New German film and the Conditioning Effects on the Shaping ofNational Identity in Post-Reunification Germany

Immo Erik HagemannThis is the original proposal for my M.A. thesis for the University of Leicester (August 2012). Although it gained a pass it was later decided that I should pursue a topicthat sat more comfortable within the curriculum of of the taught M.A. in Mass Communication and the department’s research interests. Hence the reversal to the survival of PSB in Germany, another pet subject of mine (found elsewhere here). However, I do remain convinced that the closer investigation of German post-reunification film remains a valid topic and I will revisit this when time and opportunity requires it. Either way it has provided me with another opportunity to ruminate about what exercises most Germans of my generation: who we really are, how we fit in(to the grand scheme of globality) and why we should not stop caring about it. At only a set amount of 3,000 words it can only be a potted overview but I do hope that it is of interest to some (look out for some off-the-cuff notes of film examples in the appendix).

Abstract

German film from the post-reunification period, dealing with past and present characteristics of “Ger-man-ness” constitutes a relatively new phenomenon in media research. In former West Germany public service media mirrored the influence of the BBC model of World War Two victors Great Britain; the later adoption of commercial media strongly adhered to the American model of commercial media proprietorship. In many cases, West German films for cinema and television strove to adhere as much as possible to international standards and viewership, while the East German film industry remained under stern Communist rule and Soviet orientation.

A politically unified German society was created from two formerly divided states. This ongoing pro-cess has further been influenced by endogeneous effects of year-long immigration and, additionally, increasing ethnic diversification. Exogenous effects are delivered by globalisation and advanced European integration, with Germany many times being nodal economically and politically, while still under especially discerning observation because of its harrowing past. Likewise, German film and cinema has adapted accordingly; consciously pondering about questions of national identity and advancing manifold explanations and interpretations of German society within several genres.

With these questions on German national identity remaining somewhat ambiguous, I aim to present a comprehensive picture of how German post-reunification film has, and still is, reflecting and stimulating notions of national identity of the reunited society in all its facets.

1 Reunification Concerns

The post-reunification period essentially saw East Germany “joining”

West Germany. Previously, each nation-state had its own particular impact on the

respective mass media systems, including the film industry. Ruth Wittlinger points

out, that, as separation endured, distinct changes in the relationship of “both Ger-

manies” became apparent. A certain degree of alienation, especially on behalf of

the Federal Republic, stood in opposition to a strong sense of belonging to one na-

tion, that still remains entrenched within East German Society (Wittlinger, 2010,

p. 65). While those East Germans – who by proximity or specific equipment were

able to receive Western broadcasting – did so enthusiastically, West Germans usu-

ally did not bother with Eastern media.

1.1 German National Identity and Representation

The national identity of Germany still appears as a work-in-progress. The

efforts to preserve a German “race” by hereditary biological traits and to enforce

this with constructed “myths” that apparently characterize ethnicity (Smith, 1991

in Das & Harindranath, 2006, p. 11) have led to war and genocide. By way of

contrast, a simple “I Am German” to lay testimony to one’s nation-state or nati-

onal identity, had long been problematic in following years, with regional origin

(Bavarian, Hanseatic, Saxon a.o.) often acting as a surrogate. When reunification

happened, it ran parallel to increasing migration issues and a second generation of

immigrants seeking integration, the advent of new communication technologies

(mobile telephony and the internet being the most salient) and an enlarged role

as part of an expanding European Union. This has promoted heterogeneity within

society, with the media showing reluctance to forward a “we-feeling” (Chaney,

1986, in Das & Harindranath, 2006, p. 20) of community and a sense belonging.

It is only now, that certain aspects of semiotic representation and the mythology

of a reunified Germany become visible for exploration.

1.2 A Good Story?

The events that preceded reunification – separation of families and com-

munities, moral conflicts, perilous border crossing and escape, political tug-of-

war and domination of cold war politics as well as portrayal of everyday life in

the various communities and ethnies – remain central to the national identity of

a reunified Germany. They have since seen large and extensive reflection in film

and television by seizing the opportunity of “a good story”, but also in intellectu-

ally attempting to provide answers to the still somewhat open question of “What

is German?”. This proposed research project reflects on the construction of that

question and on how the various genres of German film attempt to answer it.

