Filmic migrations. Critical analysis of Aufstellung by Harun Farocki

Abstract

This paper proposes a critical analysis of the film-essay Aufstellung (2005) by the Czech-German director Harun Farocki, through three intertwined points: (1) On a filmic level, it is proposed to think about the reduction of the cultural diversity of Turkish immigrants in post-war Germany in the construction of a muppet; (2) on a socio-historical level, it is attempted to trace the connection between the history of German migration that the film presents with the historical context of the guest workers or Gastarbeiters; (3) on an aesthetic-political level, the reflections of the German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno are taken up. Adorno on the subject of foreign words, in order to interpret Aufstellung under the concept of foreignness. Then, finally, a series of divergent reflections are proposed, that allow us to think Aufstellung's critique of nationalism anachronistically and beyond German borders.