The Refugee Experience and Racial Categorization in Jenny Erpenbeck’s Gehen, Ging, Gegangen (Go, Went, Gone)

Abstract

Increasingly over the years, African migrants have been subjected to dehumanization and social exclusion in various parts of the world, especially in urban centers such as Berlin. This paper examines the critical issue of the discriminatory marginalization of African refugees in Berlin on the basis of their racial and refugee status. The main objective is to analyze how Erpenbeck's Go, Went, Gone reflects the in-group and out-group categorization dynamics, uncovering the social ramifications of these identities on the refugees' experiences. Employing a qualitative literary analysis methodology, the article carefully examines key passages that illustrate refugee categorization, connecting these moments to Tajfel and Turner’s SIT (social identity theory) concepts such as social identity and categorization mechanisms. Erpenbeck critiques the bureaucratic and societal constructs that continue to perpetuate these racialized identities, demonstrating the consequences of being relegated to an excluded group. This research points to the enduring dehumanizing effects of social categorization, and calls for greater empathy and understanding to address the realities of the migration crisis, stressing the need to acknowledge the humanity of each individual beyond surface labels.