben, größer sein wird als die aller Studierenden seit dem Beginn der Zivilisation zusammengenommen.
tung für die Bildung ein für allemal von der
Industrie übernommen werden. Bildung müsse konsequenterweise als ein Service für die
Industrie angesehen werden. Sogar diese Logik – nach der Profit abwerfende Bereiche privatisiert und verlustbringende von den Steuerzahlern subventioniert werden – erlaubt noch
Raum für staatliche Bildungssysteme. Aber
dieser Raum wird der Keller sein, ein Zimmer
ohne Aussicht. Die OECD brachte dies auf den
Punkt: Die einzige Rolle der staatlichen Bildung
werde sein, diejenigen aufzufangen, die für den
Markt niemals profitabel seien und deren
Ausschluss aus der Gesellschaft daher zunehmen werde, während andere stärker am Fortschritt profitieren könnten.
Bildung und Wissen sind also der größte
Zukunftsmarkt, und damit stellt sich eine zenDie Einführung der neuen Informationstrale Frage: wer wird an den Schalthebeln sitund Kommunikationstechnologien bietet nicht
zen? Wird dieser Bereich von
nur einen idealen Vorwand
demokratischen Institutiozur Privatisierung der Uninen reguliert oder von einiversitäten, sondern begün„Bildung und Wissen
gen wenigen privaten Unterstigt auch die Durchsetzung
sind
der
größte
nehmen kontrolliert werden?
von US-Bildungsidealen.
Zukunftsmarkt.
Es besteht kein Zweifel, dass
Während die Anzahl der
das Ringen um die VorherrLehrer gesenkt und deren
Wer wird an den
schaft über diesen gigantiEinkommen gekürzt werSchalthebeln
sitzen?“
schen Zukunftsmarkt alle anden, werden gleichzeitig imderen wirtschaftliche Konmer höhere Anteile der
flikte in den Schatten stellen wird. Die zwei BilBildungsbudgets zur Einführung von eLearning
lionen Euro, die jährlich in Bildung investiert
an höheren Schulen eingesetzt – sehr zur Freuwerden, machen ein Zwanzigstel des weltweide der privaten Anbieter von Bildungssoftware.
ten BIP aus. US-Bildungsexporte erwirtschafSelbstredend entspricht diese Umschichtung öften jährlich bereits mehr als sieben Milliarden
fentlicher Gelder in Richtung privater Firmen
Dollar Gewinn.
exakt dem primären Anliegen der Industrie. Und
das sekundäre Ziel besteht in der Schaffung
Zur historischen Perspektive: In den früeines Arbeitskräftepotentials, das sich vor alhen 80er Jahren war Chile unter dem Diktator
lem durch Mobilität, Flexibilität und die FäAugusto Pinochet der erste Vorzugsschüler im
higkeit zum lebenslangen Lernen auszeichnet
Bereich der Privatisierung der Bildung. Seit
– selbstverständlich in der Freizeit und auf eidamals wurde von IMF und Weltbank ein masgene Kosten.
siver Druck auf die Länder der „Dritten Welt“
ausgeübt, und die drastische Senkung der
Die Universitäten durchlaufen daher gegenBildungsausgaben und anderer Sozialausgaben
wärtig nicht nur eine technologische Transforführte dort auch schnell zur Katastrophe.
mation. Dieser Wandel verschleiert etwas ganz
anderes: Die Kommerzialisierung der höheren
Wegen des starken staatlichen Einflusses
Bildung. Wie auch in anderen Sparten fungiert
auf das Bildungswesen ist dieses Thema in
die Technologie als ein Vehikel, das tief greiEuropa selbstverständlich besonders heikel.
fende ökonomische, soziale und kulturelle
Aber die Privatisierungen werden dennoch auf
Umschichtungen verhüllt.
Druck des European Round Table of
Industrialists vorangetrieben. Bei den GATSKein Zweifel:
Gesprächen wurden die Intentionen unverblümt
ausgesprochen. Danach müsse die Verantwor-
20
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1
2
3
4
Die neuen Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien bieten großartige Chancen zur Intensivierung internationaler Kooperationen und ermöglichen einen nötigen und begrüßenswerten globalen Austausch.
Und: die durch die neuen Techniken
erzwungene Durchsichtigkeit der Hörsäle bringt die Universitäten verstärkt
ins Rampenlicht und erzwingt daher
auch eine Qualitätsverbesserung auf
allen Ebenen. Aber die Verbesserung
der Kontrolle und das Sichtbarwerden
möglicher Mängel – wobei diese nicht
nur im Verantwortungsbereich der
Lehrenden und Studierenden, sondern
insbesondere in der Mängelverwaltung der unzureichenden materiellen Ressourcen zu suchen sind
werfen nicht nur Fragen bezüglich
der wissenschaftlichen und didaktischen Leistungsfähigkeit und Qualität auf.
Es geht hier tatsächlich um fundamentale Verwerfungen der globalen
Bildungslandschaft.
Die ständig wachsende Macht der
multinationalen Bildungsgiganten tangiert folgende Bereiche zutiefst: die
Bildungssouveränität, den Verlust der
demokratischen Verfassungen der
Universitäten sowie die Frage über die
Kontrolle der Bildungsinhalte. Diese
werden immer stärker von einer relativ kleinen Gruppe von BildungsGroßunternehmen, viele davon mit
Firmensitz in den USA, kontrolliert,
womit den Infotainment-Giganten,
gleichsam als Nebenprodukt, nicht nur
eine ideologische Überwachung der
Inhalte, sondern auch die Kontrolle
über die Lehrenden bzw. Verwaltungen der Universitäten zukommt.
Das gegenseitige Ausspielen von
menschlichen gegen technische Ressourcen als Folge neuer Investitionen
bedingt eine massive Umverteilung
der Mittel hin zu kostspieligem Material, das seinerseits wiederum Profit
bringen muss.
5
Studienrichtungen, die aus wirtschaftlicher Sicht als unprofitabel gelten, stehen daher auf einem verlorenen Posten.
6
Werden die kleinen Universitäten in
dieser Auseinandersetzung überhaupt
die Möglichkeit haben, ihren meist
durchaus berechtigt guten Ruf als
Qualitätsträger zu schützen und daraus noch Kapital schlagen können,
während sie gleichzeitig gegen globale Markennamen von OnlineProvidern konkurrieren? Oder werden
wir weltweit mit einem weiteren Rückgang des lokalen und regionalen Wissens gegenüber der Durchsetzung der
„rationalen Intelligenz“ und einer beschleunigten Offensive in Richtung
globaler Standardisierung rechnen
müssen?
Wir stehen jetzt vor einem Wendepunkt.
Werden wir es mit einem freien, öffentlichen
und kostengünstigen weltweiten Netz von
emanzipierendem Wissen und einem breit gefächerten Informationszugang zu tun haben,
oder mit einem von internationalen Konzernen
kontrollierten Netz von Propaganda, Desinformation und Edutainment? Die Konsequenzen
sind steigende Kosten, die Konzentration auf
wirtschaftlich brauchbare Studien, die
Evaluierung durch etablierte internationale Firmen, vermehrter Druck auf – wenn nicht gar
Zensur – für Forschung und Lehre, ein dramatischer Verfall der Bildungsqualität – und niedrigere Steuern für die Wohlhabenden.
Der kontinuierliche Rückzug der europäischen Regierungen aus der Finanzierung der
Bildung, die Abschaffung der Mitbestimmung
und die Einführung von Studiengebühren haben den Boden für die Kommerzialisierung der
Bildung bereitet. Die europäischen Universitäten müssten diesen Entwicklungen schnell Paroli bieten, sonst verlieren sie den Primat über
das kulturelle Kapital. Die Profiteure dieses globalen Wirtschaftskampfes fallen, salopp ausgedrückt, unter die Kategorie der üblichen Verdächtigen. Die ökonomisch und politisch treibenden Kräfte finden sich in jenen Ländern,
welche seit geraumer Zeit bereits die besten
21
TWIN PEAKS
Marktpositionen eingenommen haben: Die
USA, Australien, Neuseeland und, innerhalb
der EU, Großbritannien als einer der Hauptexporteure von Bildungswaren.
Ricardo Petrella, „werden die Bildungssysteme
Quellen der Gewalt gegenüber den weniger
Ausgebildeten sein angesichts derer, die glauben, das fortgeschrittenste und deswegen mächtigste Wissen zu besitzen. Umgekehrt werden
diejenigen, die ausgeschlossen oder zurückgewiesen werden, auf diese Diskriminierung und
diese neue Form von auf Wissen basierendem
Klassendenken und Rassismus reagieren.“
Aus den verschiedensten Gründen – Stichwort: das amerikanische Jahrhundert – befinden sich die USA auch im Bereich der
Kommerzialisierung der Bildung in der besten
Position, um sich langfristig das größte Stück
vom Bildungsexport-Kuchen abzuschneiden.
Die größten Wirtschaftskriege der letzten
Sie bilden seit langem die Avantgarde auf dem
Jahrzehnte wurden fast alle um InfotainmentGebiet der „virtuellen Universitäten“, des
Firmen ausgetragen, um Medien-, SoftwareeLearing und der Online-Studien. Ihre
und Telefonkonzerne zur Erlangung der VorBildungspakete bestechen in ihrer stromlinienherrschaft in den entscheidenden Zukunfts-Sekförmigen Mischung aus wissenschaftlicher Pertoren: beim elektronischen Einkaufen, beim Kafektion und Unterhaltungsbelfernsehen, bei den digiangebot. Ihre Markttalen Telefonen, bei der
hegemonie beruht auf der
Satellitentechnologie. Und
Wie Welt kauft das,
Kombination von neuestem
diese Kämpfe verdeutlichen,
was sie ständig sieht.
industriellen und ästhetiworum es bei den gegenwärschen Design sowie einer
tigen Entwicklungen von
globalen, Markt- und MarkeeLearning geht. Schon 1999
ting-Hegemonie, wobei die wissenschaftliche
prophezeite John Chambers, Spitzenmanager
Macht ihrerseits wiederum auf der, Vorherrder weltweit bei Webservern führenden Firma
schaft des symbolischen Kapitals der
Cisco Systems, eLearning werde the next killer
prestigeträchtigsten Universitäten des angloapplication sein. Elearning werde so bedeutend
amerikanischen Imperiums beruht.
sein, dass dagegen die Einnahmen aus E-Mails
in den Bilanzen nur mehr in der GrößenordAngesichts der gegenwärtigen wirtschaftnung von Abrundungsfehler aufscheinen werlichen, politischen und kulturellen Eckdaten,
den.
kann vorausgesetzt werden, dass jeglicher Ausbau der Online-Lehre strukturell zu einer radiDie Welt kauft eben das, was sie ständig
kalen Neuinterpretation der Bedeutung von
sieht und hört. Diejenigen Firmen, welche die
Bildung führen muss – sie entwickelt sich von
Datennetzwerke kontrollieren, werden auch die
einem öffentlichen Gut zu einer Handelsware.
Kontrolle über den Fluss des Geldes, der WaAber der Preis, den wir dafür zahlen müssen,
ren und der Ideen in diesem Jahrhundert auswird nicht nur ökonomisch sondern astronoüben – inklusive der kommerzialisierten Sekmisch sein. Die gegenwärtig vorherrschende
toren des Bildungswesens.
Politik, mit ihrer Senkung der staatlichen
Nicht nur die internationale Wirtschaftwelt
Bildungsbudgets und Erhöhung des Einflusses
wurde nach US-Praktiken modelliert, sondern
privater Konzerne, welche die Ungleichheiten
auch die Welten der Kunst und der Wissensowohl auf nationaler wie auf globaler Ebene
schaft, in denen ganze theoretische Systeme,
weiter verschlimmern, wird in den IndustrieTechniken und Technologien übernommen wurstaaten die soziale Krise verschärfen und in den
den. Die Debatten über öffentliche Reformen
Armutsländern unmittelbar zu weiteren Ausim Allgemeinen und die der Universitäten im
brüchen von Gewalt, Terror und Kriegen fühspeziellen wurde von US-Vorbildern und Meren. Die „fünf Kriege der Globalisierung“ – der
thoden in einem derartigen Ausmaß ideologisch
illegale Handel mit Drogen, Waffen, geistigem
überformt, dass als einzige Konsequenz die
Eigentum, Menschen und Geld – erleben beÜbernahme dieser Modelle als ein scheinbar
reits lange einen sensationellen Boom. Ihm kor„natürliches“ sine qua non für jeglichen Errespondiert in der „legalen“ Wirtschaft ein völfolg zu sein scheint.
lig gegensätzlicher Trend von schweren Krisen.
