Open Call for Papers for the 36th Annual Conference of the German Studies Association

Sponsored by the GSA Interdisciplinary Network “War and Violence”

The War and Violence Network of the German Studies Association (GSA) invites paper proposals for the upcoming 2014 GSA meeting in Kansas City (Sept. 18-21).

This GSA interdisciplinary network seeks to bring together scholars concerned with any aspect of the field of war and violence studies. The network focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to a range of topics under a broad methodological umbrella, including comparative history, entangled history, and cultural transfer history [Vergleichs-, Verflechtungs-, Transfergeschichte], as well as approaches from literary and cultural studies areas such as narrative-theoretical approaches, trauma theory, psychoanalysis, and media studies.

The network will sponsor a series of panels for the 2014 GSA meeting:

“War and Violence: Concepts, Approaches, and Examples of an Interdisciplinary Field”

This panel series seeks to discuss fundamental theoretical and methodological questions that arise in the field of war & violence, as well as the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The goal is to find commonalities but also reflect upon the differences that arise for interdisciplinary research in German Studies on “war & violence”, bringing together interdisciplinary research inspired by history, political studies, philosophy, literature, cultural studies, film studies, museum studies, and other disciplines and sub-disciplines. We invite proposals that emphasize theoretical and methodological questions, as well as concrete case studies from the middle ages to the present from which reflections on concepts and approaches in the interdisciplinary field of “war and violence” can be deducted. Violence can be read as military violence in the widest sense, i.e. it includes analyses that relate violence in society to war, or violence to civilians triggered by military conditions. All approaches should relate to war & violence, not simply to one side of the conceptual pairing.

Please note two important GSA rules: 1. All panel participants including the commentator and moderator must be registered GSA members by February 17, 2014. No individual at the GSA Conference may give more than one paper/participate in a seminar or participate in more than two separate capacities.

Please send abstracts, a brief c.v., and a specific request of AV needs, if applicable, before January 26 to all three network coordinators:

Jörg Echternkamp (Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg) at joerg.echternkamp@geschichte.uni-halle.de

Stephan Jaeger (University of Manitoba) at stephan.jaeger@umanitoba.ca

Susanne Vees-Gulani (Case Western Reserve University) at shv2@case.edu

Successful applicants will be informed by February 7, 2014. This allows unsuccessful applicants to submit their proposals directly to the GSA by February 17, 2014.