2020 marks thirty years of German reunification after forty-five years of division. The unique “entangled but separate” nature of German-German history provided special impetus to develop this paradigm as early as the 1980s when historian Christoph Klessmann made his vital plea that the histories of the FRG and GDR be better integrated with one another. While historians and cultural studies scholars have only begun to take up Klessmann’s call, new historiographical and cultural studies trends are already forcing scholars to extend and clarify the concept of entanglement. The proliferation of transnational projects raises the possibility that entanglement may prove a key paradigm for integrating different levels of analysis: the local with the regional and global. Additionally, historians such as Konrad H. Jarausch have called for writing narratives that integrate the history of post-1989 reunified Germany with those of the two preceding German states, emphasizing continuity across the Wende. This seminar will bring together scholars from a range of fields to interrogate the utility of the concept of “entanglement and separation” and discuss new methods and approaches to writing integrated German histories.
The goals of this seminar are twofold. First, the conveners wish to bring together scholars from German history and cultural studies who are working on different aspects of integrated histories or integrated approaches to German history/studies. Second, the conveners hope that the seminar will provide an opportunity for the selected scholars to network and begin collaborating on future seminars, conference panels, and possibly a special journal issue. We invite scholars of postwar Germany from all disciplines to submit proposals for papers that engage with “entangled” methods in light of recent research trends. Possible approaches include:
- East-West German comparative projects
- Cold War Germany from a cultural history or cultural studies perspective
- projects seeking to integrate the local, national, and global
- continuities between the FRG/GDR and post-Wende Germany
- papers examining regional linkages within a national framework
- and any other projects that incorporate innovative conceptualization of “entanglement and separation.”
Participants will submit a 5,000 to 8,000-word paper (which can be finished works, works in progress, or parts of dissertation chapters) one month prior to the conference for pre-circulation. The conveners will group the submissions by their approaches to entanglement, the approach providing the theme for that day’s discussion. Instead of presenting their papers during the conference, presenters will be asked to give a five-minute explanation of their approach to entanglement. Conveners will also select and pre-circulate common methodological readings for the seminar. Auditors will be allowed.
To apply, please go to the German Studies Association’s page for seminar participant applications (https://www.xcdsystem.com/gsa/member/index.cfm). You will be asked to submit a 500-word abstract and a short CV. Participants will be chosen with an eye toward creating a balance of graduate students, junior faculty, and senior scholars from a variety of institutions and disciplines. The deadline for applications is January 27, 2020.