‚Interkulturalität‘ und ‚Interkulturelle Literatur‘ Ein Beitrag zur Erörterung und exemplarischen Erprobung der neuen Grundbegriffe aus der interkulturellen Literaturwissenschaft

Abstract

This article discusses the concepts of ‘interculturality’ and ‘intercultural literature’, which circulate as important basic concepts in intercultural literary studies. Considering the fact that the boundaries of these terms often merge into each other, this paper strives to clearly define the usage of the terms. By the discussion on the example of Thorsten Becker’s novel Sieger nach Punkten (Winner on Points), the use of the mentioned terms may be revealed. The criteria for literary interculturality established by Blioumi (2002) and the components of intercultural literature determined by Chiellino (2002) served as the basis for the analysis. By testing these approaches on Becker’s novel, it became clear that it fulfills the criteria of literary interculturality, which lie in a dynamic concept of culture, in double optics, self-criticism, empathy, and hybridity, and is characterized by a special intercultural potential. In this, the significant social contribution of Winner on Points becomes evident, which manifests itself in the fact that the novel promotes intercultural understanding between Turkish and German societies. The questioning of the criteria of intercultural literature drafted by Chiellino, which he sees in the presence of an intercultural memory, an intercultural interlocutor and in the so-called linguistic latency, led to the conclusion that Winner on Points can be classified in intercultural literature. Overall, the analysis functioned not only as an example for applying the approaches elaborated by Blioumi and Chiellino to a textual example, but also for deepening and distinguishing the meaning and use of the basic terms of intercultural literary studies.