3rd Culture

Tonight in class when we were discussing what culture is, the idea of 3rd culture was briefly discussed. It is basically the culture of those who are transplanted from their original home (e.g. Army "brats", immigrants, exiles). I thought of an example of the psychology behind this idea, and was able to find this excerpt:

• "As a Mestiza I have no country, my homeland cast me out; yet all countries are mine because I am every woman’s sister or potential lover. (As a lesbian I have no race, my own people disclaim me; but I am all races because there is the queer of me in all races.) I am cultureless because, as a feminist, I challenge the collective tured because I am participating in the creation of yet another culture, a new story to explain the world and our participation in it, a new value system with images and symbols that connect us to each other and to the planet." (Gloria Anzaldua, p. 182)

Anzaldua's 3rd culture is due to the fact that she lives on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. I find it quite interesting that as a response to being "cultureless" Anzaldua creates another culture in which she will be allowed.

In Germany

There were two things that came to mind concerning this 3rd culture in Germany:

• World War II exiles
• Muslims today

World War II
During the reign of Hitler, several people fled Nazi Germany to escape execution. They went to several countries around the world to wherever would take them. One novel about this exodus is Nirgendwo in Afrika, by Stefanie Zweig. The translation for the title is "nowhere in Africa" which truly shows how these transplants felt they belonged nowhere.

Muslim Integration
Due to the large amount of work in Germany, several Turks immigrated there after the war. This caused a large influx of Muslims. Due to the presence of this new and different culture in Germany, Germans are trying to figure out how to "deal with it". A very famous and current debate in Germany now is regarding whether public officials, especially teachers, should be allowed to wear headscarves in public. Thus, there are many Muslimin who are trying to live in the German culture even though they have been raised in the Muslim culture.