1st Edition
German-East Asian Encounters and Entanglements Affinity in Culture and Politics Since 1945
This volume surveys transnational encounters and entanglements between Germany and East Asia since 1945, a period that has witnessed unprecedented global connections between the two regions. It examines their sociopolitical and cultural connections through a variety of media. Since 1945, cultural flow between Germany and East Asia has increasingly become bidirectional, spurred by East Asian economies’ unprecedented growth. In exploring their dynamic and evolving relations, this volume emphasizes how they have negotiated their differences and have frequently cooperated toward common goals in meeting the challenges of the contemporary world. Given their long-standing historical differences, their post-1945 relations reveal a surprisingly high degree of affinity in many areas. To show how they have deeply shaped each other’s views, this volume presents 12 chapters by scholars from the fields of history, sinology, sociology, literature, music, and film. Topics include cultural topics, such as German and Swiss writers on East Asia (Enzensberg, Muschg, and Kreitz), Japanese writer on Germany (Tezuka and Tawada), German commemorative culture in Korea, Beethoven in China, metal music in Germany and Japan, diary films on Japan (Wenders), as well as sociopolitical topics, such as Sino– East German diplomacy, Germans and Korean democracy, and Japanes and Korean communities in Germany.
1. Historical Survey, Historiography, and Organization
Joanne Miyang Cho
Part 1: Political and Social Connections Since 1945
2. A Bridge from Beijing to Berlin: Diplomatic and Trade Cooperation in Sino-East German Relations, 1949–1955
Christina Till
3. The Contribution of West German Christian Churches to the Democratization of Korea in the 1970s and 1980s
Soo-Hyun Mun
4. Commemorative Culture in Korea and Germany: State Commemoration of Fallen Soldiers and Civilian Victims
Ho-Keun Choi
Part 2: East Asian Transnational Communities in Germany
5. Two Generations of Korean-Germans: From Silent Integration to Glass Ceiling
Suin Roberts
6. The Heterogeneous Japanese Community in Dusseldorf and the Question of Social Integration: More Segregated Than Integrated?
Vanessa Tkotzyk
Part 3: Literary Connections Since 1945
7. Reframing Footage from Deshima: Swiss Writer Adolf Muschg’s Exploration of Japan and Japanese Sexuality
Min Zhou
8. Parable of the Delusionist?: Hans Magnus Enzensberger’s Adaptation of Lu Xun’s "Resurrecting the Dead"
Wenyan Gu
9. Film-Noir Features in German and Japanese Comics: Isabel Kreitz’s Die Sache mit Sorge (2008) and Osamu Tezuka’s Adolf (1983–85)
Lee M. Roberts
10. Yoko Tawada’s Travelers and Tourists as Outsiders
Susan C. Anderson
Part 4: Filmic and Musical Connections Since 1945
11. What Beethoven Means in the People’s Republic of China: Hero or Demon?
Hao Huang
12. Gender and Non-Conformity in German and Japanese Metal Music and Subculture
Aaron D. Horton
13. The Road to Japan: The Tokyo Diary Films of Wim Wenders
Bruce Williams
Biography
Joanne Miyang Cho is Professor of History at William Paterson University of New Jersey.