Das Internet hat sich im globalen Maßstab
Nüchtern betrachtet“, warnt deshalb
zum wichtigsten (virtuellen) Raum entwickelt,
22
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in dem die wirtschaftlichen, kulturellen, politides wirtschaftlichen Status, einen Anspruch auf
schen (auch bildungs-politischen) und militäeine faire Chance und auf jene Mittel haben,
rischen Konkurrenzkämpfe geführt werden.
welche die beste Entwicklung ihrer PersönlichSchon Präsident Bill Clinton beschrieb, in eikeit auf individueller geistiger und mentaler
nem seltenen Moment der Offenheit, das
Ebene ermöglichen.“ Das Resümee hätte nicht
Internet als das neue Schlachtfeld eines ökonovernichtender ausfallen können: “Hätte eine unmischen Weltkrieges, den die USA auf jeden
freundliche ausländische Macht versucht, den
Fall gewinnen wolle. Und entscheidend ist, dass
USA diese mittelmäßige Bildungsleistung aufdie Vereinigten Staaten in diesem Konflikt, der
zuzwingen, so hätten wir dies wahrscheinlich
von den meisten Europäern bisher nicht einals einen kriegerischen Akt betrachtet.“
mal bemerkt wurde, seit langem überlegen sind.
Auf die Ambivalenzen der (Des-)InformaDie immensen Investitionen der gegenwärtionsgesellschaft wies erst kürzlich der fühtigen Administration in einen neuen Rüstungsrende US-Computer-Wissenschaftler Joseph
wettlauf mit dem Ziel der Full Spectrum
Weizenbaum hin: „Computer sind wie alle InDominance verbessern die
strumente nicht wertfrei,
Position der USA drastisch.
sondern erben ihre Werte von
In Kombination mit dem
der Gesellschaft, in der sie
Das Internet ist das
US-Patriot Act, dem
eingebettet sind. In einer verneue Schlachtfeld
Homeland Security Departnünftigen Gesellschaft erfülment, dem Office of Global
len sie möglicherweise viele
eines ökonomischen
Communications und der
nützliche Funktionen, doch
Weltkrieges.
Total
Information
bis dahin müssen sie kritisch
Awareness Agency bieten
betrachtet werden. In einer
sich hier Möglichkeiten zur
hoch militarisierten Gesellweltweiten Infiltration, zur Kontrolle und Überschaft, wie es die USA jetzt sind, sind sie Mordwachung der Forschung, zur Spionage im miliinstrumente.“
tärischen, industriellen und privaten Bereich in
Eine neueste Umfrage von National
einem noch nie da gewesenen Ausmaß, das
Geographic unter 18-24 Jährigen US-Bürgern,
selbst Orwells Big Brother erblassen ließe.
also jener Altersgruppe, die im Nahen Osten
kämpft, zeigt, dass nur einer von acht den Irak
All dieses bedeutet zweifellos eine immenauf einer Landkarte finden konnte. 70% suchse Herausforderung für die Menschheit insgeten New Jersey vergeblich, 49% verfehlten New
samt, aber auch eine Chance, besonders für die
York, und 11 % waren nicht einmal imstande,
Sozial- und Geisteswissenschaften. Der totadie USA zu lokalisieren. Der Widerstand gelen Durchsichtigkeit des Menschen korrespongen die Übernahme des globalen Bildungswediert ein steter Anstieg der Undurchsichtigkeit
sens durch Privatkonzerne hat nichts mit Antider Machtstrukturen. Aber wer zu den Quellen
Amerikanismus zu tun, richtet er sich doch gewill, muss gegen den Strom schwimmen. D.h.
gen eine Politik, welche die Mehrheit der U.S.
jede Historikerin und jeder Historiker des 21.
Bevölkerung zuminderst genauso schwer trifft,
Jahrhunderts, die diese Bezeichnung überhaupt
wie alle anderen. Ein System, welches solche
verdienen, muss notgedrungen auch ein HakBildungsergebnisse hervorbringt, wird sich
ker werden.
zuletzt wirklich auf „intelligente Waffen“ verKein anderes Bildungssystem eines Indulassen müssen, um „den Feind“ ausfindig zu
strielandes wurde in den letzen 30 Jahren so
machen. Aber es wäre sicherlich keine weise
tiefgehend privatisiert wie das der USA. Aber
Wahl, sowie verheerend für Europa – falls diedies führte zu keiner Verbesserung, sondern
se Bezeichnung noch irgendeine tiefere kultuganz im Gegenteil zu einer radikalen Verrelle Bedeutung haben sollte – ein solches Syschlechterung. Bereits 1983 bedauerte die U.S
stem unkritisch zu kopieren.
National Commission on Education in ihrem
Bericht „A Nation at Risk“ den steigenden
Trend zur Mittelmäßigkeit der Ausbildung der
This essay is taken from a speech, Professor
US-Jugend, „welcher unsere demokratischen
Reinhold Wagnleitner held at the University
Versprechen Lügen straft, dass alle, ungeachof Leipzig on July 4, 2003.
tet ihrer Rasse oder Klassenzugehörigkeit oder
23
TWIN PEAKS
What is STAARS?
Five questions to the Fachschaftsrat.
TwinPeaks: What does STAARS stand for?
Fachschaftsrat: “STAARS” is an acronym for
“Students of Anglistics and American Studies
for Resources and Support.“ To some extent,
this already denotes the philosophy of the program: it is a student-to-student approach to
addressing the needs of freshmen. Because
senior students have already accumulated a
certain knowledge of the daily routines of
university life and are more experienced with
respect to their subjects’ peculiarities, they can
provide “resources and support” (as STAARS
Mentors) to their more inexperienced fellowstudents (STAARS Mentees).
TP: What is the purpose of STAARS?
FSR: It is meant to offer not only an answer to
the needs of freshmen, who often feel lost
having entered the “jungle” of a modern massuniversity, but also a solution to the more
general problem of the increasing anonymity
all students and faculty at our departments are
facing. STAARS, in bringing together students
of different “generations”, helps personalize
the relations between them, and therefore
contributes to the establishment of a more humane and productive atmosphere at our
university and at the Anglistics and American
Studies Departments in particular.
If a mentee has a question concerning courses
or exams or any other problem that might arise
in the context of university life he or she can
contact his or her mentor and ask for help. So
we hope that the decision to name our program
“STAARS” is justified in still another sense:
STAARS Mentors are meant to become
something like “guiding lights” to students
seeking assistance.
TP: What are the advantages for those
students participating in STAARS and
giving advice to freshmen?
FSR: STAARS Mentors are, if you will,
idealistic persons. They earn neither money nor
Scheine by helping STAARS Mentees cope
with the difficulties of university life. What they
get, however, is a unique opportunity to get to
know people who study the same subjects as
they do, to take responsibility and enhance their
social and organizational skills, and to
contribute to “making the world (or at least their
departments) a better place.”
24
In addition, the Anglistics and American Studies
Departments will provide STAARS Mentors
with official certificates.
