Afrika, Afrikaner und schwarze Deutsche in Wolframs Von Eschenbach Parzival, Sebastian Musters Cosmographei von 1550, "Aneaso, der Neger aus dem Ibo-Lande" und Joy Denalandes Wem gehort die Welt

This study deals with the representation of Africa and Africans as well as Black Germans in four selected texts from different time periods of German literature, from medieval to contemporary literature. It should thus give an insight into the means by which the "other" is depicted in different time periods. The first chapter examines the medieval courtly epic Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach. The focus is on the depiction of the African Queen Belacane and her dealings with other characters within the courtly epic. The second chapter treats Sebastian Münster's Cosmographei (1550) as a text example from the Early Modern period. The sixth book of Münster's description of the world deals with Africa and its inhabitants. Here, I dedicate myself to the question of how the African regions and cultures are represented. The third text is a narrative which focuses on the evangelization of slaves in the time of colonialism. "Aneaso, der Neger aus dem Ibo-Lande" (1866) tells the story of an African slave in Jamaica who gets introduced to Christianity by missionaries. The story reflects the paternalism of the white population during the slave trade and the church's missionary activity in Jamaica. The steady and positive description of the protagonist and other Christian slaves is compared to those who reject Christianity. The last text is composed by an Afro-German artist, is a song lyric from 2002 and features a change in perspective. Joy Denalane's song Wem gehört die Welt deals with discrimination based on race and gender in present day Germany. The study demonstrates the transformation and change in the depiction of Africa, Africans and Black Germans over the centuries, as well as the emergence of certain stereotypes and influences of various ideologies throughout German literature. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries