EX-CORPORATION: ON MALE BIRTH FANTASIES

Abstract

Between 1890 and 1933, male birth fantasies became awidespread phenomenon in European culture. One ofthe key examples of male birth fantasies is Filippo TommasoMarinetti’s “African” novel Mafarka the Futurist.The novel’s protagonist, Mafarka, gives birth to a childby his will power and by drawing on diverse formationsof knowledge, from alchemy to theories of evolution. Inaddition to the consideration given the psycho-historical,cultural, and scientific contexts of male birth fantasiesin the avant-garde, the contribution reflects on siblingencryptment within the relationship to the motheras one more aspect of a span of genealogy one mightterm “Maternal Modernity.”Christine Kanz is Professor of German Literature atGhent University in Belgium. Her contribution refersto her 2009 book Maternale Moderne. Männliche Gebärphantasienzwischen Kultur und Wissenschaft, 1890-1933. In addition she edited several collections andauthored another book on Ingeborg Bachmann, andnumerous articles and reviews in the area of interdisciplinarystudies.Before entering the Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe,class of Daniel Roth, in 2008, Adam Cmiel trained invarious media in Bad Dürkheim, Hamburg, Mannheim,and Trier. He has participated in nine exhibitions sincethe onset of his studies in Karlsruhe.