TP: STAARS was supposed to start this
semester. Are you satisfied with the feedback
you received so far?
FSR: Yes, we are. Currently, there are 55
STAARS Mentors. However, Anglistics is
somewhat underrepresented in this total.
Hopefully, this will change over the next
semesters. Regarding the number of mentees,
we are at more than one hundred. This, too, is
an astonishingly high figure, although we hope
to reach an even larger percentage of freshmen
in the future.
TP: Where do you see STAARS heading
over the next years? How long, do you think,
will it take until the program is fully
established?
FSR: To answer the second part of your
question first, we think that the program already
is fully established. Now that the FSR has
enabled contact between mentors and mentees,
the STAARS partners are free to arrange
meetings and to determine what their
relationship should look like. This, of course,
will always depend on the specific needs and
abilities of the respective mentees and mentors.
What the FSR can do, is to provide a platform
for the exchange of experience and ideas.
Moreover, both STAARS Mentors and Mentees
are always welcome to ask for advice when there
is a problem that they feel they cannot solve by
themselves. We think that the program has a
potential for constant improvement. Of course,
some problems have occured, for example, it
took much longer to connect mentors and
mentees than we had expected, but we are very
optimistic regarding the future of STAARS.
The longer the program is running, the more
sophisticated everyone involved gets, and future
generations of students will definitely benefit
from what we are learning today.
If you want to join STAARS either as a mentor
or as a mentee, or if you have any suggestions
how to improve the program, please contact
the FSR. Their e-mail address: [email protected]
wandering
thoughts
LINCOLN AND THE
„GERMAN QUESTION“
by Fletcher M. Burton
U.S. Consul General, Leipzig, Germany
One of the great figures of American history is Abraham Lincoln. His imprint
on my country is profound. Only Franklin Delano Roosevelt has attained the
same stature.
Over the years, as I have studied Lincoln, I have been fascinated by the
“German Question” he faced in his political career in the 1850’s and 1860’s.
The issue for him was simple: What was the proper role for the many German
immigrants in the emerging American nation?
We can also examine this issue from this side, from the German perspective
– as I was reminded over Christmas when I read the new biography of Willy
Brandt written by Peter Merseburger.
Brandt admired Lincoln. When he was Chancellor, he kept a bust of Lincoln
in his office, as Merseburger notes. Also, Brandt once traveled to Springfield,
Illinois - Lincoln’s home for over 20 years – to deliver a speech on the historical
significance of Lincoln.
In 1990, during the drive to German unification, Brandt often traveled in
Eastern Germany and quoted Lincoln’s famous words: “A house divided cannot
stand.” For Brandt, Lincoln stood for national unity.
For Lincoln, the immigrant German population was a problem because it had
not integrated – not yet in the 1850’s – into the American mainstream.
How did Lincoln view the Germans in America? In many ways, which I list
below, based on my reading of Lincoln’s writings:
* * *
As European foreigners
Lincoln was aware that many Germans had not yet assimilated, that they still
spoke their native language in their homes, that they tended to form communities
together. His challenge was to promote social integration.
* * *
As potential citizens
Lincoln encouraged Europeans, including Germans, to come to American and
settle the vast lands of the continent. Germans were particularly numerous in the
Mid-west, in Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana, where they were involved in
building the new nation.
* * *
As Republican voters
Lincoln won the Republican nomination in 1860 in part because his party believed
he could carry the decisive Mid-west, where, as mentioned, many Germans lived
25
TWIN PEAKS
and had already become citizens. He appealed to the idealism of the “1848”
Germans, who had fled Germany during the revolutionary upheaval. Many of
them, liberal in outlook, supported Lincoln’s anti-slavery position. Carl Schurz
is the best-known example of this generation. He played an important role in
delivering the “German vote” in the Mid-west to Lincoln, who was so grateful in
turn that he appointed Schurz ambassador to Spain!
* * *
As Union soldiers
During our Civil War, Lincoln turned again to Schurz to raise troops from the
German communities in America. In 1861, Schurz resigned his post in Spain to
return to America, where he entered the Army, raised four German regiments,
and then formed a brigade under his command. Lincoln appointed him a General. We know from Lincoln’s letters that he strongly supported Schurz.
* * *
As diplomatic partners
Lincoln also dealt with the Germans in Berlin. He appointed Norman Judd as the
American Ambassador to Berlin in 1861 and corresponded with him to explore
ways to support the Union cause. By the way, Lincoln never visited Germany.
The first President to travel abroad during his tenure was Teddy Roosevelt, a
half-century after Lincoln.
* * *
Finally, as fellow human beings
Here let me cite Lincoln’s most important speech on the “German Question,”
delivered in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 12, 1861, as President-elect Lincoln
was on his way to Washington to assume his new duties. Lincoln spoke that day
in reply to a speech by Frederick Oberkleine, the chairman of a committee
representing 18 German industrial associations. You see, even German immigrants
retained their habit of organizing! And that’s one reason the Germans were so
important to Lincoln.
Here’s the key statement in Lincoln’s speech to the Germans of Cincinnati:
“In regard to the Germans and foreigners, I esteem them no
better than other people, nor any worse.”
The newspaper accounts of the speech noted that the crowd greeted this
statement with “laughter and cheers and cries of good.”
For Lincoln, this was a typical formulation: no better than other people, nor
any worse. It summed up his egalitarian creed.
Lincoln pursued several great causes in his life: One was to preserve the
Union; another was to build the Nation; another was to strengthen the Democracy.
Germans had a role to play in all of these.
26
wandering
thoughts
N
A
K
S
A
R
B
E
by Stine Eckert
It was always the same when I was asked
about my summer destination. Most people
were puzzled about my answer. Nebraska
is not a major USA tourist destination. It is a
state in the Midwestern area - Where the
West begins. This is the slogan on a magnet
that I had bought two years ago when I had
been an exchange student in Axtell, Nebraska. The city limit sign had read “707”. That
is the population. But the sign was gone
when I came back in July 2003.
I got touchy-feely when I first flew into
Dallas, Texas, to catch my next flight. The
first thing I saw was a “Subway” - a fast
food restaurant that unfortunately has not
made it big in Germany, yet. They produce
a honey mustard sauce, which is divine. It
reminded me instantly of my must-go places:
Perkins, where I treated myself to pancakes
with blueberry syrup for breakfast. Whiskey
Creek, a steakhouse that serves a colossal
bloom of onion rings that goes right along
with buckets full of free peanuts. Shells go
on the floor. It is a great place. Desserts are
offered at TCBY: The Country’s Best Yogurt.