2 Theoretical and Analytical Approaches – a Selection of Literature

2.1 On Reunification and National Identity

Ruth Wittlinger (2010) supplies a thorough account of the issues central

to Germany’s current national identity forming. Dealing mainly with political and

sociological themes, it does, however, not sufficiently address media and, con-

sequently, film portrayal; nevertheless, it provides a solid socio-political basis

for my research. Similarly “Deutsche Kulturgeschichte” by German sociologists

Axel Schildt and Detlef Siegfried (2009), offers a wide scope of inter-German

history and cultural discourse since 1945, but, although including various subjects

in mass communication and media, it only touches rather lightly on these most

recent years, where a distinct form of all new and previously not known national

identity has become evident.

2.2 On Film

Heide Fehrenbach’s account on “Cinema in Democratizing Germany”

(1995) provides a useful review of West German cinema after rebuilding the film

industry post the second World War. It reflects on several genres of German film

(e.g. “Heimatfilme”, narratives in a rural setting, often with a conservative natio-

nalist undertone) that are currently still in use. However, it is mainly of retrospec-

tive value and ought to be considered to provide a sound historic foundation.

In “Nation and Identity in the New German Cinema: Homeless at Home”,

Inga Scharf (2008) offers a comprehensive account of current developments in

German cinema. She also shies away from more recent eligible output, even on

commercially motivated terms. Ideally this new project might provide a useful

addition to these previous efforts.

Gerald Mast, Marshall Cohen et al in “Film Theory and Criticism” (1992)

as well as Julia Hallam with Margaret Marshment’s “Realism and Popular Cine-

ma” (2000) will provide further theoretical foundation and comparative study of

films on an international scale. All detailed references can be found in the appendix.

3 German post-reunification film genres – a typology

This section outlines some genres of film that are eligible for further ana-

lysis, intending to offer a short overview of their cultural characteristics. A short

review of singular titles and content can be found in this proposal’s appendix.

3.1 “Ostalgie“

The neologism “Ostalgie” (“East-algia”) aims at a nostalgic and at times

highly satirical glorification of many East German characteristics and artefacts. It

first emerged as a trend some ten years after the GDR’s demise. In a post-moder-

nist sense, it compiles traces from the past and places them in a current context.

Films of this genren range from social drama and semi-documentaries to outright

comedy.

3.2 Inter-German drama

Primarly being TV-based, this genre bases itself on principles of separati-

on and reunion in the shape of prime-time blockbusters, often as two-part feature

films with an explicitly marketable cast of actors. While sensationalist in nature

and execution, it nevertheless provides a feeling of immediacy and eyewitness-

participation in events of global stature. Mainly revolving around true storylines

during the final days of German separation, its narratives soon fell prey to inter-

changeability and an opposite effect of over-saturation with sentimentality, many

times neglecting those political and social issues that reunification resulted in later.

3.3 Relationship- and Gender-Comedy

After appearing in the 1980’s, this genre rose to great prominence during

the mid-to-late 1990s. Originally perceived as a humorous way to portray a play-

ful association with gender issues (which was believed to be contrary to German-

ness at the time), it produced some innovative cinema without straying from the

mainstream.

3.4 New German Alternative Drama

New German alternative drama, too, carries a post-modernist aesthetic of

deconstructing classic film genres and transferring them into a contemporary (and

indigenously German) setting. Peculiarly it tends to be socially rooted in the old

Federal Republic (with its emphasis on liberal individualism), however, some ae-

sthetically challenging work had been produced, many times in cooperation with

and intensive funding by the publice service broadcasting stations.

