I, Claudia: There's No Place Like Heimat
Over Here, Over There
English - February 13, 2024 09:00 - 7 minutes - 5.54 MBSociety & Culture News News Commentary arts food travel culture society politics language international philosophy health Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
'There's no place like home', said Dorothy in one of the most famous final lines in cinematic history in The Wizard of Oz. The concept of home has intrigued writers, scholars, travelers, artists, soldiers, students, and every human being who has ever walked the planet. So it has with Claudia as she prepares to leave a place she has called home for twenty-seven years and start anew somewhere else. She explores the uniqueness of the German meaning of Heimat, which its closest equivalent in English is 'homeland'. Claudia doesn't break out into 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow', but you will want to listen to how she explores the usage of Heimat over time in Germany and asks listeners to think of the visceral and poignant nature of its meaning in their language and to humanity.