Abstract

In research on language and identity, names serve as ‘acts of identity’ for other- and selfidentification. As markers of belonging or difference, names function as shibboleths and elements of discursive self-construction. This contribution investigates the relationship between names and identity in the Israelkorpus, a collection of narrative interviews with German-speaking Israelis who immigrated to Palestine/Israel mostly before 1939. Their relationship to names is particularly complex due to Nazi other-positioning of Jewish citizens and subsequent Zionist hebraization policies in Palestine/Israel. The analysis highlights names’ role in identity construction and examines how speakers thematize their relationship with birth names and names adopted after migration. The study employs narrative analysis and sociolinguistic tools, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches.