AHRC-funded Postgraduate Conference

Innovation and Recycling in Post-Unification German Culture, Society, and Politics

Tuesday 11th and Wednesday 12th December 2007, Department of German, University of Leeds

Keynote speakers: Professor Stephen Brockmann (Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh) and Professor Bill Niven (Nottingham Trent)

Bringing together postgraduate researchers from across the UK, this conference will consider the way in which Germany has been (re)defined since the Wende through its culture, society and politics. The interdisciplinary forum will interrogate contemporary discourses, asking if they signal a break with the past, illustrate continuities, or suggest new trends. To what extent are themes and issues in contemporary German culture 'genuinely' new? Do they mark Wendepunkte in German cultural history? Or are they simply evidence of a recycling of the past? What is the relationship between recycling and innovation? How might we conceptualise change?

Papers are welcome from postgraduates working in all fields of German Studies. The language of the conference is English and German. Publication of the conference proceedings is planned. 

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

. German wartime suffering

. the 'memorialisation' of the German past

. cinematic engagements with the divided nation from the perspective of a unified Germany

. 'coming to terms' with the GDR past

. the construction of the ‘normal’ nation

. displays of patriotism in contemporary German society

. the position of Germany in international politics and its role in an expanding European Union

. representations of diaspora in post-millennial film and literature

. the location of Heimat in the ‘Berlin Republic’

. emerging writers' engagement with their role as author

Proposals of 300 words for papers of 20 minutes that explore any of the themes outlined above or are considered relevant to the scope of enquiry should be emailed to the organising committee at: conference.germanleeds@googlemail.com

Due to a successful funding bid to the AHRC under their Collaborative Research Training Scheme, we are very pleased to announce the availability of accommodation and travel bursaries for delegates giving papers.

Also featuring:

. Workshop on 'Getting Published' run by German Life and Letters, in conjunction with the University of Leeds' Staff and Departmental Development Unit

. Showing of the critically acclaimed documentary film 'Losers and Winners' (2006). For more information, see http://www.losers-and-winners.net

. Conference social in Leeds

Registration now open

Please note that the registration fee has been waived.

Download registration form here

USEFUL INFO:

Refreshments

Tea/coffee and lunch will be provided.

Getting here

See the campus map and travel instructions available via the University's home page: http://webprod2.leeds.ac.uk/campusmap/index.asp

Conference venue

The conference will be held at Leeds Humanities Research Institute. See the website for its location on campus: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lhri/contactus.htm

Accommodation

If you need a hotel in Leeds before or after the conference, here are some useful links:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lhri/documents/document_store/local_hotels_guesthouses.pdf
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/visitors/where_to_stay.htm

Contacts for queries

Email: conference.germanleeds@googlemail.com


Jenny McKay or Karina Berger

Address: University of Leeds, Department of German, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK