A Wall of Our Own : An American History of the Berlin Wall / by Paul M. Farber.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Farber, Paul M., 1982- author.

Series:

Studies in United States culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, 1961-1989.

Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, 1961-1989--In popular culture.

Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, 1961-1989, in art.

Berlin Wall (Berlin, Germany : 1961-1989) in art.

Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, 1961-1989, in literature.

Berlin Wall (Berlin, Germany : 1961-1989) in literature.

Politics and culture--United States--History--20th century.

Politics and culture.

Social aspects.

United States.

History.

American literature--20th century.

American literature.

Arts, American--20th century.

Arts, American.

Cold War--Social aspects.

Cold War.

Germany.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xvi, 246 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, [2020]

Summary:

"The Berlin Wall is arguably the most prominent symbol of the Cold War era, demarcating real and figurative divisions between east and west, Communism and capitalism, oppression and freedom. Its fall in 1989 is broadly understood as a pivotal moment in the history of the last century. For years afterward, tourists, locals, and even private businesses shipped fragments from the concrete structure around the world, turning it into a collectible commodity and cultural signifier for the triumph of Western democracy. As Paul Farber argues in framing this book, as the Wall was broken apart, it also solidified itself in the American imagination. But what was the nature and significance of this imaginary? In A wall of our own, Farber addresses this question from the moment of the Wall's creation to the present. He reveals how it has been both a literal and metaphorical presence in American culture, particularly influencing our discourse and ideas about breaking down barriers of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Roadmap: American Berliners

Segregated sectors: Leonard Freed, the Berlin crisis, and the color line

Walls turned sideways are bridges: Angela Davis, Cold War Berliners, and imprisoned freedom struggles

Scaling the wall: Shinkichi Tajiri, exiled sculpture, and the reconstruction of the Berlin Wall

Midnight crossings: Audre Lorde, intersectional poetics, and the politics of historical memory

Returns: 1989 and beyond.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Gift of the publisher.

ISBN:

9781469655079

1469655071

9781469655086

146965508X

OCLC:

1110656836