Trying to become "German": Author Can Merey in Conversation with Historian Michael Printy

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Please join us for a virtual event featuring author and journalist Can Merey, whose 2018 book Der ewige Gast. Wie mein türkischer Vater versuchte, Deutscher zu werden, tells the story of his Turkish-born father, Tosun Merey, who arrived in West Germany as a language student in 1958 and decided to stay. Over the years, Tosun Merey pursued further studies, married a German woman, had children, worked for German companies in Germany and abroad, and tried, in various ways and with varying degrees of success, to “become German.” Can Merey’s book offers a backward glance at his father’s longstanding attempt to integrate against the backdrop of shifting attitudes and changing historical, social, and personal circumstances.

This event was organized to celebrate the completion of the German History Intersections project, whose three modules—migration, Germanness, and knowledge—take up some of the main themes addressed in Der ewige Gast. The program will begin with a brief introduction by GHI director and Intersections project leader Simone Lässig, who will then hand things over to Can Merey and discussant Michael Printy, a historian of Germany and contributor to the Intersections project. At the end of the program, attendees will have an opportunity to pose questions and make comments. Mark your calendars and join us on September 13!