Drawing on recent debates on how to deal with immigration and integration in Germany, this article reviews various theoretical concepts linked to this sometimes ambiguous debate. Multifarious new tasks are identified that need to be addressed by society and its various functional arenas, among them the political, economic, cultural and media subsystems. In this context old foundations of the classic nation-state seem to be increasingly obsolete and might get partly replaced by new forms of citizenship and belonging, processes in which media will play an important role. An "Integration Channel" which had been proposed by key figures of Germany's powerful public-service broadcasting system in early 2004 has as yet not materialized, but has sparked some vivid debates. In the long run Germany may develop new narratives of national identity that will make possible the negotiation of multiple or even flexible loyalties, through the media and otherwise.

English abstract copyright © 2008 Oliver Zöllner.