While the transpacific networks and the cultural encounters of Asians have received a relatively high level of attention in recent years, especially in subjects like Pacific, Oceanic, Area or Colonial Studies, the German element in these transit regional exchanges has often been underestimated or overlooked. This holds especially true for research on the European presence in the early modern period when Germany's lack of formal colonies long seemed to obviate the need to look for Germans in this part of the world.

In recent years individual scholars have started to uncover the significant presence and influence of Germans in the Pacific since the late 17th century in the economic, cultural, educational, religious and academic or intellectual spheres: from early modern missionaries and merchants to modern entrepreneurs and Cold War strategists. They have also probed the ways in which the Pacific figured in the development of German thought about culture and national identity in relationship to a larger world. In addition, a growing number of works on the German colonialism in the Pacific have appeared.

This conference seeks to summarize the state-of-the-art of research so far and aims at developing a trans-disciplinary research agenda for the future. To capture the multi-faceted and multi-nodal connections between Germany and the Pacific, the conferences deliberately pushes the temporal frame beyond the period of colonial expansion, and investigates instead questions of continuities and discontinuities in the German presence abroad across the early modern/modern divide and into the 20th century. The conference also takes a very broad view of the Pacific. It seeks to illuminate the myriad of Pacific worlds that stretch from the different landmasses bordering the globe's largest ocean to the innumerable islands scattered across it and the spaces in between.

Possible themes for paper proposals included but are not limited to the following:

German expeditions to the Pacific
German missionaries in the Pacific
German migrations to and from the Pacific
German merchants and entrepreneurs in the Pacific
German immigrant communities in the Pacific
Economic relations between Germany and the Pacific
German colonialism in the Pacific
Germany's relationship with the Pacific as a postcolonial space
Pacific as an area of German imperial interest and expansion
The Pacific as part of Germany's Cold War
Pacific life worlds as a subject of academic disciplines
Knowledge transfer between the Pacific and Germany

Pending the approval of several funding requests, the conference organizers hope to cover travel expenses, accommodation, and some meals for the conference participants.

Please send a proposal of no more than 500 words and a short CV to fabricius@ghi-dc.org

DEADLINE for submissions: MARCH 1, 2014

For any inquiries do not hesitate to contact the conveners.