May 1977 Newsletter

WOMEN IN GERMAN

Number 11
May 20, 1977

Subscription fee: $2.00 per year ($1.00 if unemployed)

Since our last newsletter something new has appeared in feminism in the FRG, EMMA IS OUT! Despite the negative predictions of the established press and media the reception of EMMA was phenomenal.
The first printing of 200,000 was sold out within one day and the second printing of 100,000 within two days. EMMA, initiated by Alice Schwarzer, is a broad spectrum magazine modelled on MS in its best days and is intended to reach a wide variety of women. For­tunately EMMA this far is without ads. Because it was so quickly sold out we were unable to see the first issue. Issues 2 and 3 have arrived and they include monthly columns like t PASCHA OF THE MONTH AWARD (see p.8 of ♀ in German), DO IT YOURSELF (how to change tires:) and UNSERE SCHWESTERN VON GESTERN- MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT, LUISE OTTO-PETERS. Furthermore EMMA has film, TV and book reviews, each month an article on different aspects of women’s work_, on women’s sexuality. Very interesting are the articles on MANNER- JUSTIZ, WOMEN AND ALCOHOLISM, WOMEN IN THE GDR, BATTERED WIVES AND FRAUENHAUSER, and CLITORECTOMY.

As you can see the range of topics is very broad. The necessity of reaching and maintaining a mass audience raises the question of whether EMMA must as of now avoid certain political topics such as the change for socialism or controversial ones like lesbianism and homosexuality. It is obvious from our lengthy description of EMMA that we consider it an important publication of West German feminism. SUBSCRIBE and get your library to subscribe. The address:

EMMA    
[redacted]                                                              
$1.75 per issue (3.00DM)                                        36.00DM/40.80DM (Ausland) per year

Should you go to West Germany this summer, you can pick up EMMA at the newsstands and women’s bookstores. Also bring back any new infor­mation from the GDR or from the FRG and share it with Women in German.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The WOMEN IN GERMAN Pedagogical Session of the AATG, to be held 24 November 1977» San Francisco, from 4:OO-6:OOpm, is calling for papers dealing with the topic ’’Affirmative Action in the Teaching of German: Erasing Stereotypes." Successful approaches to combating stereotypes and methods of dealing with sexism in the teaching of

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German at various levels are welcome: high school, introductory and intermediate college courses, culture courses, literature at all levels, and advanced language skills courses. Send copies of papers or ideas for the workshop to each of the co-chairpersons by 30 May 1977s Jeanette Clausen, Dept. of Modern Foreign Languages, Indiana University, Fort Wayne, IN 46805 and Marjorie Tussing, Foreign Language Dept., California State University, Fullerton,CA 92634.

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Papers on feminist topics are being solicited for the Northeast MLA conference session of "William Godwin and the Prose of his Time: European Literature of the 18th Century,” which will take place in Albany N.Y. in April 1978. Proposals of 1-1 1/2 pages are presently requested for papers emphasizing social aspects of European 18th century prose (novels, satires, tracts). Proposals should be sub­mitted by December 15, 1977 to the chair: Ruth H. Sanders, Dept. of German, Russian and East Asian, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056.

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In 1978 the MLA section on 19th and early 20th century literature will have as its topic ’’Feminist Approaches to the Literature of this Period.” The topic has been loosely defined so that prospective participants would not feel restricted. However, the selection of papers (3 or 4 15 min. papers) will be made according to subject matter so that together they will make for a coherent program. Deadline for abstracts: March 15, 1978. Please send them to Gisela Bahr, Dept. of German, Russian and East Asian, Miami Uni­versity, Oxford, Ohio 45056.

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RETREAT

To judge from last year’s Zeitaufteilung at the Blockhaus retreat, we would have three time sections for matters immediately dealing with Women in German. At this year’s retreat we would like to or­ganize a program that will enhance an open and free atmosphere and an enthusiastic exchange of ideas, and at the same time avoid the "chaos" of exchanging important ideas and information inbetween talks to individual members of the conference and the retreat. We think that it would be ideal if all participants could not only leave the conference with the feeling of growing strength and solidarity but also with a very concrete package of dittos with new adresses, addi­tional names, bibliographies, theses etc. to be utilized during the coming year.

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After your arrival at the Blockhaus in the afternoon we will show a film in the evening. We have not received definite word that we can show Mädchen in Uniform as many of you expressed interest in seeing and discussing. We are also considering two new short films made by contemporary feminists in West Germany. For your specific preferences and suggestions please contact us as soon as possible.
In any event, we plan on previewing the film and writing down a few theses and questions that come out of the collective discussion of the Women in German Redaktionsteam.