4 Past Research and Applicable Traditions in Media Analysis

Cultural Studies and related studies on semiotics, polysemy and significa-

tion form the basis of this project. A lot of national identity formation is based in

semiology, especially Saussure’s (“signified-signifier” model) and Barthes’ work

on mythology. Much of German reunification history is rooted in signs – Trabant

cars, portrayal of the Brandenburg Gate and, as a symbol of a finally unified

nation-state, the flag waving during the 2006 FIFA World Cup); each film is to be

observed in semiotic terms. The lingering question, whether notions of national

identity are superimposed by the creators of film, the conditioning political eco-

nomy or by the audience itself through reception, will have to include Gramsci’s

theories on hegemony in connection with ideological representation to culture

(Gough-Yates, 2007, p. 20), also, in correlation with hegemony being a direct re-

sult of a common corporate ideology, supporting free-market capitalism (Dicken-

son, 2010, p. 240) – coinciding with the post-reunification period in Germany.

With the Media Effects tradition central to studying film’s effect on na-

tional identity, I see my proposed research firmly within Negotiated Media In-

fluence, or “social constructivism” where media reflects and “constructs” social

formations (or their history) – with the audience constructing their own view of

social reality and their place within it. (Gramson & Modigliani, 1989, in McQuail,

2010, p. 459-460). Some elements from the Payne Studies (1928), the first empiri-

cal study to establish media effects may be eligible for use. Originally monitoring

juvenile delinquency as a media effect from film consumption (Newbold, 1995,

p. 11), it nonetheless balanced quantitative and qualitative research methods early

on, similar to my intended utilization (see Section 6).

Political economy fosters the production of films like these. Miége’s the-

ory of the interrelatedness of media product type, the structure of corporate con-

trol and the nature of the labour process (Mosco, 2004, p. 16), a continuation of

Mattelart’s research on class struggle, should be put under further scrutiny here

– especially in relation to evaluating interviews with film producers of different

agency (public service and commercial).

5 Research Methodologies

5.1 Quantitative Methodologies

While issues like national identity, post-reunification ethnography as well

as aesthetics and narrative of film are best assessed by qualitative methodology,

some formal, normative aspects ought to be put under quantitative methods be-

forehand in order to present a closed plethora of material and data to base the qua-

litative questioning on. This is not to distract from the film’s content and narration

but it is invaluable in supplementation and adding another dimension through

triangulation of research methods.

Quantitative and qualitative methodology cannot easily be separated. Gra-

ham Mytton bases quantitative research on “selecting a sample of the population

and ask appropriate questions … about their ... viewing or ... listening” (1990, pp.

20-21). An obvious disadvantage of the most prominent quantitative method, con-

tent research, is, that units of research are being decontextualized, cost the film’s

opportunity to “stand as a whole”, fragment its narrative and, ultimately, dilute

the film’s allegiance to a specific genre. Furthermore, strictly adhering to Holsti’s

“Frequency Count” model, (Hansen, 2005, p. 8) does the narrative context of the

film little justice. A film is not a box of separate contents, it is an organic entity

where every ingredient invariably influences the next or previous one. An alterna-

tive to content research is provided by narrative analysis.

5.1.1 Narrative Analysis

Since the genres of film under consideration for this project are manifold,

I have decided to concentrate on the analysis of narratives over the analysis of

genre itself. Narrative, being the relationship of cause and effect (Hansen, 1998)

offers many utilisable research perspectives. Todorov’s “equilibrium formula”

(1977, in Hansen et al, 1998), as well as, in direct relation to myths and con-

sciousness, Levi-Strauss’ binary oppositions such as good vs. bad can be applied

here (Wright, 1995, p. 451), however, Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folk

Tale, (1968, in Hindmarsh, 1996) appears most prominent here. Propp’s method

of seven roles and functions, allocated over 31 separate narrative steps, will be

helpful to reveal sections that directly or indirectly relate to national identity sha-

ping. A.J. Greimas (1966) later reduced this to only six roles and three interrelated

“actants”, such as the giver and receiver, the subject and object, as well as the hero

and villain (in Hansen et al, 1998, pp 153-154).

In closing, one area where the study of genre would be most appropriate

is what Hansen et al describe as “the genre’s social role”. These are introduced by

either “audience studies of viewer choice and expression” or “Industry studies”,

that ultimately aim towards production and marketing issues (1998, p. 164-165);

especially under the largely postmodernist characteristics of recognition and mar-

ket placement, which are now applicable to all new cinema.

As part of a distinct mixed-method approach, narrative analysis can only

provide part of the research. It fails to take audience reaction and effects into ac-

count. This will be covered by the qualitative methodology of focus group research.

