Germany:

Unraveling an Enigma

By: Greg Nees

How I Spent My Time

• Started from the beginning

• Read the first 3 chapters completely

• Skipped through the remaining chapters and read some particular topics of interest after that

To The Reader

• The author starts out by saying he will do his best to be unbiased

• Gives a brief description of his life and how he is connected to both the German and American way of life

• Attempts to explain German culture to an American audience (without offending either group!)

To the Reader

• “I was born in Eastern Pennsylvania in 1949 to working-class German and Anglo-Saxon ancestors…this area…influenced me more than I was aware of.”

My Thoughts

• I think it is extremely important to read this section of the book

• We learn how objective (or subjective) the author is

• This will play a role while we read the rest of the book– Can we believe what he says?

Ch. 1 Introduction

• What does it mean to be German?

• The author does not answer the question, but rather gives the reader a wide range of “German” topics to think about– The first real Germanic hero to how

Hollywood needs the Nazis to politics

• Very brief

What does Google think?

Did you know?

• The Legend of Hermann

• Lead Germanic tribes into victory against the Romans in 9 AD

• Story became popular during 1871

• Why?

My Thoughts

• An interesting chapter that gets the reader to start thinking about German culture

• The author often compares American and German culture (like Omaggio says!), but also uses Asian culture as a contrast occasionally throughout the book

Ch. 2 Who are the Germans?

• He is speaking solely about those in Germany

• Mentions that Germans tend to focus more on history than Americans do

• From there gives a mini-history lesson about time periods in German history

• Continually relates the history to modern trends or culture

Something interesting

• BRD was divided into two time periods, before and after 1968

• Nachkriegsgeneration- Generation of ’68

• Their movements resulted in big changes within Germany– Education reform– Childcare changes

Ch. 2 Who are the Germans?

• The author also includes a section called “A Patchwork Community” where he discusses differences within Germany

•Historical reasons for these differences•Heimat trends•North v. South•East v. West•Urban v. Rural

Not just East and West

• North v. South = Protestant v. Catholic

• “The Rheinlanders are thought to talk more and are considered more cheerful and extroverted than the dour, serious, Protestant Swabians,

who are famed for their

thrift and industry.”

• Differences in familiarity

My Thoughts

• This was my favorite section of the book!

• Having a historical background about a country/people/nation is not something people generally have

• Dealt well with the Third Reich

• Explored regional differences

Ch.3 Major German Cultural Themes

• Nees says that “in order to communicate successfully with people from another culture, it is important to understand how they interpret a given situation and what their intentions are.”

Ch. 3 Major German Cultural Themes

• Ordnung muß sein

• Seen in all aspects of life– Rules and regulations– Not chaos!– The class system

Ch. 3 Major German Cultural Themes

• Clarity and Compartmentalization

• Set boundaries for…– Homes and work places– Relationships– Daily activities

My Thoughts

• Autumn’s comment last week made me nervous about this chapter

• Seemed to be very explanatory, providing many small examples

• Could probably be summed up in the word “Order”

Ch. 4 German Communication Patterns

• Du and Sie revisited

• Nice explanation with diagrams comparing many different types of interactions

• Connected back to last chapter’s examples

Self Unconscious

Most PersonalMost

Public

Ch. 5 and 6 Business

• Skipped around here

• 60 pages out of 170!

• German attitude toward business

• Banks

• Staying late to impress the boss backfires

Ch. 7 Creation of a New German Identity

• Ends looking into the future

• Germany’s role in the EU

• Changes for women

• Problems with the current higher education system

• Amerikanisierung

Last Thoughts

• A little more academic in style

• Provides reasons in a serious way for why Germans are they way they are

• More factual than personal. Maybe unbiased?

• Luckily I am interested in German culture…