Der Vord're Orient: Colonialist Imagery In Popular Postwar German Schlager

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 2000

Published In

Journal Of Popular Culture

Abstract

Examines the Schlager renaissance in postwar Germany. Addresses the mix of xenophobia and colonial desires projected onto an imaginary orient (Der Vordere Orient), which appears in Schlager. Explores how the repression of a special German responsibility for the Holocaust and the resurgence of antiforeigner sentiment in the process of Europeanization are connected to the popularity of neocolonial messages in Schlager tunes. Discusses the fascination with "Vord're Orient" in the quantity of Schlager devoted to extolling the wonders of exotic locales, women, men, and their usually sexualized customs. Notes that Schlager almost never underwrite sexual-political anarchy, but merely express the desire for sexual and social inhibitions without lasting consequences. Includes notes.

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