As part of their work for the Multicultural Germany undergraduate seminar at UC Berkeley, students in the course have reviewed recent German books relating in various ways to topics of migration, multiculturalism, and contemporary German identity.
Ann Huang reviewed Melda Abkas’ memoir So wie ich will: Mein Leben zwischen Moschee und Minirock:
In her autobiography So wie ich will: Mein Leben zwischen Moschee und Minirock, published in 2010, Melda Abkas presents her experiences as a second-generation Turkish youth endeavouring to establish her own cultural identity in modern Germany. Written just after Abkas’s 19th birthday, in highly colloquial rhetoric, the work situates itself firmly in the contemporary realities of a nascent multicultural society, from a youthful perspective. In this ever-evolving environment, Abkas strives to balance familial expectations with societal pressures to discover her individuality. In this exploration, Abkas provides insight into questions crucial to the discussion of multiculturalism – namely, in its examination of the sources of continuing segregation and discrimination, the requisites for integration, and the future of ethnic minorities in Germany. [read full review here]
