Wir schaffen das”: Germany’s immigration and integration reforms and their impact on German culture

DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L318.370

Authors: Marilyn Sephocle

Abstract: Wir Schaffen das!” (We can do it!) was the challenge that Chancellor Angela Merkel put before the entire German nation when she decided to radically transform Germany from a nation that did not accept itself as a country of immigrants and refugees to a nation that quickly developed a “Willkommenskultur”. After exploring the recently adopted language and culture focused immigration policies of the Federal Republic of Germany, this paper will compare and contrast them with those of other European countries, then analyze their effect on culture, particularly literature, in a Germany that grapples anew with the issue of identity.