Terms of Engagement: Teaching the African Diaspora in German‐Speaking Europe

Abstract

Striving to be more representative in their answer to the question, “What is German,” many programs are expanding their curricula to include the history and perspectives of Black Germans and Austrians. Through discussion of a course on “Die afrikanische Diaspora im deutschsprachigen Europa,” this article argues that examining texts by Germans and Austrians of African descent as well as by immigrants from Africa through the lens of cultural proficiency addresses a key component of both the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), namely intercultural competence. Comparative tasks that explore sociocultural perspectives obtained through the medium of the target language can defamiliarize seemingly‐familiar concepts including race, nationality, and identity. Precisely because Black German Studies focuses on the interplay of power relations between dominant and minority cultures within Germanophone cultures, it may provide a model of intercultural competence through the analysis of the successes and failures of intracultural proficiency. Finally, the article considers the need to uncouple language and cultural/national identity in the European Germanophone context while simultaneously addressing the global demand for multicultural and multilingual competence.

The presence and absence of race in world language education literature

“…Cobb traced the impact of different “Afro” connections to the Spanish‐speaking world. Similar efforts followed for multiple languages: French (e.g., Gross, 2007; Murphy, 2015); German (e.g., Chen, 2022; Divers, 1995; Nenno, 2019; Putnam, 2008; Schenker & Munro, 2016; Uca et al, 2022; Willeke, 2001); Latin (e.g., Kennedy, 2022; Masciantonio, 1977); and Spanish (e.g., Granda, 2021; Rogers, 2006; Watson, 2013). These articles presented lessons that engaged students with race as a theme in authentic texts such as film (e.g., Libbon, 2008; Ruggiero, 2015), classical and contemporary music (e.g., Howards, 2014; Sosulski, 2013), and canonical literature (e.g., Frackman, 2011; Hopkins, 1992).…”

Symbolic Competence and Race in “Gute Menschen”: Teaching About Racism in Germany Through a Hip‐Hop Music Video

“…The topics of neo-Nazis and right-wing extremism were not originally part of the curriculum, and the focus of this lesson was centered around the topoi and how students were able to identify and discuss them critically. The need for more lessons aimed at developing specific symbolic competencies as part of ICC, especially with critical attention focused on racism, follows the related need to decolonize German Studies in university-level classrooms (Coleman & Guntersdorfer, 2019;Criser & Knott, 2019;Nenno, 2019). This lesson specifically attended to developing symbolic competence as part of ICC.…”

“…More recent calls for inclusion of social justice themes arose from the push to decolonize language and cultural studies of Germany (Gallagher & Zenker, 2020; Merritt, 2020; Tarnawska Senel, 2020). This demonstrated a need to develop symbolic competence regarding racism and ethnocentrism in Germany (Ilett, 2009; Nenno, 2019).…”