Overview
- Written in clear, jargon-free language to make it accessible and appealing
- Spans the caesura of 1989/1990 while analyzing the ideological nature of “non-political” literature textbooks
- First monograph in English focusing on both pre- and post-unification textbook research about the GDR
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Educational Media (PSEM)
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About this book
This book analyzes the changing portrayal of GDR literature in German Gymnasium textbooks 1985-2015. Addressing the need for textbook research to broaden its focus from GDR history to GDR literature, the author presents case studies of well-known GDR authors (Bertolt Brecht, Johannes R. Becher, Anna Seghers, Wolf Biermann, and Christa Wolf), each examining a particular aspect of the societal discourse about GDR literature and the tension between (literary) text and (historical) context. Taken together, the case studies reveal the frequently underestimated power of ideology in literature textbooks. They also show how attempts to package these authors into simplified categories ultimately reveal the profound complexities of the GDR literary legacy. By examining the clear tension between literature and politics in textbooks and curricula, the author demonstrates how ideological messages are transmitted in all textbooks, as well as the importance of attending to overt and covert ideology.
Keywords
Table of contents (7 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: GDR Literature in German Curricula and Textbooks
Book Subtitle: Exploring the Legacy of GDR Authors, 1985-2015
Authors: Elizabeth Priester Steding
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Educational Media
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39051-7
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Education, Education (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-39050-0Published: 16 September 2023
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-39053-1Published: 16 September 2024
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-39051-7Published: 15 September 2023
Series ISSN: 2662-7361
Series E-ISSN: 2662-737X
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXI, 185
Topics: Curriculum Studies, Education, general, Literary History, Contemporary Literature, History of Germany and Central Europe, Educational Philosophy