5.2 Qualitative Methodologies

The research objective of this topic cannot easily be measured in terms of

numbers such as sales figures and audience rankings. The ethnographic approach

of assessing the effects on national identity warrants a more subjective methodo-

logy. The most prominent one is focus group research, which can be varied into

editing groups research. An emerging method in qualitative research is autoeth-

nography, which will provide different vantage points, placing the researcher’s

personal objectives under scrutiny.

5.2.1 Focus Group Research

Besides content analysis the research with a focus group will be the main-

stay of my chosen qualitative research methods. Prime examples of this type of

research are the studies on international “Dallas” audiences by Liebes and Katz

(1990) as well as Ang (1985) which were carried out in a similar fashion.

To steer the research objective away from the films’ genre and narrative

evaluations, I intend to present some key scenes from a diverse range of texts to

a focus group of selected participants that should provide a far reaching cross-

section of modern German society. It should be no larger than ten participants per

session. These categories (both male and female) will be included:

• Young middle age to senior citizens

• Indigenous and migrant

• Inhabitants of urban and rural enviroments

• Citizens of Eastern and Western upbringing

I have deliberately chosen to start the age bracket at young middle age to

provide a larger field of discussion and a deeper understanding of what aspects

of film text might match or promote the formation of German National Identity.

Furthermore, this ensures the participation of citizens that had experienced both

political systems (of the two German states).

Due to obvious time constraints it will not be possible to show entire films

and then entice discussion about these. I will therefore keep to approx. 10 minute

snippets of key scenes – which have been evaluated during the narrativ analysis

process (see Section 6.1.1) – and ask a standard set of questions about these. A

sample questionnaire can be found in the appendix. This, however, will present

me with some inaccuracies, because people, unfamiliar with the entire film, will

only judge the segment by itself and not in its context. The possibility of other

participants being more familiar, and the opportunity to conduct a second focus

group session with different participants may be conducive for attaining more

rounded information. Additionally, there is likelhood, that a self-appointed leader

may take on a monopolizing, biasing role in the group (Wimmer & Dominick,

2011, p. 134).

In recent years much focus group and indeed all types of direct participant

research, have seen transferral onto internet platforms. Obvious shortfalls like the

relative anonymity of participants, lack of noticeable physical reactions and the

bias towards short, fragmentary and impulsive answers notwithstanding (Wim-

mer & Dominick, 2011, p. 137), this nonetheless facilitates an inexpensive and

comprehensive way to reach out to and to entice a large catchment of contributors

to join the research project. There are several discussion groups and notice boards

on film and cinema in general, which can be used to contact possible participants.

Whilst somewhat doubtful in a traditional sense, a survey of online customer re-

views of films may also be considered as a supplementary source of information

on what the “general public” thinks and whether any of the research aspects are

actually considered. In other words, impulsive “off the cuff” judgement on text

and content sometimes offers revealing insights!

An alternative setting to the focus group research has recently been deve-

loped. Here the participants do not answer normative questions about pre-assem-

bled media text. The principle of what MacGregor and Morrison (1995, in Hansen

et al, 1998) named “editing groups” is a reversal of focus group research, with the

discussion first moving towards possible components of national identity promo-

ting cinema and followingly constructing a framework of attributes which is then

placed in context with the scrutinized film material.

5.3 Triangulation

Out of the four models of triangulation outlined by Philipp Mayring – the

preparatory, the generalising, the intensified and the triangulation model itself

(2001, p. 8) – I choose to employ the preparatory model, where qualitative prepa-

ration, which forms the hypothesis (see 2) is supplemented by quantitative testing

of that hypothesis to form the thesis. Preliminarily I shall offer this structure of

research:

Qualitative methods >>> Hypothesis >>> Quantitative methods >>> Thesis

Focus & editing group research Narrative analysis

Conclusion

Ideally this dissertation should yield two results: firstly, to supply a deeper

understanding of recent German cinema, that has not yet attained classic status,

but is starting to influence reflective discourse on the reunified years and whatever

national identity is yet to emerge in Germany. Secondly, it may provide answers

to an as yet lingering question: Is German film and its array of influences, under-

currents and assertions ready for further international exposure? With the recent

global acclaim of films like “The Lives of Others” or “The Baader Meinhof Com-

plex”, could the large inventory of both populist and intellectual material generate

more international awareness? As Germans become increasingly more assured

with and accustomed to their past and present roles, will the country’s current

cultural output – aided by the effects of extensive globalization – find increased

exposure to a global audience?

