Literatur türkeistämmiger Autorinnen und Autoren im Spannungsfeld von Klassifizierung und Stigmatisierung

Abstract

Migration movements are as old as human history and have always brought about profound changes. In today’s globalized world, they constitute a fundamental reality that shapes all societal spheres of host countries, including artistic expressions such as literature. This study examines the positioning of literature by authors of Turkish descent within German literary studies. It focuses on the question of how social, political, and cultural interpretative patterns influence the perception and classification of this literature and often lead to stigmatization. Classification into categories like "intercultural literature" or "German-Turkish literature" frequently reduces the aesthetic and thematic diversity of these works to an ethnic perspective, reinforcing stereotypical identity attributions. Such categorization tends to marginalize the contributions of authors of Turkish descent and hinders their full recognition within the German literary canon. A literary-theoretical analysis based on the criteria of authorship, narration, language, and cultural references shows that these works should be recognized as an integral part of German cultural heritage. The literary texts by authors of Turkish descent go beyond migration experiences and questions of identity, embodying a pluralistic aesthetic that significantly enriches the German literary landscape. This study critically re-evaluates the genre of "intercultural literature" and demonstrates that the works by authors of Turkish descent are a vital part of the German literary scene, reflecting the plurality of German society. By doing so, it challenges traditionally homogeneous structures such as national literature, culture, and society, while rejecting the categorization of these works as niche literature. The study contributes to the development of a more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of literature that acknowledges the diversity as a fundamental and enriching element of German literary tradition.