Qualitative Literary and Media Interaction Research

Theory

"Literature and hemeneutics" means "not only the dialogue with the works but also the conversation with those who equally strive to comprehend the works", says Harro Müller-Michaelis in his paper asking what German Studies are good for today (in Walter Erhart [ed.] 2003) while referring to Friedrich Schiller’s thoughts about "language" as "the only sensual and most purely human means" of "education" and "cultural personality formation" which is grounded in the basic fact "that one cannot derive an understanding of the human existence by directly and exclusively turning towards oneself but only by confronting someone other than oneself."

This seemingly conservative understanding of “hemeneutics” and philological literary studies – as well as its pedagogical application vis-à-vis “someone other” – would only have to be implemented on a level which acknowledges contemporary human sciences in the fields of (inter-)action-theoretical social and psychological research. For, this could provide convincing answers to the ever recurring public debates about the purpose and future of the humanities.

For, if one takes fully serious a concept of "literature and hemeneutics", which is defined both as a "dialogue with the works" and as interpersonal "conversation", "confrontation with", and understanding of "someone other than oneself", and if one takes serious "literature" as supporting processes of "education" and "cultural personality formation" in terms of both individual development and social progress – if one truly intends to live up to such an understanding of art and culture in theoretical and methodologically respects, this then implies

... an (inter-)action-theoretical foundation of the research on “literature and hermeneutics” understood as “dialogical” (media) interaction, which has individual and societal dimensions in that it may generate intellectual capacities of “comprehension” and foster “education” and personality development

... a two-fold concept of what it means to do research on “literature”, culture, and media, which is thus viewed as textual manifestation on the one hand and as an interactional phenomenon of mental and communicative activity on the other – an activity which is situated on the level of aesthetic “dialogue”

... an interdisciplinary expansion of the humanities’ theoretical and methodological framework which includes qualitative social and interactional research and their methods of empirical hermeneutics, since these interdisciplinary resources are pivotal for attaining a methodically secured understanding both of “the dialogue with the works” and the text-based interpersonal “conversation” of oneself with “those who equally strive to comprehend” the works

... establishing a common “hermeneutical” denominator, upon which the philological humanities may meet and collaborate with (inter-)action-theoretical disciplines such as qualitative social and psychological research. At present interdisciplinary narratology appears to be a promising theoretical and methodological framework in which such collaboration may be successful.

... a particular acknowledgement of the scientific resources of psychology which seem indispensable for understanding the mental “dialogue with the works” as well as the interactional “conversation with others”. In this respect, recent developmental psychology, object-relational and psychodynamic approaches of psychoanalysis, qualitative/ narrational psycho-therapy studies, group-analysis, and clinical psycho-trauma studies are particularly relevant resources

... the pursuit both of basic research on empirical phenomena of media/ text interaction and of applied research on teaching literature and media in the class room or other, novel settings of “education” and “cultural personality formation”. From there innovative teaching approaches may be developed – and offered as post-graduate professional training program – which both convey cultural history and instil psychological knowledge as well as analytic and interactional skills. This then would effectively respond to the recurring requests that teaching of the humanities may support ‘key competencies’ and ‘soft skills’ in the students.

... offering an interdisciplinary research approach to the study of media and aesthetic interaction on the one hand and developing novel methods of teaching on the other will significantly enhance a university’s profile of excellence in culture studies. It will also emphasize the humanities’ relevance as resource of tackling contemporary media societies’ challenges.