Autobiographies and life writing are booming in contemporary German literature and historical studies. In many successful works of fiction and historical non-fiction, the authors speak more or less explicitly about themselves and their families. Writers and historians take their own life experiences as a starting point for general observations about the past and present of society. Examples include the autobiography of Angela Merkel, the publications of Didier Eribon and Annie Ernaux, and, in the field of historical studies, the books by Ewald Frie (Der Hof und elf Geschwister) and Wolfgang Hardtwig (Ein Hof in den Bergen). In the United States, the works of Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me) and, the autobiographical account of J.D. Vance (Hillbilly Elegy) have been the subject of considerable attention.
Against this background, we aim to organize a panel or series of panels that will address two key issues: first, the emergence of a “personal turn” in literature and historiography; and second, the role of autobiographies and life writing as historical sources. One panel will examine the reasons behind the recent surge in autobiographical writing, its implications for the present era, its impact on literary and historical writing. How are individual life stories told, and how do individual life stories relate to family and kinship networks as well as to society and the state? What are the functions of family and kinship networks in individual life stories, and to what extent do narrators and authors describe their life story as an individual story, as a family story, or as the story of a particular group? What does it mean for literature and historical studies when statements about the past and present are based on personal experiences? What fictions of authenticity are created as a result, how can such narratives be criticized, and how can universally valid world views that are shared by many be derived from such personal and subjective statements? Whose life stories are told and what are the epistemological strengths and weaknesses of autobiographical texts? Do these works still aim to make generalizable statements about the past and present of society? The second panel will concentrate on autobiographical writings and their function as sources in historical studies. At what points in time and in what contexts has there been comparable attention or indifference to autobiographical texts since the 1800s, and how can autobiographies be classified in terms of source criticism? Both panels are linked by their interest in historical and contemporary autobiographical texts and the associated questions: Who has been and is able to speak through them and what privileges have been and are associated with autobiographies and family histories?
Literature: Kendra T. Fields, “The Privilege of Family History”, Carlos Spoerhase, “Jetzt kommt es auf uns an”; Anna Kornbluh, Immediacy or The Style of Too late Capitalism, Thomas Etzemüller, “Die Realität ist fast schon der Roman” / “Henning von Rittersdorf”, Enzo Traverso, “Singular Pasts”.
Please send your abstract of no more than 400 words and a CV by Jan. 31, 2025 to
Jürgen Dinkel: juergen.dinkel@uni-leipzig.de
William Carter: wcarter@iastate.edu
Please note: The GSA requires panelists to be a current member by the time full panels are submitted. Please be ready to renew your membership—or join—when you receive notice that your abstract has been accepted. For further information regarding fees, resources, and travel grants see: https://www.thegsa.org/blog/cfp-gsa-49th-annual-conference.
Co-Coordinators:
Jürgen Dinkel is visiting Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Leipzig. He is interested in the history of property regimes, kinship networks and inheritance in the US and Europe, as well as cross-border property transfers. In a second project, he is exploring the history of acknowledgments and gratitude. In a broader sense, his research focuses on the history of inequality and social mobility. Recent publications: Alles bleibt in der Familie. Erbe und Eigentum in Deutschland, Russland und den USA seit dem 19. Jahrhundert, Köln 2023. „Dank sagen. Geschichte einer akademischen Kulturtechnik,“ in: Zeithistorische Forschungen/Studies in Contemporary History, Online-Ausgabe, 19 (2022), H. 3, URL: https://zeithistorische-forschungen.de/3-2022/6083, Druckausgabe: S. 537–559. As part of the Family and Kinship Network, he is interested in discussing the history of transnational families.
William H. Carter is Associate Professor of German Studies and Director of International Studies at Iowa State University. His research interests begin in the Age of Goethe and include: the Faust tradition; intersections of literature, philosophy, and economic thought; Austrian studies; film; finance and society; and behavioral economics. He has published articles in the Goethe Yearbook, Herder Jahrbuch/Yearbook, Colloquia Germanica, Monatshefte, German Studies Review, Journal of Austrian Studies, and The German Quarterly. As a member of the Family and Kinship Network, he is particularly interested in literary and cinematic depictions of economic matters such as inheritance, transfers of power, and representations of the future.