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Appendix

• A Selection of Literature• Filmography of Prospective Sources• Focus Group Research – Sample Questions• Research Ethics

The post-reunification period essentially saw East Germany “joining”

West Germany. Previously, each nation-state had its own particular impact on the

respective mass media systems, including the film industry. Ruth Wittlinger points

out, that, as separation endured, distinct changes in the relationship of “both Ger-

manies” became apparent. A certain degree of alienation, especially on behalf of

the Federal Republic, stood in opposition to a strong sense of belonging to one na-

tion, that still remains entrenched within East German Society (Wittlinger, 2010,

p. 65). While those East Germans – who by proximity or specific equipment were

able to receive Western broadcasting – did so enthusiastically, West Germans usu-

ally did not bother with Eastern media.

A Selection of Literature (Section 3)FEHRENBACH, Heide (1995): “Cinema in Democratizing Germany: Reconstructing National Identity after Hitler”. University of North Carolina Press

FUCHS, Anne (20089: “Phantoms of War in Contemporary German Literature, Films and Discourse”. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan

HALLAM, Julia & Marshment, Margaret (2000): “Realism and Popular Cinema”. Manchester University Press

MAST, Gerald et al. (1992): “Film Theory and Criticism”, Oxford, Oxford University Press

SCHILDT, Axel & Siegfried, Detlef (2009): “Deutsche Kulturgeschichte: Die Bundesrepublik – von 1945 bis zur Gegenwart” (“German Cultural History: The Federal Republic – from 1945 to Present”). Munich, Carl Hanser Verlag

WITTLINGER, Ruth (2010): “German National Identity in the Twenty-First Century: A Different Republic After All?”. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Filmography of Prospective Sources (Section 4)

“Ostalgie” (see Section 4.1)

“Good-Bye Lenin”

A young man reconstructs a faux-GDR enviroment for his bedridden mo-

ther, who had spent the political turnover and, subsequently, the abolishment of

East Germany in a coma and must not be put under unnecessary stress (by the new

turn of events).

“Sonnenallee”

A classic youth comedy which humorously shines a light on a group of

East Berlin youngsters and attempts to construct similarities of young people’s

lifestyles in East and West Germany, resulting in a “we weren’t that different from

another” core statement.

“NVA”

A sequel of some sorts to “Sonnenallee” by the same directing team, this

time located in the East German National People’s Army during compulsory ser-

vice, portraying the irrationalities of barrack life under the peculiarities of socia-

list militarism and the inherent doubtfulness of East German national identity.

Inter-German Drama (see Section 4.2)

As already mentioned in the main section, Inter-German drama is usually

a TV-based format, aimed at the largest possible audience catchment and strict-

ly adhering to commercial purposes, therefore employing a name cast of cur-

rent “star” status, historically based storylines, that are directly based within the

nation’s body of knowledge and definition of identity, often a two-part screening

within weekly prime-timeslots (sunday and monday evening, consecutively) and

the largest period of revenue for the broadcasting station (many times self produ-

ced). Several issues, that profess to have “shaped” reunified national identity have

been transformed into feature films:

“Der Tunnel” (“The Tunnel”)

Based on a true story of a former East German champion swimmer esca-

ping across the waters of the Baltic Sea, returning to West Berlin to construct an

escape tunnel with a previously escaped friend to free his sister.

“Wir sind das Volk” (“We, The People”)

Directly based on the customary protest cry of the East German peoples in

Autumn 1989, this in essence is a family drama, set within the events of the last

days of the German Democratic Republic.

“Prager Botschaft” (“Prague, German Embassy”)

The sight of former German foreign secretary Hans-Dietrich Genscher,

assuring East Germans, that have sought refuge on the embassy grounds, of their

grant to emigrate during the days preceding the fall of the Berlin Wall, have en-

graved themselves in the collective national identity. This film is another family

drama, culminating in a reconstruction of these events.