For the evening after the symposium our plans are to select a poem by Gabriele Wohmarua, ditto it, develop a few theses and mail these in addition to the information about the film to all members of Women in German by the beginning of September before the retreat. Of course, we will have a party after the discussion. Bring your favorite feminist records along, and T-shirts and buttons etc.
After a day’s conference and a heavy evening discussion we will all have deserved a relaxing and fun-filled social.

The third session is open to your suggestions. There is no real consensus left among Women in German as to what exactly we decided to do last year. As far as we remember we wanted to have reports of Arbeitsgruppen on neglected women writers, information on new publications on feminism here and in the two Germanies, an ex­change of important ’’old" bibliographies and reference works that are not easily found etc. etc. We urge all of you to write to Christa and Viktoria if you have something prepared for a meeting of that kind, how much time you think you need for your presentation etc.
These organizational points are again meant in the spirit of us being able to take as much handfeste Information home as possible.

As far as the retreat in general is concerned, we want to bring up one problem which has caused some of our members grief and dis­satisfaction, namely, how do Women in German people and other poli­tically sympathetic groups interact during the sessions at profes­sional conferences. We hate to squeeze this discussion into any given part of the program. We believe that many of you have spec­ific experiences concerning these matters. Bring your ideas and opinions and if nowhere else, we could incorporate these matters into the discussion on Wohmann and the women’s question as an essen­tial aspect of the larger "social question".

A last words there is a surprise coming for all of you, which of course will not be mailed out to any of you before the conference.

REVIEWS

German Women Writers since 1945

Because women writers are now getting more attention both in the classroom and at conferences, such as the recent Amherst Colloquium on Women, we are able to resume our Dialog column.

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We received the following two comments on the work of Bachmann; the first grew out of classroom discussion at Wisconsin; the second is a summary of a paper presented at Amherst.

In the story "Probleme, Probleme" in the Simultan collection Ingeborg Bachmann portrays the dilemma of Beatrix, but fails to bring the character beyond her crisis towards a resolution. This young Vien­nese woman has consciously tried to divorce herself from society in order to escape its inequities. She circumvents social pressures through a perverse obsession with sleep, Beatrix refuses to seek employment since work would only further alienate her. This charac­ter’s empty life is filled with visits to the beauty parlor. These excursions nurture her ego and help her escape reality. A contra­diction in consciousness emerges as Beatrix demands such services from the beauty shop attendants, as she herself would never perform. Beatrix loathes and fears becoming dependent upon a man. She realizes that sexual politics are involved in her relationship with Erich but does nothing to breakout of the mold he has cast for her. Des­pite this fact, Beatrix makes no attempt to destroy Erich’s illusions of her. Although she questions all other social standards, Beatrix never challenges the heterosexual convention. Her individuality lies in her withdrawal from productive action and in her power to refuse. These traits distinguish Beatrix from those around her and establish her as a negative example. The furthest possible development for such a character is the realization of inadequacy. Beatrix is there­fore unable to change her life. Ingeborg Bachmann appears confused as to how to vent the contradictions within this character. Rather than satisfactorily resolve Beatrix’ problems, the author abandons her to a nervous breakdown.

-Nadia Donchenko
University of Wisconsin-Madison

My paper was entitled "Verzicht auf den Mann. Zu Ingeborg Bachmanns Erzählungen Simultan”; In ihrem 1972 erschienenem Erzahlband Simultan entwirft Ingeborg Bachmann ein Bild vom modernen Frauenbewußtsein.
Suche und Hoffnung der Frau, das Lebensglück in der Liebe zu finden, sind- so ergibt sich aus diesem Bild- überholt. Die Selbstdarstellung der Frau, die in Simultan zum Ausdruck kommt, hat sich bei Bachmann erst allmählich entwickelt, denn in ihrem früheren Werk gab es noch die Große Liebende. Die Hauptgestalt Jennifer im Guten Gott von Manhattan ist der grenzenlosen, verzehrenden Leidenschaft ausgeliefert. In Simultan dagegen herrscht von Seiten der Frau Langeweile, Mißtrauen, Angst, Zweifel, Enttäuschung, Gleichgültigkeit. Die ablehnende oder gleichgültige Haltung der Frau wird von Bachmann nicht als Losung angesehen, sondern als etwas Notwendiges und Unvermeidliches. Es gibt keine Rückkehr mehr in die traditionelle Beziehung. Ob es eines Tages anders wird, ob Mann und Frau sich einmal neu zusammenfinden werden, bleibt eine offene Frage. Bachmann schließt die Möglichkeit nicht aus, aber sie wird lediglich in einer traumhaften, mythischen Sprache beschrieben.

-Ellen Summerfield
Middlebury College, Vt.

