Prole Politics

Adaptation as Appropriation of Techno in the Works of Rainald Goetz

Abstract

In contrast to the notion of adaptation as the process of translating or transferring a given content from one text/medium into another (or the product of such a process), this article argues for a notion of adaptation as a form of pop-cultural appropriation. This concept allows for a more productive analysis of the literary works of German author Rainald Goetz and his appropriation of the musical genre of Techno as a form of popular music. Far from criticizing its development as a form of selling-out, Goetz acknowledges it as an opportunity for political change. His theory of “real existierender Prollismus” [actually existing chavism] can be read as a political manifesto as well as an aesthetic program. The provocation of Goetz’s appropriation of Techno lies therefore in his understanding of a highly commercial form of music as a serious means of political action.