Postmodernism & Deutschland 83: blog tasks
Media Magazine - A Postmodern Reimagining of the Past
Media Magazine 73 has a feature exploring Deutschland 83 as a postmodern media product. Read ‘Deutschland 83 - A Postmodern Reimagining of the Past’ in MM73 (p18). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Answer the following questions:
1) What were the classic media representations of the Cold War?
Representations of Cold War-era Germany often fitted a stereotypical binary ‘good vs evil’.
2) Why does Deutschland 83 provide a particularly good example for postmodern analysis?
It presents the East and West as binary opposites through codes and conventions. The communist East is presented grey and stark, no billboards, culture or entertainment and strict limitations of citizens’ movements and availability of certain foods (e.g. coffee and bananas). The capitalist West, in contrast, is a world of department stores, restaurants and cars, pop-culture and entertainment and free movement. These texts traditionally offer a pro-West ‘them versus us/ good versus evil’ ideological viewpoint through their narratives and how characters are represented.
3) Pick out some of the aspects of the opening of episode 1 and explain why they are significant.
The location is the ‘East German Diplomatic mission’ situated in Bonn, West Germany in 1983. A woman is listening to US president Ronald Reagan’s ‘Evil Empire’ speech on a television set. This intertextual footage with its message to ‘pray’ for those who live in ‘totalitarian darkness’ creates ambiguity – Reagan talks of the ‘quiet men’ who conceive and order this ‘greatest evil’ in ‘carpeted well-lit offices.’ We are in such an office, but it is in West Germany with Laura Rauch, an East German high-ranking female Stasi officer assertively positioned through a slow tracking shot as she takes on board the significance of Reagan’s message.
4) How does the party scene at Martin's mum's house subvert stereotypes of East Germany in the Cold War?
This scene reimagines the representation of the East beyond the operators of the restrictive state to the humanity, care and affection of everyday family and friends. The vibrant youth camaraderie, anthemic rock music and positivity are in contrast to Lenora who represents the callous manipulative officialdom that is more stereotypically present in representations of East Germany. She looks on with displeasure, repeatedly in profile, through an ominous, dark kitchen hatch.
5) What aspects of the episode set in West Germany offer postmodern elements?
Martin’s first glimpse of West Germany connotes western opulence – a chandelier, the lavishly colourful images of Gustav Klimt’s painting ‘The Kiss’ strategically placed within the wide shot. However, Martin’s first taste of western consumerism, in the supermarket scene is playfully underscored by the Eurythmics 1980’s pop song ‘Sweet Dreams are Made of This’ as Martin wonders at the volume and choice of products available in the West.
6) Finally, how does the article apply postmodern theory to Deutschland 83 and link it to the potential target audience?
Ultimately though, the fact that our protagonist is a communist who is being manipulated by his own side indicates that this text is appealing to a post-unification audience who are ready to challenge fixed Cold War versions of ‘reality’. A key theorist at A level is Jean Baudrillard with his ideas of ‘Simulacra’ – representations that depict things that have no original. We cannot know for certain how Eastern and Western Europeans behaved during this time – what we are seeing is only a reimagining and one that is influenced by the present. According to postmodern theorist Baudrillard, Simulacra reveal that there is no fixed, absolute truth; and Deutschland 83 certainly challenges our preconceptions of this period of history.
Postmodernism Factsheet
Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #54: Introduction to Postmodernism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. If you need to access this from home you can find our factsheet archive here (you'll need to use your Greenford login).
1) Read the section on Strinati's five ways to define postmodernity. What examples are provided of the breakdown of the distinction between culture and society (media-isation)?
The characters Bruno and Borat have more ‘reality’ for film audiences than their creator Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen’s films rely on the fact that the characters he creates are seen as ‘real’ people and he is able to get away with saying and doing things that a ‘real’ person could not. Cohen is only ever interviewed ‘in character’ so his creations have a voice but he does not.
In The X Factor contestants perform cover versions of cover versions of songs (they copy copies). In a Queen themed night John and Edward sang ‘We Will Rock You’ – but they performed ‘the Five version’.
As mediaization increases so the culture finds itself losing a sense of historical context. History is now reduced to ‘talking heads’ documentaries and historical knowledge is often based on media representations.
Deutschland 83's representation of Germany in 1983 is reality and fiction mixed together
3) What examples and theories are provided for the idea of 'style over substance'?
The modern rise of celebrities launched through reality television programmes such as Big Brother can be seen as the culture celebrating style over substance. Many celebrities are now famous for being famous rather than for an identifiable talent or ability.