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We also received the following summary of a paper from Amherst focusing on an East German collection: The paper, entitled "Blitz aus heiterm Himmel: Ein Versuch zur Emanzipation in der DDR," dealt with the 4 contributions of the female authors of this an­thology (published by Hinstorf, Rostock, in 1975)s Christa Wolf, "Selbstversuch", Edith Anderson, "Dein fur immer oder nie", Sarah Kirsch, "Blitz aus heiterm Himmel", and Annemarie Auer, "Mythen und Moglichkeiten", from the perspective of their usefulness to raise the reader's consciousness about man/woman relationships. Wolf's story was found reaffirming old stereotypes while the utopian con­tent of the story raised expectations as to a more progressive depiction. Likewise, Anderson's story was judged not at all helpful in that it depicts a woman’s failure to make progress toward emanci­pation, in an action lull of unconvincing events and motivations. Kirsch’s story was seen as providing a positive alternative in man/woman relations- not yet realized but as an attainable model, raising the question that, if two friends of the same sex can have a friendship based on equality, why can’t man and woman have the same. Auer’s essay provided a useful historical perspective and warns not to underestimate the weight of tradition, and not to be smug about that has already been achieved in matters of emancipation.

-Gisela Bahr
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio

Ellen Summerfield also supplied these general remarks: As to general impressions, I felt that this 1977 Amherst Colloquium was of inestimable value to women Germanists and to the pro­fession as a whole. For the first time in my experience, women played a vital and natural role throughout a professional conven­tion. Not only did women deliver a majority of the papers, but they participated actively from the floor during the discussion periods. I would go so far as to say that this was a breakthrough for women Germanists in this country.

We invite you to send us your opinions, particularly comments on recent literature by women writers. Next time we expect some dialogue concerning Morgner's important new book, Trobadora Beatriz.

BOOKSTORES

For those wishing to make direct contact with women’s bookstores, presses, and the like we publish these addresses. Some of you may be able to get to these in person:

Frauenbuchläden

Berlin:
Frauenbuchladen, Yorckstr. 22, 1 Berlin 61
Lilith-Frauenbuchladen, Kantstr. 125, 1 Berlin 12

Hannover: Frauenbuchladen c/o Ingrid Merker, Kollenrodtstr. 55

Frankfurt: Frauenbuchladen, Kiesstr. 27, 6 Frankfurt/M. 90

München: Lillemor’s Frauenbuchladen, Arcisstr. 57, 8 München 40

Wiesbaden: Frauenbuchladen c/o Anke Schäfer, Honiggasse 16, 62 Wiesbaden-Bierstadt

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Frauenverlage

München: Verlag Frauenoffensive, Josephsburgstr. 16, 8 München

Münster: Verlag Frauenpolitik, c/o Monika Walther, Christine Steininger, Grevener Str. 165-167, 44 Münster

Berlin: Amazonen-Frauenverlag, Gabriele Meixner, Kantstr. 125, 1 Berlin 12

Frauenvertrieb
für Berliner Selbstverlag und Amazonen Verlag: Regina Krause, Frauenvertrieb, Glasgower Str. 23, 1 Berlin 65

Frauenkneipen

Berlin: Blocksberg, Yorckstr, 48, I Berlin
Frankfurt: Frauenkneipe im Frauenhaus, Oppenheimer Landstr. 40, 6 Frankfurt/M.
München: Teestube im Frauenzentrum, Gabelsberger Str. 66, 8 München

MATERIAL FROM WEST GERMANY

Miriam Frank is one of our members currently living in Germany.

Feminist Conference

About five hundred women were expected to attend a national con­ference for West German feminists in Munich on March 5-6, and over 1,500 showed up. The conference, organized through the Munich Women's Center, was originally intended to focus on issues brought Up at the Brussels International Tribunal on Violence Against Women (see oob, may, 1976) but the necessity for a broader, national conference shifted the emphasis to work being done in women's cen­ters throughout West Germany.

On Saturday morning, a five-hour plenary session heard brief reports from various projects, interspersed with music by a Munich folk singer, Molly. The meeting hall in Haus International was jam- packed, and the several hundred women who couldn’t fit in were able to listen to the proceedings through a sound system connection in the cafeteria. Lunch was arranged in shifts and child care by men had,, been set up. Thus, a potentially chaotic situation flowed with relative ease and order. The official press was not admitted.

The major topics, covered in the plenary session were: repression and the problem of communication within the women’s movement, the continued development of women’s centers, lesbian sexuality, esta­blishment of homes for battered women, rape projects, status of abortion activities after a "reform", wages for housework, feminism and women in professions, unemployment and women, feminism in every­day life, self-help centers and health projects, feminist therapy, “selbsterfahrung" (c-r) groups, feminism and ecology. The rapid- fire delivery of each report allowed for very few questions; in the late afternoon, however, topical workshops analyzed more tho­roughly the issues brought out in the individual reports.

