Past Ghosts, Present Treasures Shape German Identity

What is German? Matthias Hamann should know since he spent three years curating an exhibition of the same name for the National Museum of German Art and Culture in Nuremberg. "We found that there is no general answer to the question," Hamann said. "'What is German' means providing a variety of answers."

"But what is probably truly German is to ask the question 'what is German?'" he added.

Hans-Georg Soeffner, a professor at the University of Constance who writes about integration and assimilation, pointed to another problem with the question.

"It's problematic because up until 1989, there were two Germanys," he said. "Germans are reluctant to talk about a national identity because of the country's nationalistic past. If I had to say 'what is German' nowadays, then I would say it means democracy."

One question, many answers

The multi-facetted excursion into German history and culture in the exhibition corresponds with the current debate in German newspapers and talk shows about patriotism and Germans' own view of their country and cultural identity. The country's role as World Cup host and the success of the German team have prompted fans to buy German flags en masse.

Exhibition visitors show can view documents, paintings, sculptures, books, everyday objects and "high culture" artifacts to draw their own conclusions about "what is German."

The exhibition, which displays over 700 items and covers 200 years of German history, is organized into five different categories or thematic headings: Sehnsucht (Longing), Geist (Spirit), Glaube (Faith), Character (Nature) and Vaterland (Homeland). Some of the themes are intentionally meant to appear contradictory or incongruous.

The show, which will run until Germany's national day on Oct. 3, includes works by artists such as Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Max Liebermann and Philip Otto Runge. Everyday objects include porcelain German shepherds, Sandmännchen (an East German television icon) and Nordic walking poles.

"Deliberate confusion"

Each room in the exhibition contains an object or section that is meant to confuse, Hamann said. A "word funnel," for instance, guides the visitor to the exhibition section called "Geist," which means "mind," "spirit" or "intellect" in German.

"The objects use German words that appear in other languages," Hamann said. "Words like Grübelsucht, as Brits say, or Zeitnot, as Russians say. These sections provide a view from the outside. When you walk through the 'deliberate confusion' section, you then enter the inner sphere -- German inner space, you could say."

In the "Geist" space, visitors find works by poet great Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and playwright Friedrich Schiller. They will, however, also encounter gingerbread shaped into hearts or posters from the Third Reich. Songbooks are displayed in glass cases next to record players. Just a few steps away, theater, film and television are depicted as "moral institutions" of the nation, with the original screenplay of "The Tin Drum" by Volker Schlöndorff, along with the main character's real tin drum from the film.

Unanswered questions

Just so the selection of objects does not appear random, however, certain items provide orientation for the viewers and guide them through the exhibition. In the "Character" section, Hamann said, "we have depicted supposed German character strengths somewhat ironically." German punctuality, for instance, is addressed in connection with information about the German railway system. The exhibition tries to convey Germans' perceived sense of order via trash separation and recycling methods.

Hamann said visitors are also asked to reflect on whether or not these stereotypes about German character still hold true today.

Shadows of the past

The dark chapters of German history likewise find their place in the exhibition. A bust of Adolf Hitler deliberately stands in the way for visitors to stumble over. Contemporary photographs of Auschwitz concentration camp are mounted on cubes.

Is all of that German? The exhibition poses more questions than it offers answers and curator Hamann has been courageous in leaving holes in the chronology of German history. The show is not a point-by-point play of German sensitivity, but instead, an accomplished attempt in the search for German identity that is both jovial and serious.

The exhibition, which was organized on occasion of the World Cup, might just help Germans on their path of discovery as a nation.

"National identity does not mean nationalism," Soeffner said. "And patriotism by constitution also does not unite a people. Defining national identity is a process -- and that comes from a shared feeling within a country."