It is just that. All those places are found in
Kearney, a bigger town close to Axtell, where
kids go for fun.
Kearney played a special role in the
migration to the West. It is named after Fort
Kearny, that was founded in 1847 in order
to protect the Oregon Trail and also a station
for the Pony Express. Crazy cowboys
transported the mail throughout the vast
country via horse before the Union Pacific
Railroad cut through the wilderness.
My final stop via airplane was Omaha,
the biggest town of Nebraska, where my dear
friend picked me up. Finally, we rolled along
the Interstate through Lincoln, Nebraska’s
capital, to Axtell.
Axtell lays in Buffalo County, close to
Nebraska’s newest attraction, the Archway
Monument. This museum stretches over the
Interstate and symbolizes the gate to the
West. The meadow right beside displays a
stampede of wire buffaloes. They bring back
Nebraskan history. The land was inhabited
by Indians: Pawnee, Omaha and others. In
1867, it became a federal state. The archway
tells that story and was a familiar sight. There
was only one surprise: flags were
everywhere. I thought the Midwestern area
is geographically too far from New York to
experience an explosion of supportive
patriotism. Psychologically, they had joined
their fellow Americans. Along the fence of
the Axtell School’s playground red, white
and blue ribbons were tied to the wire to form
a huge flag. It was one of many in Axtell.
But it was still the small town, surrounded
by crops of corn and soybeans.
The irrigation pivots run night and day,
because Nebraska has been suffering from
a draught for about two years now. The
farmers are very much concerned. Most of
the farms are run by families, who depend
on the harvest for income. Kids get out of
school early for summer vacation to help
irrigate. Pick-ups dust the gravel roads. The
main street of Axtell sometimes reminded
me of Western movies where tumble weeds
blow along the road.
When I walked along the main road, the
Axtellites overwhelmed me with
friendliness: “Hello, how are you? How good
you made it back. Have a fun time. See you.”
It is a general standard of politeness that is
understood in that area. Even more
hospitality hit me when I attended church. A
27
TWIN PEAKS
potluck dinner was set up. Everyone brings
a couple of hot dishes, salads or cakes. They
put everything in a buffet-like style on the
kitchen counter and people serve themselves.
I was to got first: corn, “jell-o” – a puddinglike substance with pieces of fruit and
marshmallows wobbling in the middle - and
plenty of beef. Of course! Nebraska is said
to have the best beef in the USA. I barely ate
though, because I was busy talking. When
one lady heard that I like sweet corn, she
handed me a sack full of it the next week. I
ate about eight to ten ears of corn within the
two weeks that I stayed. But I was
recognized a bad corn eater: My hostess
could eat about a couple of ears daily.
Before I headed out to see places, I
usually read the Omaha World Herald, the
biggest newspaper in Nebraska. The first
pages feature a small column titled “World”.
But only two thirds of the articles report
about foreign countries due to the fact that
the US has taken action there. It is
disappointing. Axtell is a picture-perfect
place. But it is a soap bubble when it comes
to news. The Omaha World Herald also
reports about events a day later than other
newspapers. People are aware of that and it
bothers them. They would like to know more
about the world. They also regret that most
of them know only one language. A friend of
mine told me this joke: “Speaking two
languages is being bilingual. Speaking one
is an American.” But he did not really think
it funny. Real fun for them derives from their
artistic features. People love to act and sing.
Most of the kids I am acquainted with know
how to play the piano. I had the pleasure to
see two plays and loved the atmosphere. The
audience is not afraid to sing along. They
don’t wait until another person claps, but
start themselves. They know how to enjoy
themselves. In company of my friends, I
soaked up every day and the wide open space
with its special phenomena: Because of a
lack of trees and forests, you can see as far
as your eyes allow. One evening, I was
wondering about a circular fast food
billboard at the horizon – until I recognized
the setting sun. The humidity turns it into a
huge, orange ball. It is beautiful. During
nights orangey “flying-saucers” hover in the
28
distance – far off cities lighting up the
midnight sky.
I did not get to see the Omaha lights since
it was in the morning when we rode back to
the airport. Back home, I was sharing new
stories about Nebraska. And now at the latest
my friends know to point out Nebraska on
the map –
where the West begins.
Nebraska Infobox
Capital: Lincoln
Biggest City: Omaha
Population: 1.7 million
Density: 22 pers/sq mile
Area: 77,353.7 sq miles
Special Government:
only state in the USA
with unicameral
government
Three things you have to
do in Nebraska:
1. Watch a game of „The
Big Red“ - the Huskers,
famous and very
successful college
football gam
2. Eat jell-o with
marshmellows
3. Cow-Tipping (another
fun game)
American
e-mail
My trip to Germany
by Martin Goodenberger
This summer I left my home state of Nebraska, in the U.S., to travel overseas for the
first time. I was in eleven countries over a span of three months, but I spent the most
time in Germany, where, at the end of my trip, I took a German language course in
Braunschweig. I privileged to be able to see a good deal of the Germany in the eight
total weeks I was there. I was in Neumunster, Kiel, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Freiburg, Dresden, Braunschweig, Leipzig, Zeitz, and several other towns in Germany.
Most of my time in Germany was spent in Braunschweig, so that is where I developed
the most of my impressions of the German people and land. There were many differences
that I noticed. Some I could put into words, and others fell into the category of when
you know something is foreign, but you can’t explain why. In this writing I will try to
explain just a couple of the differences I noticed in both the land and the people.
First, I will write about some of the differences I noticed in the land. I think it is
common for people from the U.S. to notice that everything is Europe is a little closer
together or tighter, and that was one of the first things I also noticed. Along with that,
I also had a sense that things in Germany are more tamed and explored. It is hard for me
to explain why I had that impression, but I think it had to do with the fact that when I
was in rural areas of Germany, there still seemed to be roads and houses everywhere.
Compared to the part of Nebraska where I come from, where if you are lucky there is
usually one gravel road every mile in the country, there are just more people and roads
in Germany. So, I think that that lead me to the sense that everything was more explored
and tamed.
Along with differences that I noticed in the land there were also differences that I
noticed in the people of Germany when compared to the people of Nebraska. The most
obvious difference, to me, between the people of Germany and Nebraska, was how
liberal most of the people in Germany seemed to be. I don’t know when Nebraska
hasn’t voted for the republican candidate for president, and I don’t see that changing
anytime soon. Nebraska is in the heart of conservative America, and so the difference
between my teachers in Braunschweig and Nebraska was definitely noticeable. Slightly
related to that, a huge difference that I noticed was what I sensed as the German view
on pride in Germany. I think that Americans, like the French, are proud of their country
because both countries have had relatively innocent pasts. Germans, on the other hand,
seemed to me to have a phobia of any sort of pride in Germany.
