Franziska Müller and Daniel Bendix deconstruct the image of the supposedly politically progressive pachyderm with regard to the statements conveyed around North-South issues. From a postcolonial perspective, racializations and exoticizations are sought in those episodes in which Benjamin Blümchen leaves his ancestral terrain and travels abroad (Tanzania, USA, North Pole). Furthermore, historical (de)contextualizations and the role repertoire of the protagonist in other cultures are analyzed. The authors also ask for possibilities of expansion that could strengthen the domination-critical, idiosyncratic potential of Benjamin’s episodes and help children in historical-political Support socialization.
Daniel Bendix, Franziska Müller 2016: Colonizer, helper, and cosmopolitan: “Yes, that’s me, Benjamin Blümchen, törööööö!” In: O. Emde, L. Möller, A. Wicke (eds.), Von “Bibi Blocksberg” bis “TKKG”. Children’s radio plays from the perspective of social and cultural studies. Perspective. Leverkusen: Budrich, pp. 2016, 36-51.
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