Wiebke Sievers | Austrian Academy of Sciences (original) (raw)

Books by Wiebke Sievers

Welche Rolle spielt Literatur im Prozess gesellschaftlicher Veränderung durch Migration? Postmigr... more Welche Rolle spielt Literatur im Prozess gesellschaftlicher Veränderung durch Migration? Postmigrantische Literaturgeschichte etabliert einen feldtheoretischen Neuansatz. Sie betrachtet Migrant*innen als festen Bestandteil literarischer Felder, ohne gesellschaftliche Ungleichheit aus dem Blick zu verlieren. Am Beispiel Österreich illustriert Wiebke Sievers, wie sich im Zuge der Nationalisierung unbewusste Grenzziehungen in literarische Felder einschreiben und wie Vladimir Vertlib, Dimitré Dinev, Julya Rabinowich sowie Anna Kim diese mit je eigenen Positionierungen überwinden. Sie entwickeln sich damit zu relevanten, aber nur teils gehörten Stimmen in der öffentlichen Auseinandersetzung über Migration.

Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften eBooks, Apr 1, 2021

Immigrant and Ethnic-Minority Writers since 1945. Fourteen National Contexts in Europe and Beyond, 2018

This volume studies immigrant and ethnic-minority writers in fourteen national contexts from a co... more This volume studies immigrant and ethnic-minority writers in fourteen national contexts from a comparative perspective. When literary scholars historicise immigrant and ethnic-minority writing in their respective national contexts, they usually only focus on how this writing has become visible and how it has come to challenge the respective national literatures; they rarely tell us why this writing has remained invisible for such a long time in many of the contexts discussed here. Yet, as soon as we move beyond national contexts, this is the first question which comes to mind: How can we explain these differences, especially between countries that have very similar immigration histories? With this question in mind, we developed a comparative framework that would bring to light both of these perspectives in each chapter. The introduction serves to explain this framework as well as the selection of countries included in this volume.

kann deutsch die muttersprache einer autorin sein, die in südkorea geboren ist? warum ist es für ... more kann deutsch die muttersprache einer autorin sein, die in südkorea geboren ist? warum ist es für eine ukrainische autorin in österreich leichter dem schreiben nachzugehen als in ihrer literarischen heimat? was bedeutet es, die zeit in teegläsern zu messen? antworten auf diese und viele andere fragen finden sie in diesen gesprächen mit seher çakır, dimitré dinev, ilir ferra, anna kim, tanja maljartschuk, julya rabinowich, doron rabinovici, stanislav struhar und vladimir vertlib.

der band liefert persönliche einblicke in ihr selbstverständnis, ihre schreibanfänge, ihre wege in den literaturbetrieb, ihre sprach- und lesebiographien sowie ihr literarisches schaffen.

Begriffe wie Migranten- oder Migrationsliteratur werden von den betroffenen AutorInnen oft abgele... more Begriffe wie Migranten- oder Migrationsliteratur werden von den betroffenen AutorInnen oft abgelehnt. Dieser Band überschreitet solche Kategorisierungen, indem er den unterschiedlichen Wegen von MigrantInnen in die Literatur folgt. Zu diesem Zweck widmet er sich der Geschichte der literarischen Zuwanderung (Elias Canetti, Milo Dor, György Sebestyén) und GegenwartsautorInnen, die bisher kaum diskutiert wurden (Seher Çakır, Ilir Ferra, Tanja Maljartschuk, Stanislav Struhar). Im Zentrum der Auseinandersetzung stehen dabei die Fragen, wie sich diese AutorInnen in ihren Werken und über bestimmte Veröffentlichungsorgane selbst verorten, wie sie durch Verlage, Kritik oder Preise positioniert werden und welche Rollen ihre Migrationsbiographien und ihre Mehrsprachigkeit in diesen Prozessen spielen.

Translation negotiates otherness. Hence, otherness can be regarded as a central component of the ... more Translation negotiates otherness. Hence, otherness can be regarded as a central component of the translation process. Moreover, via disciplines, such as philosophy and anthropology, otherness in the last two decades has entered Western theories and studies of translation and become an important analytical and normative category in the field of translation studies. Nevertheless, there is an apparent lack of research considering the concept itself as well as its history and current use in the field and its relevance for the practice of translation. This book can be regarded as a first attempt to fill this gap. It reconsiders the translation theories currently known as ‘foreignizing’ and shows that some of these draw on the same nationalist agenda that they try to transcend. Moreover, the ensuing case study proves that current translation practice is still governed by a nationalist assurance of linguistic and cultural differences. This book therefore concludes by calling for a change of perspective in the theoretical and practical approaches to translation. Translation should no longer be regarded as a means of delimiting our selves from a national other, but as a way to uncover the otherness underlying these alleged selves.

Migration ist eine klassische Querschnittsmaterie, die in den unterschiedlichsten Disziplinen erf... more Migration ist eine klassische Querschnittsmaterie, die in den unterschiedlichsten Disziplinen erforscht wird. Der interdisziplinäre Austausch wird dabei meist vernachlässigt. Durch die regelmäßige Dokumentation von Forschungsfragen und Ergebnissen der österreichischen Forschung zu diesem wichtigen Thema schafft das Jahrbuch für Migrations- und Integrationsforschung hier Abhilfe. Die Beiträge des zweiten Bandes befassen sich sowohl mit klassischen Themen wie Integration und Nachbarschaft als auch mit aktuellen Aspekten von Asyl und Irregularität. Den Bereichen Sprache und Theologie sind weitere Beiträge gewidmet. Die AutorInnen behandeln theoretische und methodologische Fragestellungen, aber auch die Umsetzung von Forschungserkenntnissen in die Praxis. Das Jahrbuch richtet sich insbesondere an die deutschsprachige Forschungsgemeinschaft, darüber hinaus aber auch an ein breiteres Publikum, das an neuen Zugängen zu migrationsbezogenen Fragen interessiert ist.

Als klassische Querschnittsmaterie wird Migration in den unterschiedlichsten Disziplinen erforsch... more Als klassische Querschnittsmaterie wird Migration in den unterschiedlichsten Disziplinen erforscht. An interdisziplinärem Austausch mangelt es jedoch. Das Jahrbuch für Migrations- und Integrationsforschung will hier Abhilfe schaffen, indem es regelmäßig die Forschungsfragen und Ergebnisse der österreichischen Migrations- und Integrationsforschung dokumentiert. Die Beiträge im ersten nun vorliegenden Band behandeln neben klassischen Themen wie Asyl, Staatsbürgerschaft und Diskriminierung auch neuere Aspekte wie den europäischen Pflegearbeitsmarkt, die Aufenthaltsehe oder die Bedeutung von Migration für Medien und Kunst. Dabei wird neueren theoretischen und methodologischen Ansätzen genauso Raum gegeben wie der Frage, wie sich die Forschungserkenntnisse in die Praxis einbringen lassen. Das Jahrbuch richtet sich insbesondere an die deutschsprachige Forschungsgemeinschaft, darüber hinaus aber auch an ein breiteres Publikum, das an neuen Zugängen zu migrationsbezogenen Fragen interessiert ist.

The two most recent expansions to the EU, in May 2004 and January 2007, have had a significant im... more The two most recent expansions to the EU, in May 2004 and January 2007, have had a significant impact on contemporary conceptions of statehood, nation-building, and citizenship within the Union. This volume outlines the citizenship laws in each of the twelve new countries as well as in the accession states of Croatia and Turkey.

... of statehood, nation-building and citizenship within the Union. In contrast with the old Memb... more ... of statehood, nation-building and citizenship within the Union. In contrast with the old Member States, many of the new ones have not existed as independent states within their present borders for more than two generations. Citizenship Policies in the New Europe describes the ...

In the past decade, there has been a trend towards the global âharmonizationâ of migration st... more In the past decade, there has been a trend towards the global âharmonizationâ of migration statistics, largely inspired by international bodies and organizations that require comparative data. This volume provides an accessible account of the history of migration measurement in Europe and analyzes the current conceptualizations of migration and data-gathering procedures across twelve European countries. Based on this analysis, the authors provide critical insight into the migrant stocks and flows in their own countries and comment on recent trends in migration scholarship, such as the feminization of migration or the diversification of migrantâs origins.

