Ossi Wessi: Ossi Wessi
The conference aims to explore historical, cultural, political, linguistic and literary movements occurring in and around the landscape of German Reunification.
In January 1989, Erich Honecker stated, “Die Mauer wird in 50 und auch in 100 Jahren noch bestehen bleiben, wenn die dazu vorhandenen Gründe noch nicht beseitigt worden sind.” On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall came down and Europe as we knew it ceased to exist. The turmoil of the succeeding 17 years has brought many changes. From the fall of the Russian communist regime to the creation of the EU, the world has become a different place.
Questions that will be addressed include: How has language changed? In what way has German literature and/or its reception been effected by the fall of the wall? What effects did Nov. 1989 have on the political landscape of Germany and/or nations behind the iron curtain? How has the landscape of film in Germany changed?