From March 28th, we’ll officially be known as The Berliner instead of Exberliner. Nothing else is going to change – the magazine will still be exactly the same, our team, content, style and ethos will remain exactly as it was, just that instead of the letters ‘EX’ ahead of BERLINER on the cover, it will be ‘THE’. You could say we’re ditching our toxic ex.
If you’re wondering why we’ve decided to change the name, it helps to start with our origin story and a bit of trivia you might not be aware of. More than two decades ago, the first ever issue of the magazine that we published was called The Berliner, but someone else was already using the title and they threatened legal action.
You could say we’re ditching our toxic ex.
The next issue was then called The Ex-Berliner, before morphing into Exberliner by Issue 8. Last year, we went after the name ‘The Berliner’ again, and it turned out we’re finally able to return to our roots and use the name the magazine always wanted.
But of course, this isn’t the only motivation for changing what we’re called. A big reason is that people are often confused by the name and not sure what it means. When some people first encounter Exberliner, they think it’s a magazine for people who used to live in Berlin. This misconception is usually overcome once they have read it.
But by far the most common misinterpretation of the name is that it means ‘Expat Berliner’. This is much more problematic and harder to shake. These days, the term ‘expat’ feels inherently exclusive and unrepresentative. The lines between migrant, immigrant and expat are blurry at best, and classist and racist at worst.
Perhaps we need a new way to refer to everyone who moves here from a different country. Something like ‘international people’ or even just ‘internationals’ is much more fitting and catch-all. It’s true that people who move here from different places have different experiences and are treated differently, but labelling people and separating them only foments division. Plus, a lot of native German speakers read the magazine, and the term expat doesn’t apply there either.
If anyone asks us how long it takes to become a Berliner, our answer is: 21 years.
As a name, The Berliner is more inclusive. Yes, it’s aimed at English speakers, but we want it to be for everyone who speaks and reads in English. It is hard to fully represent all of Berlin in one magazine – the city is sprawling and diverse and complex – but we’re doing our best to keep expanding our bubble.
We want to reflect this city we call home as best we can. And that’s another point: what does it mean to be a Berliner? Who can call themselves a Berliner? We don’t have the answers to those questions, but we can tell you how long it takes. The rules might be different for people than for magazines, but if anyone asks us how long it takes to become a Berliner, our answer is: 21 years.
