Representations of German-speaking exiles and immigrants in Argentina

by AufderHeide, Erin.

Federico Chalupa, Advisor Geoffrey Howes, Advisor My thesis studies a wide-ranging spectrum of literary representations pertaining to German-speaking immigrants and exiles in Argentina by examining these works in the context of immigration and exilic theory. The theoretical framework of immigration and exile is first applied to particular instances of German-speaking exiles and immigrants associated with Argentina: the Volga Germans, the Jewish Germans and the National- Socialist Germans. The reasons for which these groups were exiled to or immigrated to Argentina in the context of these theories allows for a more complete understanding of the literature that arose as a result of these phenomena. The German-language literature by Stefan Zweig, Paul Zech, and gerontoligists Andreas Kruse and Eric Schmitt, pertaining to Jewish Germans Herr A. and Frau M, depict distinct mentalities concerning the arrival to and habitation in Argentina. How these individuals conceptualize their immigration and exilic experiences is directly linked to their ability of inability to construct a new transatlantic home. The Spanish-language literature by José Alfredo Schwarcz, Alberto Gerchunoff, Carlos Grünberg, and Samuel Eichelbaum form representations specific to the Jewish-immigration experience in Argentina. Representations by both Jews of German origin and non-German origin allow for an examination of the concerns unique to the Jewish immigrant, and consequently, a look at the paradoxical role of both religious national heritages in the formation of individual iii identity. The distinct, examined literary works concerning these various immigrants and exiles form a powerful medium in which to represent their extraordinary experiences. iii