Papers by Wiebke Sievers

Cultural Change in Post-Migrant Societies Re-Imagining Communities Through Arts and Cultural Activities, 2024

Understanding who we are". These words are imprinted on the wall of the Vorarlberg Museum, locate... more Understanding who we are". These words are imprinted on the wall of the Vorarlberg Museum, located in Bregenz, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Vorarlberg, which borders with Switzerland. This motto implies that there is a clearly demarcated "we" whose identity and culture can be defined and that it is the task of the museum to contribute to such a definition. The artist, writer and activist Mohammed Ali Baş, born in Vorarlberg of Turkish parents, aims to change this motto by crossing out "who" and replacing it with "where" so that the sentence reads "Understanding where we are". With this modification, the artist aims to highlight that culture is not an essence of a people but is constantly changing. Migration has been one of the most important factors of such changes over recent decades in Europe. However, this has not necessarily found recognition in large cultural institutions, cultural policies and the related official local, regional and national narratives. Mohammed Ali Baş' motto defines museums as places that help individuals and communities to understand where they stand in this process of cultural change initiated by migration. Where do we stand between the exclusion of migrants as others from national narratives and traditions invented in the nineteenth century and the emergence of new narratives that include them and enable their social, political and cultural participation? This vignette contains many of the ideas discussed in this volume. "Migration is, of course, change", as Alejandro Portes once put it (2010, p. 1544). It increases the diversity of societies in terms of origins, languages, religions and cultural traditions. However, this does not automatically imply a change in how local, regional and

Cultural Change in Post-Migrant Societies Re-Imagining Communities Through Arts and Cultural Activities, 2024

Where do we stand between the exclusion of migrants as others from national narratives and tradit... more Where do we stand between the exclusion of migrants as others from national narratives and traditions invented in the nineteenth century and the emergence of new narratives that include them and enable their social, political and cultural participation? This is what we discuss under the label cultural change in this volume, Cultural change in post-migrant societies: Re-imagining communities through arts and cultural activities. Since history has shown that arts and cultural activities have the potential to effectuate cultural change, we focus on the question of whether and how far they contribute to such a change in post-migrant societies. In the introduction, I explain the theme and objective of the present volume. Subsequently, I place it in the wider debate on social and cultural change in migration and cultural studies. I then explain in more detail where and how this volume moves beyond the state-of-the-art. Finally, I discuss our results in the light of recent changes in migration studies.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2008

Grenzüberschreitungen, 2016

Journal of World Literature, 2020

This special issue on scale shifting brings into sharper focus the complexity of global literary ... more This special issue on scale shifting brings into sharper focus the complexity of global literary circulation, especially when viewed from the perspective of global literary peripheries. In this introduction, we present the idea of scale shifting, a concept we use to move beyond translation to include circulation in global languages, such as English and French. We build on earlier analyses that mapped previous literary worlds and shed light on the aesthetic and sociological factors that enabled outsiders to enter them by (1) focusing on how peripheralised writers scale up to gain global recognition in multiscalar literary fields and (2) analysing how, in turn, this scale shifting changes the national, regional and global levels of these fields. In addition, we provide a preview of each article included in this volume and summarise the collective takeaways gleaned from our individual case studies.

Immigrant and Ethnic-Minority Writers since 1945, 2018

Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften eBooks, Apr 1, 2021

Immigrant and Ethnic-Minority Writers since 1945. Fourteen National Contexts in Europe and Beyond, 2018

der band liefert persönliche einblicke in ihr selbstverständnis, ihre schreibanfänge, ihre wege in den literaturbetrieb, ihre sprach- und lesebiographien sowie ihr literarisches schaffen.

Cultural Change in Post-Migrant Societies Re-Imagining Communities Through Arts and Cultural Activities, 2024

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2008

Grenzüberschreitungen, 2016

Journal of World Literature, 2020

Immigrant and Ethnic-Minority Writers since 1945, 2018

Immigrant and Ethnic-Minority Writers since 1945

Herta Mullers Rezeption in Rumanien und Deutschland wurde bisher nur sporadisch untersucht. Das m... more Herta Mullers Rezeption in Rumanien und Deutschland wurde bisher nur sporadisch untersucht. Das mag damit zusammenhangen, dass Rezeptionsstudien in Zeiten von kulturwissenschaftlichen Ansatzen in der Literaturwissenschaft generell ins Hintertreffen geraten sind, und zwar besonders solche, die sich nur auf einen nationalen Raum beschranken.

Immigrant and Ethnic-Minority Writers since 1945

Crossings: Journal of Migration & Culture

Grenzüberschreitungen, 2016

Migration Letters, 2014

Turkish immigrants and their descendants have become the main target of antiimmigrant political m... more Turkish immigrants and their descendants have become the main target of antiimmigrant political mobilization in Austria since the 1990s. They have come to epitomize the image of the Oriental enemy and the Muslim other. Based on these discursive constructions, Muslims in general, and Turks in particular, have often been described as unwilling to integrate into Austrian society. The articles in this special issue show not only that these discourses and exclusionary attitudes may result in discriminatory practices towards Turkish immigrants and their descendants in Austria, but also that the alleged unwillingness to integrate may be explained by the lack of effort made by the Austrian government and Austrian institutions to integrate this group.

