Teaching the World through German Eyes: A View of Asia in 21st-century German Studies

Abstract

A casual perusal of scholarly literature on German Studies in the United States over the last few decades might lead one to believe that the end of the discipline is near. Peter U. Hohendahl noted in 1989 that scholars of German had seemingly taken it upon themselves to accentuate the flaws in their field, and he added with a touch of humor that a skeptical observer could easily describe Germanistik as a sequence of (failed) attempts to solve a crisis (227). Among the chief causes for concern, scholars have listed such difficulties as low enrollments, a world no longer interested in foreign languages and literature, and various methodological shortcomings. To top it all off, the focus in the American media over the last few years on war in the Middle East and the growing power of China has drawn attention further away from European languages and cultures and stressed the need for increased understanding of languages like Arabic and Chinese.