Issue 4 Belonging

How far has a radically open society been realized in the face of growing nationalist narratives on both sides of the Atlantic? The issue “Belonging” of Gegenüber magazine tells of life in a different homeland to one's grandparents, of cultural reproductions and mutations from one place to another, of new roots and aspects of exclusion that should not be alien to anyone, but which weigh differently. And it asks whether the concept of “native” vs. “migrant” is still valid.

Belonging? School of fish version Photo by Jeffrey Hamilton at Unsplash

Learn German

Our experience for your success

Sitzende Menschengruppe mit mobilen Endgeräten Foto: Getty Images

The Goethe-Institut brings the German language to the world. We offer German courses and German exams in over 90 countries.

  • The right solution for every need
  • German courses for all levels
  • Internationally recognised language certificates

Alaska

Director: Max Gleschinski
Year: 2022
Genre: Drama
Length: 124 min.

Kerstin paddles across the Mecklenburg Lake District in a red canoe. It slowly becomes clear what she is running away from, as the past catches up with her on the seemingly endless waters. Alaska is an atmospheric film about searching and finding, fleeing and drifting away.

Part of the annual series "City, Country, River" 

Scene from the film “Alaska” Photo (detail): © Jacob Waak / Wood Water Films

Subjects and Projects

History
German Traces in Canada

Discover Canada from a new perspective and join us on a multimedia search for traces of German immigration in Canada. 

Deutsche Spuren in Kanada © Goethe-Institut

Retrospective
"Robobreak" or how to welcome our machines

"Robots & Algorithms" Retrospective

Exhibition of the results of the project and robotic artist residency “Robots & Algorithms” with window projections, photos and videos.

In 2023, the Goethe-Institut, together with its local partners Milieux, Hexagram and Eastern Bloc, invited young scientists and artists to submit creative project proposals with the humanoid NAO robot. A Montreal-based art and research collective, consisting of Patil Tchilinguirian, Ceyda Yolgörmez and Zeph Thibodeau, was awarded the project.

Nao artistic © PCZ

The latest music from Germany
Popcast #10/2024

Listen to the latest tracks from Germany. This month with Die Nerven, International Music and many more!

Popcast 10/24 grün © Karaoke Kalk © Karaoke Kalk

Onleihe

The Onleihe is Goethe-Institut’s digital library (eLibrary). More than 23,000 German language eBooks, audio books, movies, materials for German language learners, magazines and newspapers are available for downloading from the Onleihe. 

« Onleihe » : la bibliothèque numérique Illustration: Maria Tran Larsen © Goethe-Institut

Suggestions from our editors

Hidden epidemic
“Loneliness Can Affect Anyone”

Loneliness is seen as the hidden epidemic that followed the pandemic. Young people are also affected: according to a study, around one in three Germans between the ages of 18 and 53 feel lonely nowadays, and in some cases excluded. In our interview, the study’s author Lena Frembs explains the reasons why and proposes some possible solutions.

Alone in a crowd – just one of the consequences of Covid-19: since the pandemic, younger and middle-aged adults have been more likely to be affected by loneliness and feel excluded. Photo (detail): © Adobe Photo (detail): © Adobe

Identity and belonging
Who belongs?

Sigmund Freud famously said that the "ego" is not master of its own home. He made this assertion in the context of his theory that unconscious drives and desires control the self, the house of the ego.

Who belongs? © Shutterstock © Shutterstock

German Series in North America
The Signal

How many people still believe in extraterrestrials today? The new Netflix series "The Signal", starring Peri Baumeister, Florian David Fitz, and Yuna Bennett, explores the possibility of non-human life in space—and aims to do much more.

Key art from the Netflix Germany Series "The Signal" showing Peri Baumeister in the ISS ©Netflix, Photo: Anika Molnar © Netflix, Photo: Anika Molnar

Come visit us!

3 instituts in Canada

We promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. More than 150 institutes worldwide provide culture, language and information about Germany. In addition, there are cooperations with other cultural societies, libraries and language learning centers.

Goethe-Institut Montreal

1626 boul. St-Laurent
Bureau 100
H2X 2T1 Montreal, QC
Kanada

Tel. 514 499 0159
info-montreal@goethe.de

Goethe-Institut Montreal © Jean-Guy Lambert

Goethe-Institut Ottawa

352 MacLaren Street
K2P 0M6 Ottawa
Kanada

info-ottawa@goethe.de

Goethe-institut Ottawa © Katja Melzer

Goethe-Institut Toronto

100 University Ave, North Tower, 2nd Floor
M5J 1V6 Toronto
Kanada

info-toronto@goethe.de

Goethe-Institut Toronto © Goethe-Institut Toronto/ Calvin Thomas

Goethe-Institut Montreal © Jean-Guy Lambert

Goethe-institut Ottawa © Katja Melzer

Goethe-Institut Toronto © Goethe-Institut Toronto/ Calvin Thomas