A wall of our own: an American history of the Berlin Wall

Abstract

"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"--

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.