The German Wall: Fallout in Europe (review)

The German Wall: Fallout in Europe is an anthology based on talks initially presented at a conference at the University of Wisconsin in November 2009 commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Edited and introduced by Wisconsin professor of German Marc Silberman, the volume is published in Palgrave Macmillan’s series Studies in European Culture and History, already indicating the multidisciplinary nature that marks the collection.

Based on the assertion that the fall of the Wall was a “rupture of global significance in the history of the twentieth century” (1), Silberman and ten of his colleagues with mostly German and US academic backgrounds in history, literary and cultural studies, media studies, anthropology, and cultural geography attempt to map out some of the diverse consequences of the event and to analyze the “multifaceted implications of borders and boundaries as well as . . . attempts at bridging and crossing divides in post-unification Germany and Europe” (4). Following Silberman’s introduction delineating the overall project, the contributions delve into a variety of aspects of the historical, political, and cultural landscape of post-1989 Europe with an obvious focus on Germany, rounded out by a helpful index and an extensive bibliography of works cited at the end of the book.

Divided into four sections, the essays cover an array of approaches and topics: investigations of political and aesthetic implications of the Wall before and after the fall constitute part 1, entitled “Re-Viewing the Berlin Wall”; part 2, “Re-Newing Berlin in Unified Germany,” consists of political, cultural, and anthropological examinations of life in the new post-wall Berlin; part 3, “Re-Settling Berlin’s Other,” looks at integration politics and ethnic identities of immigrants as well as cultural practices of Turkish-Germans; and, last but not least, part 4, entitled “Re-Negotiating Europe’s Center,” analyzes the post-wall shifts in European geopolitical dynamics by way of the example of Italy, as well as by examining the European Library Project as a virtual manifestation of cultural and political trans-European challenges.

The individual contributions are generally written in an engaging manner and well argued, and they move from more Berlin-specific inquiries early in the book to studies of larger European contexts toward the end of the volume. From historian Konrad Jarausch’s opening text analyzing the specifics of the peaceful revolution in East Germany in a comparative context, thereby detailing its “distinctive character,” to the final essays by Italian scholar Lina Insana and German professor Venkat Mani, who analyze respectively the cultural and geopolitical consequences of an Italian bridge project and a virtual European library venture, the book’s overall trajectory seems to reflect the transnational ripple effect the fall of the Wall had. In between, three illuminating essays examine “conflicted processes of remembering and forgetting in architectural design, art exhibition, and ritual practices” with a focus on Berlin in part 2, while part 3 offers two insightful investigations of the new capital’s diverse populations by way of looking at questions of identity in regard to official immigration policies concerning southeastern Europeans and at identity renegotiations in Turkish-German theater productions.

The German Wall is an ambitious project in topic and scope, but all of the chapters manage to tackle their complex questions successfully and to start formulating often innovative answers to the challenges of a “new narrative and its fallout in Europe” (8). And while the contributors’ diverse range of approaches and disciplinary backgrounds proves to be somewhat of a weakness in certain regards, it is also the main strength of this volume: the anthology is too eclectic to present a comprehensive or representative outline of perspectives on the topic from within a particular discipline, so it is probably not ideal for scholars intent on a thorough investigation of a particular angle. However, the kaleidoscopic vision put forward here offers a broad range of students and scholars a multifaceted overview, raising awareness of a host of possible entry points to this “new...