All in all, I did think that there were notable differences between Nebraskan people
and land, and German people and land. Nonetheless, sometimes I was shocked at our
similarities. I found both the similarities and differences comforting.
29
TWIN PEAKS
Silence
in a Vessel
Text and photograph by Stine Eckert
„I believe one does owe it to one’s existence to establish something that lasts.“
This statement comes from the Asian-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei. Recently, he
left something special for Germany. “A miracle!” Pei himself called it meaning the new
addition to the German Historical Museum in Berlin. The addition was inaugurated May,
23rd 2003. It is the first and probably last building by Pei in Germany. He prefers to leave
his architectural marks in as many countries as possible. For him, working in Germany
meant learning about the culture of the country where his teachers came from: the founder of
the Bauhaus-University Weimar, Walter Gropius, and one of its designers, Marcel Breuer.
Before Pei met them at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambrigde, Boston, he
lived in China where he was born in 1917. At the age of only seventeen Pei immigrated to
the USA and was naturalized fourteen years later. It was in the Seventies when he had his
international breakthrough, also with an addition: the East Wing of the National Gallery in
Washington D.C. After this success, Pei was tempted by an even bigger challenge: France’s
president Mitterrand asked him to remodel the Grand Louvre. The project was taking up a
whole decade, from 1983 till 1993, and eventually one of the most visited tourist attractions
was created: a 70 foot high glass pyramid in midst of Paris.
Plenty of people where impressed by Pei‘s numerous works. So were Christoph Stölzl,
the founder of the German Historical Museum in Berlin, and his friends. In 1995, during a
cosy summer afternoon talking about the architectural situation in Berlin they went into
raptures about Pei, how he connects the old with the new, changing the environment not by
a selfish style but by casting a careful eye on the whole. If he could only be drawn to Berlin!
Suddenly, a bet arose between Stölzl and a lady. If he would manage to bring Pei to
Berlin, the lady would owe him a box of champagne. Pei-magic started to work and the
problem of a new addition to the German Historical Museum, which was in desperate need
of more space, was solved.
30
creative
m i n d s
And there it is: a little awkward, but proudly stretching its stair case tower into the air.
Behind lays the triangular building containing the temporary exhibitions. The robust museum
is softened by a huge bent glass
front framing the back facade of the opposing baroque Zeughaus and turning its neglected
statues into a permanent exhibition. Through the glass, light is flowing. The sunrays are
attracted. So are the visitors. Seen by the people passing, the museum is built to promote
itself naturally by its architecture. And visitors love to walk around.
Pei constructed many exciting ways to get into the exhibition rooms, but also to discover
the addition itself. A funny detail is a rhombic elevator. Convenient details are found in the
steps of the stairs that possess an extremely low height. They come with rounded banisters
integrated into the smooth wall. All together, Pei pampers the visitor with real comfort. The
light-colored walls pour pure silence into this culture vessel. A soothing atmosphere calms
the stressed-out. The visitors are not climbing the stairs, they are floating. And if they stay
till sunset, they will be soaked up by the play of light and shadow. The construction of the
glass roof throws dramatic shadows on the big wall opposite the entrance. Like a huge
screen, it displays fantastic shapes, that change every minute.
Pei loves this theatrical production: “Light is the key to my architecture. The sun is the
star.” And the “Pei-Building”, as it is already called, is the new star in Berlin’s architecture.
The city has used a once of a lifetime chance. Not everyone will happen to see the Louvre
Pyramid or the East Wing. The “Pei-Building” offers visual comfort nearby.
Meanwhile, Ieoh Ming Pei is exploring Luxemburg and Qatar, organizing his next
projects.
At the age of 86, Ming Pei is a miracle himself.
31
TWIN PEAKS
Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November. The tradition goes back to the
first Pilgrims, who held a thanksgiving meal after the harvest. Today, Thanksgiving is
the day to offer thanks and is usually celebrated with a great dinner, the highlight of
which is, of course, the Thanksgiving Turkey.
If you would like to celebrate Thanksgiving like Americans do,
we have a special Thanksgiving Dinner for you.
Recipes by Kaye DeVries
Thanksgiving Roasted Turkey
You need:
one 15-20 lb. turkey
Rub the skin of the turkey with salt, pepper. (You can also use a little garlic powder and chili
powder to give the skin flavor.) Preheat the oven to 230 degrees Remove the giblets and
save them for the gravy. Then, stuff the turkey with stuffing and seal closed with skewers.
You should place the turkey breast side down and place it in the oven. Next, lower the heat
in the oven to 170 degrees. If you have a smaller turkey, allow 20 to 25 minutes per pound.
If using a larger turkey (18-25), reduce the oven heat to 150 degrees and bake for 13 to 15
minutes per pound.
While baking the turkey, baste it frequently. For the last hour, turn the turkey over so the
breast side is up and will brown.
Cornbread Stuffing
You need: about 3 cups of dried cornbread
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chopped apricots
1 cup dried prunes, chopped
2 cups cooked sausage, broken up
1 cup chopped nuts
First, add all ingredients
together. Then bake them
in a greased casserole dish
for an hour at 170 degrees
or use for stuffing the
turkey.
Bread stuffing
You need:
32
3 cups dried bread crumbs
2 cups chopped apples
2 cups celery
2 cups chopped onions
2 beaten eggs
herbs
Start with seasoning the bread crums with
salt, pepper, a small amount of thyme and
rosemary. Then, add the apples, celery, onion
and the eggs. Bake the stuffing in a casserole
dish for an hour at 170 degrees or use it for
stuffing the turkey.
creative
m i n d s
Stringed Beet Salad
You need:
2 cans stringed beets, drained.
1 lb green seedless grapes
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
Very easy - just mix it all together!
Sweet Potatoes
You need:
2 large cans of sweet potatoes
(or you can cook yams)
1 can crushed pineapple-drained
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 bag of marshmellows
First, mix the juice from one can of sweet potatoes with brown sugar. Then, arrange sweet
potatoes in oblong dish, put brown sugar juice over these sweet potatoes and add the pineapple.
Cover all with marshmellows and bake it at 170 degrees for 30 minutes. But be careful and
make sure the marshmellows do not burn.
Pumpkin Pie
You need:
lb
tbsp.
tsp.
1 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
1 1/2 cups cream
6 tbsps. brown sugar
2 tbsps. white sugar
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
or light molasses
3 slightly beaten eggs
pound
tablespoon
teaspoon
First, prepare a baked pie shell.