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A party at the Olympic Center later on that evening brought out local women as well as conference participants. About 1,000 women enjoyed a spontaneous women’s jam session, and danced to recorded music. ’’The Flying Lesbians", a Berlin rock band who had been play­ing at many conferences and dances in West Germany for the last two years (their LP is available in the US) has decided to stop perfor­ming and taka a pause so that they can work out some new music; they hope that women musicians throughout West Germany will develop women’s music further.

On Sunday morning there was another plenary session, with reports from the workshops as well as reports that had not been included on Saturday. A report on women and the left brought considerable nega­tive reaction from the floor. There were also reports on a proposal to build a rural women’s commune, and on lesbian politics within the women’s movement. A proposal for local actions on a nationwide basis for the night of April 30 (Walpurgisnacht- an old holiday lor witches) "Women, take back the night!" - will be considered in local women’s centers over the next month.

An action built on the theme of Violence Against Women was described and enthusiastically received. The group ’’Fan-Shen”, part of a women’s center in Neu-Isenburg, a small town near Frankfurt, have developed an offensive strategy against wife-beaters, and have been successful five times. The woman calls the center and a group of women come out to ohoupy the house. The husband comes home, sees the group, and, until he moves out, must continually deal with the presence of one or two women on guard as guests of his wife. The goal is to throw the wife-beater out, leaving the house to the woman, rather than provide a shelter for battered wives. The women who re­ported on this action said that this strategy would probably work best in small towns.

The conference ended on Sun ay afternoon with an evaluative plenary session.

-Miriam Frank
(Reprinted from
Off Our Backs)

Germany: Anti-Rape March
Over one thousand Berlin women rallied at twilight on March 1 at Sophie-Charlotte Platz for a torchlight procession to mourn the death of a woman who had died a week before of a rape-related beating.
The woman had been raped near her own home. The mourners marched through the neighborhood streets burning torches* chanting "Ent- waffnet Vergewaltiger" ("Disarm Rapsits") and calling to the neigh­borhood women to join in self-defense against all violent crimes against women.

After the procession, speeches emphasized that rape is a violent, not a sexual,crime against women, that all women fear for their safety in the streets of the city and that rape is a weapon of domination over women in a sexist society.

-Miriam Frank
(reprinted from
Off Our Backs, May
May, 1977)

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PASCHA DES MONATS
Er ist der Schonste. Hana Habe, 66 Jahre alt, sechsmal vexteiratet, Feind von Portschritt und sozialer Gerechtigkeit, Freund von Axel Springer. Regelmäßiger Kolumnist von "Welt am Sonntag", "Bayernkurier" und "Oberbergische: Volkszeitung"- ebenda schreibt er samstags innner uber drei Tabus und läßt sich dann allerhand einfallen. Neulich war es EMMA:

"Mit dem dritten Tabu wende ich mich einem leichteren Thema zu: der Frauenrechtsbewegung, die durch die Gründung der kindischen Zeitschrift EMMA besonders aktuell geworden ist. Hier lautet das Tabu: Man darf sich die Damen, die den Mann dressieren wollen, nicht näher ansehen.

Unritterlich, wie ich bin und nun einmal auf Enttabuisierung aus - tue ich es abers ritterlich wie ich bin, nenne ich keine Namen.
Ich gebe nur ganz leise zu bedenken, warum 95 Prozent der Damen - jeder steht es frei, sich zu den übrigen fünf Prozent zu zählen- mit Kästner zu sprechen, so ’pfui teuflisch anzusehen sind'/ Warum darf ich nicht die Frage stellen, ob sich diese Damen auf den Kriegspfad begeben hatten, wenn sie in den Wohnzimmern, von den Schlafzimmem ganz zu schweigen, etwas erfolgreicher wären?"

Oh ja, Hänschen. Hätten wir doch nur in Deinem Schlafzimmer Erfolg, dann brauchten wir nicht EMMA zu machen... Du bist zwar eine sehr häßliche Qualle, aber Du bist ein Mann, und das genügt. Oder?

(reprinted from EMMA.)

RETREAT AND SYMPOSIUM

The second Retreat/Symposium will take place in Oxford, Ohio on September 23-25, 1977 (Friday thru Sunday). We again reserved the camp we used last year, which is free of charge. It is big enough for a meeting of 40-50 people but has only 14 beds. Therefore, those coming by cat are requested to bring folding beds along. Alter nate sleeping arrangements would be with the Miamai women or in near-by motels (at extra expense).

Registration fee to cover food and expenses is $10.- again. How­ever, it was the consensus of last year's participants that those living close enough to come by car and thus having less travel ex­penses than those having to come by plane, should be requested to make an extra donation to a travel fund. This travel fund would be used to contribute to the expenses of those who come from far away.

Please be considerate of the organizers and register early. Let us know of any change in plans as soon as possible. We will do our best to make things work out smoothly. Looking forward to another successful retreat with you,