PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

The special collection "Identity Boom in Contemporary Literature: Experience, Representation, Identification," edited by Annika Klanke and Stephanie Marx, scrutinizes the "identity boom" in contemporary literature, i.e., the proliferation of texts that prompt us to (once again) question the relevance of categories such as gender, race, class, etc. While in recent debates opposing camps appear to have grown entrenched—either absolutizing identity categories or rejecting their relevance for literary production and reception—the special collection aims to provide a nuanced account of the internal tensions within identity and experience-based literature. The contributions examine eminent and lesser-known examples of this genre, reconstructing internal discursive concepts and problems along the axes of experience, representation, and identification. They thus develop perspectives for critical research on current literary discourses of identity and experience.