The many faces of the republic

or, what's in a name?

William A. Barbieri

pp. 221-245

in: German ideologies since 1945, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2003

Abstract

The newcomers to the Federal Republic of Germany, the Ausländer, have slowly made their mark on their adopted society, beginning with their contributions to the economy and expanding gradually to the cuisine, the urban landscape, and even the literary and cinematic scene. It was only a matter of time before they would become a presence—if a largely mute one—in the rough and tumble of politics and even in the saturnine world of political theory. And so it has come to pass. Today, those who concern themselves with the theory and practice of German politics can, in their pleas, proposals, critiques, and apologia, no longer avoid the challenge posed by the presence of ethnic and cultural plurality in the bosom of the body politic. Politicians and pundits alike have been obliged to confront the problems posed by diversity and to integrate their responses into their broader political perspectives and platforms.