Others, which may be considered, are “Böseckendorf”, the portrayal of

the escape across the border of an entire East German village, and “Die Frau vom

Checkpoint Charlie”, a two-part drama, directly dealing with child and family

deportation in the German Democratic Republic.

Relationship- and Gender-Comedy (seeSection 4.3)

Designed primarily to entertain and to reflect gender-issues without really

involving people’s actual opinions, there are only some films from this genre that

warrant further attention. One must certainly be “Der bewegte Mann”, based on

the homo-erotic cartoons by Ralf König. It was one of the first crossover succes-

ses, that addressed the often confused discourse between heterosexuals and homo-

sexuals and often raised the question, whether intersexual friendship is actually

possible! Upon its release in 1994 it well reflected a shift in society towards more

tolerance of the subject, as – in with the benefit of hindsight – the Helmut Kohl

years of chancellorship and an emphasis on conservative values slowly came to

an end.

“Stadtgespräch” and “Allein unter Frauen”, two early products of this gen-

re, kept to a male-female alignment, albeit with more frivolous narrative, which

attracted much attention in the early 1990s. A more recent (2008) critical success

was “Shoppen” (“Shopping For People”), which well portrays the life and issues

of an increasing number of single households in Germany and their aspirations to

find a suitable partner, that matches the increasing requirements in a post-moder-

nist and, ultimately, consumerist urban setting.

These films do not stimulate debate about German national identity per se,

but they provide a concise overview of the people, that may ultimately participate

in this planned research project. Their version of and their opinions on German

national identity will come into play.

New German Alternative Drama (see Section 4.4)

The Tom Tykwer Trilogy of the 1990s

Acclaimed German director and scriptwriter had achieved forays into in-

ternational Hollywood-style format, but his well known trilogy of films from the

1990s serves as a prime example for German everyday life in a reunified coun-

try, creating a balanced dialogue of the past (albeit with a strong an prosperous

“Western” bias) and the “new generation”. The best-known one of these, “Lola

rennt” (international title “Run Lola Run”), is a fast paced crime drama employ-

ing a strong music video aesthetics and the post-modernist trend of time lapsing

to construct and deconstruct a narrative. Released in 1998 it was also the first

of many films to feature the reinstated capital of Berlin as a setting for new and

trend-oriented cinema with international targeting. However, the other two films

– this trilogy had initially been designed as one body of work – albeit less main-

stream, are equally valid for analysis. “Die tödliche Maria” (“Lethal Maria”), the

protrayal of a secluded woman, discovering telekinetic capabilities to free herself

from her enshrining surroundings, reveals a concise portrait of urban seclusion

and withdrawal. “Winterschläfer” (international title: “Winter Sleepers”), by cri-

tical acclaim Tykwer’s finest achievement, chooses a rural “Heimatfilm” aesthetic

to combine the aspirations of four young adults of strong personalities and some-

what fraught interrelations and to place them within a narrative of personal loss

and betrayal. This demanding piece of post-reunification cinema bridges the gap

between modern, urban, participatory people, rural seclusion and brooding tradi-

tionalism and sweeping imagery of loss, self doubt and megalomania.

“Knocking On Heaven’s Door”

Initially a classic “buddy movie”, in style of American road movies, this

film has drawn on Quentin Tarantino’s crossover success “Pulp Fiction” in em-

ploying fast- paced and surreal dialogue and quirky situation comedy. It, howe-

ver, adheres to a singular narrative (two moribunds escaping from their ward and

setting off on a crime spree in order to make their last wish – for one more time

seeing the ocean – true). While not directly related to issues of reunification and

national identity, it provides a revealing artefact of how German cinema adapted

to global trends and attempted to employ these within an indigenous setting.

“Bin ich schön?” (“Am I Beautiful?”)

