Artistic intervention as counter-narrative

: tage der jüdisch-muslimischen Leitkultur at Kampnagel, Hamburg

Abstract

As a provocative response to the debate on Leitkultur around a proclaimed “core” identity which is being frequently reheated within German socio-political realms, Max Czollek— author of political and poetic works—curated the artistic intervention TdJML, Tage der Jüdisch-Muslimischen Leitkultur (Days of the Jewish-Muslim Leading Culture).Accordingly, this research explores the relation between narrative and counter-narrative based on its case study TdJML reflecting on an internship at the performing arts institution Kampnagel as a host venue thereof. Hence, the main assumption is that TdJML provides an explicit counter-narrative to the idea of Leitkultur which results in a twofold objective:firstly, providing a deep understanding of Leitkultur, which is defined as narrative, before closely examining TdJML as an oppositional force to Leitkultur in a second step.To investigate the above-stated hypothesis, the study initially discusses concepts and ideas which construct the narrative Leitkultur, such as belonging or the exclusionary “We”. By incorporating linguistic, journalistic, political and culture science perspectives the discourse on Leitkultur is screened to provide argumentative grounds for the case study and its deconstructive effort. Consequently, both the resistant and the artistic position of TdJML are traced by exploring its constitutive conceptual framework within radical diversity and by highlighting TdJML’s artistic means which hyperbolize, ironize, subvert, and therein counter the ideas of a Leitkultur narrative.Against the backdrop of a substantial increase in exclusionary, xenophobic tendencies currently noticeable throughout Europe, this research does not mirror a German phenomenon only. But it also connects socio-political, cultural concepts with new perspectives negotiating strategic practices of radical diversity, such as allyship and de-integration. On the basis of detecting TdJML’s various dimensions of resistance, it will be particularly interesting to understand how such emancipative practices are reflected within its aesthetic expression. This brings to light the potential in artistic interventions to both contemplate andillustrate pathways towards the concrete utopia of a society based on radical diversity, whereby its members can remain different and thus establish a certain resistant selfconception

Date of Award	4 Mar 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Peter Hanenberg (Supervisor)