Culture of the Turkish Diaspora in Germany and its Implementation in German Studies. A Practice-Oriented View from Poland
Krzysztof OkońskiThe culture of the Turkish diaspora is increasingly becoming an object of research in German studies in Germany and abroad. The number of German studies experts in Poland who analyze this topic from the academic and research perspective has been increasing over the last ten years. This article attempts to present possibilities and problems in the implementation of the German–Turkish culture in academic didactic contexts (i.e., studies on German language and literature) in Poland on selected examples. This article summarizes the cultural and historical aspects of Polish–Turkish relations that can facilitate the inclusion of the German–Turkish culture in German studies in Poland. Due to the steady increase in the influence of German artists of Turkish origin over the development of culture in Germany, discussing their reception and presence in Poland is also necessary. In the analytical section of this paper, 24 diploma theses of students of German studies at Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland, were collected and discussed in subject-related fields. To gain insights into the expectations and competencies of the students, they were surveyed for their opinion on the potential inclusion of the German–Turkish culture in German studies. Data collection was conducted in 2007 and 2020. This data enabled us to determine the extent at which recently changed political circumstances (e.g., migration crisis, xenophobia, growing nationalism, presence of Turkish students at Polish universities) affected the students’ willingness to embrace and accept an “ethnic paradigm shift” in the curriculum of German studies.
Kultur der türkischen Diaspora in Deutschland und ihre Implementierung im Germanistikstudium. Ein praxisorientierter Blick aus Polen
Krzysztof OkońskiDie Kultur der türkischen Diaspora wird immer häufiger zum Forschungsgegenstand der Germanistik in Deutschland und im Ausland. Seit etwa zehn Jahren steigt die Zahl polnischer Germanisten, die sich mit diesem Themenkomplex wissenschaftlich und didaktisch beschäftigen. In dem vorliegenden Beitrag wird der Versuch unternommen, Möglichkeiten und Probleme bei der Implementierung der deutschtürkischen Kultur in der germanistischen Lehrpraxis in Polen an ausgewählten Beispielen zu präsentieren. Der Artikel bietet einen Überblick über kulturelle und historische Aspekte der polnisch-türkischen Beziehungen, die die Einbeziehung der deutschtürkischen Kultur im Germanistikstudium in Polen fördern können. Weil der Einfluss deutscher Künstler türkischer Herkunft auf die Entwicklung der Kultur in Deutschland immer größer wird, ist es auch notwendig, eine Frage nach ihrer Rezeption und Präsenz in Polen zu stellen. Im analytischen Teil des vorliegenden Textes wurden 24 Diplomarbeiten an der Kazimierz-WielkiUniversität Bydgoszcz/Polen in thematischen Gruppen zusammengestellt und besprochen. Um sich einen Einblick in die Erwartungen und Kompetenzen künftiger Germanisten verschaffen zu können, wurden die Studierenden in einer Umfrage nach ihrer Stellungnahme zu einer eventuellen Einbeziehung dieser Problematik im Germanistikstudium gefragt. Die Datenerhebungen wurden 2007 und 2020 durchgeführt. Dadurch ist es möglich festzustellen, inwieweit die in letzter Zeit veränderten politischen und gesellschaftlichen Bedingungen (Migrationskrise, Nationalismus, eine sichtbare Präsenz türkischer Studenten an polnischen Universitäten) die interkulturelle Öffnung polnischer Studierenden (am Beispiel der Germanistik an der Kazimierz-Wielki-Universität) beeinflussen.
The culture of the Turkish diaspora is increasingly becoming an object of research in German studies in Germany and abroad. The number of German studies experts in Poland who deal with this topic from the academic and research perspective has been increasing over several years. Intercultural research in Polish and German studies has traditionally included topics such as German–Polish cultural transfer in the past and present, interference of the German language with the Polish language, or images of Poles and Germans in literature or films. Being neighbors for 1,000 years, and the fact that several German writers and artists (e.g., Günter Grass, Janosch, Horst Bienek or Klaus Kinski) have been born in the German–Polish border area or in former German provinces (e.g., Silesia, Danzig, Zoppot) are reasons why focus on this research was more relevant to the Polish experts on German studies than research on the culture of Turkish migrants in Germany. Moreover, after 1989, a need to conduct more research on topics that had been taboo before that period emerged (e.g., the anti-German propaganda in the Communist era). The development of the German–Turkish cultural elite entails new research premises along with the need to incorporate topics related to migrant culture into the academia. This article attempts to present possibilities and problems in the implementation of the German–Turkish culture in academic didactic contexts (e.g., studies on German language and literature) in Poland using select examples. In this context, the outcome of Polish students’ intercultural motivation in German studies is more of a pragmatic competence than a cultural competence because they acquire additional skills and competencies enabling them to work in international environments (e.g., transnational teams, global companies). This article summarizes the cultural and historical aspects of Polish–Turkish relations that can facilitate the inclusion of the German–Turkish culture in German studies in Poland. Due to the influence of German artists of Turkish origin over the development of culture in Germany steadily increasing, discussing their reception and presence in Poland is also necessary. Although the literature of Turkish writers, especially the creative output of Orhan Pamuk and Elif Şafak, has often been reviewed, published, and broadcast as radio plays by Polskie Radio in Poland, the number of novels by German–Turkish authors remains limited.
Paraschos Berberoğlu, in 1995, said that the intercultural perspective of teaching German as a foreign language requires teachers to acquire extra skills, such as an open and creative attitude, knowledge of the diverse cultures represented in school communities, or applying adequate teaching and learning aids. In the analytical section of this paper, 24 diploma theses of students of German studies at Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland, were collected and discussed in subject-related fields. To gain insights into the expectations and competencies of the students, they were surveyed for their opinion on the potential inclusion of the German–Turkish culture in German studies. Data collection was conducted in 2007 and 2020. The relationship between Poles and migrants was stable until 2014 and 2015. Unlike Germany, the right-wing radicalism in Poland was not directed against immigrants or Muslims because at that time, almost no immigration from Muslim countries, including Turkey, occurred. A nationalist change of the social climate in Poland after 2015 was a reaction to ISIS terrorist attacks. This stability changed because of mass migrations from Ukraine to Poland and a visible presence of Turkish students, and—more rarely—migrant workers from Turkey. This phenomenon enables us to determine the extent at which recently changed political circumstances (e.g., migration crisis, xenophobia, growing nationalism, presence of Turkish students at Polish universities) affected the students’ willingness to embrace and accept an “ethnic paradigm shift” in the curriculum of German studies.