Then, mix all the ingredients
over a double heater and cook
until it becomes thick. Remove
it from the heat and let it cool
slightly. Next, add 1 tsp. vanilla.
(Or you can add 2 tbsps. brandy
or rum.) Pour all into the baked
pie shell.
You can serve the pumpkin pie
with whipped cream.
Enjoy your
Thanksgiving Dinner!
33
TWIN PEAKS
Middlesex
A Literary Review
of the Pulitzer Prize Winner 2003
Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex (2002)
by Frank Meinzenbach
‘Middlesex? – Oh no! Not, yet another
book about sex!’ - or so one might suggest
after a first look at the title. But far from
that, US-American author Jeffrey
Eugenides writes the story of a
hermaphrodite. And above that: American
society and its shifts in the last eighty years
are being portrayed.
Eugenides digests central themes of
US-culture, such as immigration, racism
or consumer culture. The hero of the novel
is the hermaphrodite Caliope Stephanides,
who tells the story of his life in a mixture
of David Copperfield and a grown up Holden Caulfield:
“I was born twice: first, as a
baby girl, on a remarkably
smogless day in January of
1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency
room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974.”
Until the age of twelve, Caliope grows
up as a normal girl. But then she enters
puberty and her life becomes increasingly
problematic. Her girl classmates begin to
change: Bodies rapidly developing feminine features, menstrual cycles setting in
– only Caliope stays as skinny as ever and
her first period just won’t come. So her
34
life as an outsider begins. At the age of 15
she falls in love the first time – with a girl.
This first relationship comes to an abrupt
end when Caliope finds out that she is a
hermaphrodite.
Being more male than female, Caliope
switches genders and becomes the boy Cal.
But why has nobody noticed this crucial
otherness before? At her birth, her sex had
been determined wrong: The old family
physician Dr. Philobosian - called Dr. Phil
- had been distracted just for a moment.
“Because right at that instant
Nurse Rosalee (for whom this
moment was also history)
accidentally touched his arm.
Dr. Phil looked up. Presbyopic,
Armenian eyes met middleaged Appalachian ones. The
gaze lingered, then broke
away. Five minutes old, and
already the themes of my lifechance and sex-announced
themselves. Nurse Rosalee
blushed. ‘Beautiful,’ Dr.
Philobosian said, meaning me
but looking at his assistant. ’A
beautiful, healthy girl.’”
Eugenides invests his hero Cal with
subtle irony and intelligent humour without
on the
s h e l f
making him look goofy. Thus, Eugenides
masterly achieves to create Cal as a
sympathetic character without neither
exposing him voyeuristically nor drifting
into a Hollywood sentimentality. The
author’s extraordinary talent is to be
empathic, which enables him to realistically
capture the self-questioning of an outsider.
In the novel’s present tense, Cal is
already 41 years old and lives very
secluded in Berlin. Cal’s life is being
dominated be a vicious circle of fear and
shame causing an ambivalent loneliness.
On the one hand, Cal desires a relationship,
while, on the other hand, he is afraid to
get hurt.
“There are a lot of nights out
in Berlin when, embolded by a
good-value Rioja, I forget my
physical predicament and
allow myself to hope. The
tailored suit comes off. The
Thomas Pink shirt, too. My
dates can’t fail to be impressed
by my physical condition.
(Under the armor of my
double-breasted suits is
another of gym-built muscle.)
But the final protection, my
roomy, discreet boxer shorts,
these I do not remove. Ever.
Instead I leave, making
excuses. I leave and never call
them again. Just like a guy.”
Cal decides to break his isolation; he
refuses to live on hiding behind expensive
suits, fancy cigars and his hard-as-a-rock
body. That is the reason why he begins to
write down the story of his life, and he
does so by trying to retrace his roots, his
self. Consequently Cal tells in an admirable
sensitive manner the story of a brother and
a sister, his Greek grandparents. How they
had to escape to the USA and build up a
new life together in Detroit. Then he
artistically interweaves the story of his
father Milton, an effort to work out their
problematic relationship.
Cal’s father Milton is the embodiment
of the patriotic middle-class American; he
is conservative to the bone - up to being
intolerant
“The U.S. Navy was
responsible for the precision
with which Milton Stephanides
ever after parted his hair, his
habit of polishing his belt
buckle with his shirt sleeve, his
‘yes sir’s and ‘shipshape’s, and
his insistence on making us
synchronize our watches at the
mall. The Navy gave him his
love of sailing and his aversion
to waiting in lines. Even then
his politics were being formed,
his anti-communism, his
distrust of the Russians.”
Milton cannot cope with the otherness
of his child. Cal’s feeling of being somehow
weird and abnormal are fuelled by the
problems with his father. All these things
Cal writes down, and in facing them again
he manages to work through them; to understand them and - in turn - himself better,
which is the beginning for his new life.
Jeffrey Eugenides succeeded in writing
a highly impressive novel. The very
complex and exciting story is lively told;
the author does not stick to the
chronological order, thus forcing the
reader to enter a jigsaw game.
Nevertheless, the novel is easy to read.
Middlesex is a strong and honest plea for
more tolerance, especially because it
refuses to be a tearjerker.
Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex
is published by Bloomsburry
and costs • 12,35.
35
TWIN PEAKS
P A R A D
E S S E N T I A L
The Savage Girl by Alex Shakar reveals an ugly reality of beauty.
And drunk with my madness, I shouted down at him furiously:
“Make life beautiful! Make life beautiful!”
C. Baudelaire, “The Bad Glazier”
by Katja Wenk
Ursula Van Urden is a trendspotter and
sister of the supermodel-gone-mad, Ivy
Van Urden. Both live in the cartoonesque
world of Middle City, located at the foot
of a volcano, which now serves the metropolis as a waste basket. It is a funny
story Alex Shakar provides in his first
novel. Funny - both in the sense of comedic and strange.
Ursula, who failed as an art student and
now is disillusioned and unsatisfied with
life, works for the greatest trendspotting
company in Middle City: Tomorrow, Ltd.
Tomorrow is led by Chas Lacouture ”He doesn’t look like other
men; he looks like their impossible expectations for themselves.” and Javier Delreal - “just a little too
tall and too thin for verisimilitude.”
Ursula’s first task as a trendspotter sounds
simple: “Go out there. Find the future.“
36
Hence, Ursula begins her work,.
Armed with a pencil and a sketch book,
she tries to find the one trend which is ultimately going to win her recognition and
alter her life. In a team, Javier, Chas and
Ursula develop their idea of what the next
big trend should be about. Shakar’s description of the threesome’s habit of observing people are both shocking and entertaining.
