What does it actually mean to be German? Forests and oak leaves, Goethe and Schiller, the break of civilization and old guilt? Every German has images of Germany in their mind, yet hardly anyone has a language for the vaguely felt, half-repressed, half-longed-for national sentiment. What does it mean to be German? Zafer Senocak dares to tackle this question, which we have long avoided. It may be uncomfortable, but in truth, it is long overdue, as the intensity and helplessness of the integration debates show. Because Germans have no positive concept of who they are, they also lack a vision for an open society that is not defined by the exclusion of the foreign. The political correctness of bureaucratic German still replaces the welcoming greeting for those who have already found a home in the immigration country of Germany. What could it mean to be German? Zafer Senocak.