AIdentikit for Latin AmericaA is a collection of essays compiled by Gustav Siebenmann on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The first section is given over to fundamental considerations on cultural comparison and cultural identity. These are followed by essays on the quest for Latin American identity, the changes undergone by the image of Latin America in the mentality and literature of German-speaking nations, the role of the latter in the history of the continent, and their contribution to research on the region. After a comparison of the centenary celebrations to mark the discovery of America, the volume closes with a discussion of development problems.

Culture studies try to understand how people assume identities and perceive reality. In this light narration is a fundamental cultural technique. What is considered "fictitious" or "real" no longer separates narratives from an "outside" they refer to, but rather represents different narratives. The book's unique interdisciplinary approach shows how the implications of this fundamental insight go far beyond the sphere of literature and carry weight for both scholarly and scientific disciplines.

Streifzug durch den sudamerikanischen Kontinent. Von den Inkas uber die Kolonialzeit, von Borges und Neruda bis Volpi und Villoro stellt die Literaturgeschichte alle bedeutenden Schriftsteller Lateinamerikas ins Rampenlicht. Augenfallig wird dabei der gesellschaftliche und kulturelle Wandel. In der 3. Auflage um die jungsten Entwicklungen in der lateinamerikanischen Literatur aktualisiert.