Reproductive Imaginations in German Culture by Annika Orich A
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Artificial Aliens: Reproductive Imaginations in German Culture by Annika Orich A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in German and the Designated Emphasis in Film Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Deniz Göktürk, Chair Professor Anton Kaes Professor Abigail De Kosnik Fall 2017 Abstract Artificial Aliens: Reproductive Imaginations in German Culture by Annika Orich Doctor of Philosophy in German Designated Emphasis in Film Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Deniz Göktürk, Chair This dissertation, titled “Artificial Aliens: Reproductive Imaginations in German Culture,” studies how reproductive processes in biology and the arts evoke similar cultural anxieties, and how they, in turn, are shaped by these same fears. I view and investigate reproduction in biology and the arts as related processes, specifically those conducted via artificial means. My dissertation examines this relationship by tracing artificial aliens as a point of connection across disciplines, media, and periods. The figure of the artificial alien appears as artificial human, othered stranger, alien lifeform, and cinematic image. I develop my argument via several case studies, ranging from Weimar silent films such as Otto Rippert’s Homunculus (1916/1920) and Henrik Galeen’s Alraune (1927/1928) to Frank Schätzing’s science fiction bestseller Der Schwarm (2004) to Netflix’s original series Sense8 (2015-). I argue that there exists a complex dynamic between reproductive processes in biology and the arts and discourses on memory, identity, and media and its archaeology. This project thus contributes to existing research on the interplay between science and fiction. I argue that reproductive imaginations play a crucial role in self-conceptions of the human species. The (im)materiality of the cinematic image is key to rethinking the nature/culture divide. My project therefore highlights circulation and cross-fertilization between the sciences and the humanities. 1 this dissertation was written for A13 i Table of Content Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iv Introduction Reproductive Imaginations .......................................................................................................... 1 “Hands off” Human Reproduction ...................................................................................... 3 Artificial Aliens: Tracing the Reproductive Imagination .................................................... 8 Chapter One Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART): Screening the Test Tube Baby in German Silent Cinema ........................................................................................................... 18 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 18 German Cinema’s Test Tube Babies: Homunculus & Alraune ........................................ 19 In the Lab: ART’s Adverse Consequences in the Cinema ............................................... 21 “Homunculi” in the Making: Points of Intersections between Science and Fiction ......... 26 Shaping Homunculi: Menschenbildung in the Cinema .................................................... 30 Chapter Two Cultures of Circulation: Identity and Memory Politics in Frank Schätzing’s Der Schwarm (2004) .................................................................................................................... 48 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 48 Metaphors of Global Flows in the Age of Circulation ..................................................... 49 Swarming Collectives: The Yrr as a Culture of Circulation ............................................. 51 Phony Supervillains and True Heroes: Anti-Americanism and German Environmentalism in Der Schwarm .................................................................................. 59 The Case Against Cultures of Circulation: Fighting back with Anti-Semitism and Clichés of American Indians ...................................................................................... 63 The Biological Limits of Global Connection: Imagining “Bio-Deutschland” ................. 68 ii Chapter Three What is Human? Netflix’s Sense8 and the Reproduction of the Sensate Experience .......... 79 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 79 The Homo Cinematicus: Walter Benjamin and the Technological Reproducibility of the Cinema .................................................................................................................... 79 What is/are Sense8/Sensates?: The Genus of Homo Sensorium ...................................... 82 Birth on a Global and Collective Scale ............................................................................. 84 The Reproduction of the Homo Sensorium ...................................................................... 90 The Homo Sensorium vs Images of (In)Humanness ........................................................ 91 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................................. 95 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 96 iii Acknowledgements We generally assume in academia that our work becomes more valuable if done alone. Without the advice and help, feedback and support from my professors, peers, friends, and family, this dissertation would have been neither started nor finished. Nevertheless, any mistakes, faults, and flaws are my own alone. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed in any shape or form to this project and my academic work in general. Regrettably, I cannot acknowledge everyone here by name. I cannot thank Deniz Göktürk enough for her intellectual, professional, and moral support over the years. I have been very fortunate to have had an adviser who wishes for her students to do well, and who has always been willing to share her vast theoretical, interdisciplinary knowledge. I am more than thankful for her critical insight and research, which has forced me to see things differently and anew; for the ample opportunities she offered me; and for her humor and kindness, both of which made the stressful times as a graduate student more enjoyable. I am grateful for everything I learned from Anton Kaes. When I’ve contemplated whether pursuing a PhD degree has been a worthwhile endeavour, his seminars serve as the ideal example of what I would have missed if I had decided to take a different path. His classes and research have been inspiring, mind-altering, and simply enjoyable. I will value his insight, advice, and humor far beyond my time at Berkeley. I only had time to take one class with Abigail De Kosnik, but I am thankful that I was able to take advantage of this memorable opportunity, and that she allowed me to benefit from her impressive expertise as a member of my committee. Nikolaus Euba deserves a special thank you for always giving me instructive, supportive advice. I consider myself lucky to have received it not only at Berkeley but also during my short visits at FUBiS in Berlin. I will always be grateful for having had Elaine Tennant in my corner. She not only introduced me to the wonderful, magical world of medieval German epics but also provided extra support when I needed it. I would like to thank the German Department at Berkeley for their support over the years. I have benefited greatly from seminars by Karen Feldman, Winfried Kudszus, Niklaus Largier, and Chenxi Tang. In their own respective ways, all of them have pushed my thinking, and I admire them, among other things, for doing so. I am equally grateful for the help Cathie Jones, Myriam Cotton, Nadia Samadi, Veronica Lopez, Andrea Rapport, and Elisabeth Lamoureaux have offered during my time at Berkeley. Thank you also to Linda Williams for her honest feedback during the early stages of this project, and to Nicholas Baer for our intriguing discussions over the years about Otto Rippert’s Homunculus. I would like to acknowledge the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for generously funding my studies. Without their support, pursuing a degree in the Humanities would have been so much more difficult, perhaps impossible. Thank you as well to iv the Max Kade Foundation for their repeated financial help. Special thanks also to the German Department and the Graduate Division at Berkeley for various scholarships and grants. I have been fortunate to have found in Florentine Strzelczyk a mentor and a friend. The past years would have been much lonelier and less productive without her sage advice and kind encouragement. I will always fondly remember my working sessions with Janet Janzen in Toronto and Courtney Johnson via Skype. Janet’s and Courtney’s impressive research projects and diligence have provided me with much-needed inspiration, and their friendship has been an invaluable source of delight and comfort. A heartfelt thank you to both! I owe Anna-Lena Scholz more than a big thank you for not only lending me her wonderful apartment with its library-like bookshelves