De-Heimatize Belonging
Ayata, Bilgin – 2020
The unlikely seemed possible in the summer of 2015, as thousands of immigrants from mostly Syria made their way to Germany and Angela Merkel made the statement “Wir schaffen das” (We can do it/ we can cope with it). A German’s venture into open hospitality was being witnessed as the country celebrated its newfound “Willkommenskultur.” Soon enough, however, the summer of grace became the autumn of rage and the winter of nightmares, as the initial goodwill turned into the resurgence of the extreme right in Germany. Much is happen- ing today that calls for a reflection on hospitality in Germany, in Europe, and in the world at large. Taking as a point of departure Derrida’s notion of “hostipitality” – that is the presence of hostility in all hospitality and hosting – this anthology brings together original contributions from artists, scholars, activists, poets, curators, and musicians who participanted in our 2018 project and reflects on different experiences and notions of hospitality.