Comparative Migration Studies

There is a tendency in migration research to view artistic and cultural practices of immigrants a... more There is a tendency in migration research to view artistic and cultural practices of immigrants and their descendants as well as the research of such practices as less relevant for our understanding of migration. This explains why it has long been a neglected area of research in the social sciences, as Marco Martiniello explains in his contribution to this volume. The present article argues that drawing such boundaries prevents us from seeing the joint aims not only of migration research in the social sciences and the humanities, but also of this research and the arts. It prevents us from seeing the potential of joining forces in our struggle for change towards more equal societies. The article explains how social science research and artistic and cultural practices can be regarded as two supplementary methods of struggling for equality that together have a greater chance of reaching this aim. Artistic and cultural practices contribute perspectives for changing community narratives ...

Journal of World Literature, 2020

Chamisso Preis / Hellerau: Literatur und Migration 2018, 2019

Austrian Studies, 2019

Research on immigrants and their descendants in German literature rests on the assumption that th... more Research on immigrants and their descendants in German literature rests on the assumption that there has been a change from exclusive monolingual nationalism to a more multilingual literary field due to increased immigration since the 1960s. The article questions this assumption from the perspective of immigrants who became writers in Austria after 1918, paying particular attention to Elias Canetti, Vladmir Vertlib, Dimitré Dinev, Anna Kim, Julya Rabinowich, Tomer Gardi and Fiston Mwanza Mujila. Their self-positioning as regards mono- and multilingualism, as well as their treatment by publishers, critics and academics, show that immigration does not necessarily lead to more multilingual literature or a more multilingual literary field.

Recent studies have shown that mainstage theatre has largely remained closed to immigrants and th... more Recent studies have shown that mainstage theatre has largely remained closed to immigrants and their descendants who want to enter the cultural institution as actors, directors and playwrights. This was explained with persistent homogeneous national narratives, gatekeepers denying immigrants and their descendants access and cultural policies pushing them into niches. This article adds to this the dimension of theatre history to understand first, why mainstage theatre in the German-speaking countries has remained closed to the new diversity brought by migration and second, why diversification, when it finally arrived, was more successful in Berlin than in Vienna. I regard the intricate link between theatre and nation-building as underlying the long exclusion of immigrants and their descendants in the German-speaking context. Subsequently, I argue that the more flexible theatre structures and the recent turn towards including immigrants and their descendants in cultural policymaking in Berlin have facilitated the career of an artist whose main aim was to address the exclusionary structures of theatre. Due to the limited research on this topic, I cannot claim my observations to be representative, but they provide a matrix for an in depth-analysis in other contexts.

The point of departure of this special issue is that in spite of the existence of a large debate ... more The point of departure of this special issue is that in spite of the existence of a large debate on cultural policies on the one hand, and on migration-related diversity policies on the other, there are still few studies that deal with the intersection between these two policy fields. All contributions of the special issue bridge this gap by analysing if and how cultural policies, cultural institutions and artistic activities have changed in response to migratory processes, contributing to the transformation of societies. Their results raise the additional question of whether the incorporation of culture as an artistic practice and a channel of communication could change the basic ways integration processes have been researched.

The literatures that have emerged from post-war Turkish migration to Europe have become a topic... more The literatures that have emerged from post-war Turkish migration to Europe have become a topic of discussion since the 1980s. However, studies comparing the emergence of these literatures in different European contexts are rare. This article compares Sweden and West Germany, two contexts where migration from Turkey has a similar history, but where the resulting literatures differ massively due to different political and literary conditions. Multicultural, and in particular multilingual, public policies in Sweden have facilitated the emergence of a Kurdish diaspora literature; this then became a major impetus for the emergence of a Kurdish literature in Turkey when it was finally possible to write and publish in Kurdish there in the 1990s. The emergence of the New Left in West Germany, reflected in a re-awakened workers’ literature and new left-wing publishing houses in the German literary field, has provided publishing opportunities for Turkish migrant writers influenced by a socialist internationalist tradition in the 1970s. These works laid the foundation for a literary tradition that has since come to be regarded as having changed the understanding of what it means to be German.