This episode-drama, too, would serve best to lay proof of German film-

makers adhering to international “trends” of film-making – in this case director

Doris Dörrie employs the stylistic device of portmanteau – but, although set in

Andalusia, it offers a revealing portrait of (then) contemporary German citizens

following their respective aspirations in a foreign, and thus both alienating and li-

berating enviroment. The interlocking narratives quite uncannily provide a potted

study of the late-1990s social structure in Germany.

“Zugvögel – Einmal nach Inari” (“Migrating Birds”)

One would be tempted to call this film a classic road movie – but the pro-

trayal of a working-class joe public following his muse (in this case: trainspotting

and railroad timetable reading), after having unwittingly become eligible for cri-

minal prosecution) and setting off on a journey into the remotest corner of finland,

reminds one of the aspirations of “common people” and the relentlessness of the

working enviroment in times of employment shifts and increasing globalisation.

The last decade has seen a distinct rise of cultural participation from peo-

ple of ethnic migrant origin. Auteurs and intellectuals such as Vladimir Kaminer

and Feridun Zaimoglu have begun to influence the shaping of a new multi-cultural

national identity. It is, therefore, vital to also consider films of directors such as

Fatih Akin, who have developed an all new and current method to portray the life

and enviroments of ethnic minorities in Germany.

Focus Group Research (see Section 6.2.1)

A sample of possible questions for focus group discussion:

BEFORE VIEWING:

• How far do German films interest you over, say, Hollywood productions?

• When watching a German production, do you expect it to deal with issues of German history and assessing the German “psyche”?

• Do you watch German productions in expectation to see your own life and social role reflected?

• Have you ever detected your own life enviroment in a German film?

• Does the film meet your expectation about learning something new about history and society?

AFTER VIEWING:

• Do you see your own personality and situation in life reflected in this film?

• Do aspects of this film emphasize traits of German society and character like … (List thereof)?

• Does this film alter your perception and opinion about Germany and German-ness?

• Do you think that the German origin of this film gives it a uniqueness in international comparison?

• Is the “German-ness” that this film propagates, relevant or valid to your everyday life experiences?

Possible questioning model: Likert scale – levels of agreeing / disagreeing(Wimmer & Dominick, 2011, p. 56)Range: Strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

Research Ethics

Focus group research may be eligible to various issues of research

ethics. Bringing together characters of different ethnies and social levels can in-

variably produce an atmosphere of conflict and dominance within the discussion.

In discussing, evidences of illegal activity (e.g. the illegal downloading of film

material by a participant) may become evident, with the promise of confidentiality

being put in doubt (Wimmer & Dominick, 2011, p. 133).

Out of the several ethical theories available in philosophy, relativism co-

mes closest to application in scientific research. Arguing, that there is no right or

wrong in behaving or decision making (Wimmer & Dominick, 2011, p. 67), it

addresses the researcher as much as his heterogenous sample of participants in

discussion. This should be extended to the promise of confidentiality and neutrali-

ty, an agreement to allow every participant equal weight of opinion and contribu-

tion (eg. to prevent bias and annected opinion leadership of discussion early on),

but also to reserve the right to consider cases of unlawfulness in a correct manner.

Wimmer & Dominick refer to a combination of nonmaleficience and beneficience

– the avoidance of inflicting harm and disadvantage, plus the “forwarding of po-

sitive obligation to remove existing harms and to confer benefits” to achieve this

(p. 67-68). Additionally, there are four moral principles, forwarded by Frey, Botan

and Kreps (2002, in Wimmer & Dominick, 2011, p. 67)

• Provide the people being studied with free choice.

• Protect their rights to privacy.

• Benefit them, not harm them.

• Treat them with respect.

Elements of these will be included in the Consent Form that I intend to

hand out to every participant, with extra emphasis on the confidentality of all in-

formation submitted to me.

My research is to comply with the Research Ethics Guidelines of the Uni-

versity of Leicester, however, primarly conducting the research and interviewing

in Germany, some local laws may become applicable. Although primarly based in

journalism, the Center for International Media Ethics CIME (cimethics.org) may

provide some guidelines, applicable for all territories. All quantitative research –

in this case provided by narrative analysis (see Section 6.1.1 of the research pro-

posal) falls primarly under international laws on plagiarism and, once more, the

principle of confidentiality (Wimmer & Dominick, 2011, p. 80).