“’I saw a guy with a neck
beard masturbating in a
cybercafé,’ Chas says curtly.
‘I saw a sorority girl reading a book called Subcultures,’
Javier responds.
‘I saw two fat men in black
suits get into a pink Cadillac,’
Chas says. Javier flips through
the pages of a notebook.
‘In the last seven days I’ve
seen twenty-nine people wearing shirts with images of
on the
s h e l f
anthropomophic suns, and
only two anthropomorhic
moons,’ he announces.”
Ursula has yet to get used to Javier’s
and Chas’ way of communicating. As well
as the reader has to get used to the novel‘s
tone, which can be harsh and repulsive.
Moreover, Shakar’s elloquence sometimes
takes over; sentences run on for half a
page, and a dictionary is, indeed, a good
help while reading “The Savage Girl.“
Nonetheless, Shakar’s style is highly entertaining - amusing, humorous and witty.
As Ursula struggles to get a hold of
her trend, Chas shows her the key:
Paradessence.
“’That’s what consumer motivation is about, Ursula. Every product has this paradoxical essence. Two opposing desires it can promise to satisfy
simultaneously. The job of a
marketer is to cultivate this
schismatic core, this broken
soul, at the center of every
product.’”
A homeless girl living in a park becomes Ursula’s first trend and the basis
for a new and truly paradessential advertising campaign: The savage trend. The
savage girl from the park embodies the
trend as much as Ivy, whose attempt at
making herself less beautiful not only leads
to her near-suicide, but moreover, brings
her into the public, hence making her the
perfect savage icon to sell to everyone.
While Ursula tries to save Ivy from her
self-destructive behavior, the savage trend
takes on a life of its own and cannot be
stopped as Chas transforms it into the superficial Lite Age, both hopeless and destructive, a selection of fallacies eating up
the young and the dreaming. In the Lite
Age, consumerism rules everything.
“The Savage Girl” is Shakar’s first
novel. He reveals a world both ugly and
beautiful, both hopeless and positive - a
world, which is not so different from ours.
“The Savage Girl” both grotesque in
its depiction of reality and real in its message. It is a novel of views opposing each
other as much as it is a novel about the
very basics of life: trust, faith, love.
“The Savage Girl” is paradessential itself: It promises to make the reader laugh
and cry.
The Savage Girl is published by
HarperCollins and costs $ 12.95.
The Paradessence of ...
Coffee
stimulation and relaxation
Ice Cream
eroticism and innocence
Air Travel
sanitized adventure;
exoticism and familiarity
Fine Dining
Your animal needs are
divine.
Can you think of other
things and their
paradessence?
Well, let us know.
37
TWIN PEAKS
RETARDED US.
REMEMBER WHEN
RETARDED IS SLOW.
BUT WHO SETS THE PACE?
REMEMBER WHEN
BUSES HAD NOSES
LIES WERE A SIN
SILENCE COULD TALK
HEARTS LET YOU IN
BIGGER MEANT BETTER
LEADERS WERE MEN
NOTHING IS SAFE
HOW FAST IS FAST ENOUGH?
IS THERE A TOO FAST?
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE
WORLD COMES
CRASHING TO A HALT?
THOSE WHO ARE STILL FAST,
WILL THEY BE RETARDED?
EVEN PAPER CUTS
Poems
by Teri L. Messerer
BLIND EARS
B LIND EARS CAN ` T SEE TO HEAR
D EAF EYES CAN ` T HEAR TO SEE
T HAT
C LOSED HANDS CAN ` T TASTE THE SALTY AIR
LINGERS NEAR THE SEA .
C ANNOT
A TONGUE THAT ` S WEAK AND NEVER MOVES
IT ` S STORY SHARE
B UT ONE THAT MANAGES A TALE
A N D TOUCHES LIVES , HOW RARE .
38
The Authors
Fletcher M. Burton, born in 1956, has been
the United States Consul General in Leipzig
since 2002.
Michael Czogalla majors in American Studies at the University of Leipzig, combining it
with Political Science and German Studies.
Kaye DeVries lives in Cupertino, California, and is a passionate cook.
Martin Goodenberger, born in 1983, is a
sophomore at the University of Nebraska at
Omaha, majoring in Management Information
Systems. His minors are German and Chemistry.
Dr. Katja Kanzler, born in 1972, has written her dissertation about the Multicultural
Evolution of Star Trek. She teaches American Literature at the American Studies Department.
Frank Meinzenbach, born in 1980, majoring in German Studies, combining it with
American Studies and Journalism.
Teri L. Messerer, born in 1984, is a sophomore at Wayne State College, Nebraska, majoring in English and Spanish Education.
Jan Saeger, born in 1973, studied Journalism and American Studies at the University of
Leipzig. He is now working as a public relations advisor.
Prof. Dr. Reinhold Wagnleitner is a historian at the University of Salzburg. Among
other positions, he was a two-time Fulbright
Scholar. He published several books and essays, one of which is Coca-Colonization and
the Cold War.
Stine Eckert, born in 1982, majors in Journalism and American Studies at the University of Leipzig.
Katja Wenk, born in 1981, majors in American Studies at the University of Leipzig, combining it with Journalism and Psychology.
Twin Peaks
A Newsletter for American
Studies
Beethoven straße 15
04107 Leipzig
Editors
Katja Wenk (V.i.S.d.P.)
Stine Eckert
Design
Katja Wenk
Stine Eckert
Technical Support
M&M
Title Photograph
Stine Eckert
Contact
[email protected]
Stine Eckert:
Phone: 0341 - 2295 242
Katja Wenk:
Phone: 0341 - 2251 781
Printed by
ZIMO druck und kopie KG
Beethovenstraße 10
04107 Leipzig
www.zimo-kopie.de
39
And then there were two …
The TwinPeaks Newsletter has appeared bi-annually for
the last eight years. It features interviews, short stories,
essays and much more - in English as well as in German. All
articles are related to the field of American Studies.
As the only two editors of TwinPeaks, we are looking for
YOU
to join us in our efforts to publish TwinPeaks. We cannot
offer you Kyle MacLachlan (the actor starring "Twin Peaks"),
but a chance to contribute your ideas, essays, stories, poems,
pictures and in fact anything you like to the TwinPeaks
newsletter. How much you want to contribute - whether as
an author or as a fellow editor - is up to you, but we are glad
about everyone who decides to join us.
Do you want to know more about TwinPeaks, contribute
an article or help us edit the next edition? - Well, don't be
shy. You can reach us via e-mail:
[email protected]
The TwinPeaks Editors