4) What examples from music are provided for the breakdown of the distinction between art and popular culture? Can this be applied to Deutschland 83?
• In postmodern culture Andy Warhol created multi-coloured
prints of the Mona Lisa (high art) and Campbell’s soup cans
(low art)
• Pop music (low art) often samples classical music (high art)
• Advertising (low art) often makes reference to visual art (high
art) or uses classical music (high art) to help sell its products
Deutschland 83 (low art) is based off the history of the cold war (high art)
5) What is bricolage? What examples of bricolage can be found in Deutschland 83?
Bricolage refers to the process of adapting and juxtaposing old and new texts, images, ideas or narratives to produce whole new meanings.
Some examples of bricolage in Deutschland 83 are:
The show's use of music: Deutschland 83 features an eclectic soundtrack that blends different genres and styles of music from the 1980s, including German pop, American pop, and new wave. The use of this diverse musical palette creates a sense of cultural flux and instability, and it also helps to situate the show within the specific historical context of the Cold War.
The use of pop culture references: The show incorporates references to iconic movies, TV shows, and other pop culture artifacts from the 1980s, such as Top Gun, Miami Vice, and Duran Duran. These references help to create a sense of nostalgia for the era, but they also serve to critique the cultural and political ideologies that were prevalent at the time.
One way in which the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 can be linked to postmodernism is through the show's use of intertextuality and pastiche. Postmodernism is a movement that emerged in the late 20th century and is characterized by a rejection of grand narratives and a focus on fragmentation, irony, and self-reflexivity.
In "The Decline of Meta-Narratives," Jean-Francois Lyotard argues that postmodernism challenges the notion of a grand narrative or a single overarching story that explains the world. Instead, postmodernism emphasizes the diversity of perspectives and narratives, creating a mosaic of different voices and stories.
Deutschland 83 incorporates this postmodern tendency by referencing and remixing different genres, cultural artifacts, and historical events. The show features an eclectic soundtrack that mixes German and American pop songs from the 1980s, adding to the sense of disorientation and cultural flux. It also references iconic movies and TV shows from the era, such as Top Gun and Miami Vice, as well as political events like the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan.
7) Now look at page 4 of the factsheet. How does Deutschland 83 demonstrate aspects of the postmodern in its construction and ideological positioning?
In terms of its construction and ideological positioning, the show demonstrates various aspects of postmodernism, including fragmentation, intertextuality, and a questioning of grand narratives.
Firstly, the show employs a fragmented narrative structure that jumps between different plotlines, locations, and characters. This fragmentation reflects the postmodern idea that reality is not a coherent, stable entity, but rather a collection of disjointed experiences and perspectives. This approach also enables the show to explore the various ideological positions and tensions of the Cold War era, without privileging any one perspective as the dominant or authoritative one.
Secondly, the show is intertextual in its use of popular culture references, such as music, fashion, and film. This intertextuality reflects the postmodern idea that all cultural products are interconnected and that meaning is created through the interplay of these various texts. For example, the show's use of pop music from the 1980s serves to create a sense of nostalgia and to evoke the cultural milieu of the era.
Lastly, the show questions the grand narratives that characterized the Cold War period, such as the ideological divide between capitalism and communism. Rather than presenting a simplistic or one-sided portrayal of these narratives, the show explores the complexities and contradictions that underpin them. For example, the protagonist, Martin, is torn between his loyalty to his country and his growing disillusionment with the East German regime, highlighting the tension between individual freedom and collective ideology.
There are several key scenes in "Deutschland 83" that provide examples of postmodernism, demonstrating the show's fragmented narrative structure, intertextuality, and questioning of grand narratives.
One example is the opening scene of the series, where we see Martin Rauch, the protagonist, training for his mission in the East German army. The scene cuts between different images, including Martin running through a forest, military exercises, and an image of a video game. This fragmented structure reflects the postmodern idea that reality is not a coherent, stable entity, but rather a collection of disjointed experiences and perspectives.
Another example is the scene where Martin is introduced to the world of pop culture and consumerism in the West. This scene is intertextual in its use of popular culture references, including music videos, fashion, and advertisements. The scene serves to highlight the contrast between the consumer-driven culture of the West and the socialist ideology of the East, while also demonstrating the interplay between different cultural texts.
Lastly, the scene where Martin discovers the truth about his mission and the conspiracy behind it reflects the postmodern idea of questioning grand narratives. Martin's disillusionment with the East German regime and his growing understanding of the complexities and contradictions of the Cold War era highlight the limitations of simplistic ideological narratives and the importance of critical thinking and questioning.
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