Dear Colleagues,

Please consider submitting a proposal to our seminar on Jews and Politics in the post-war Germanies at the GSA in Atlanta, October 5th-8th, 2017.
We look forward to hear from you, and wish you a successful year of 2017.

Seminar description “Jews and Politics in the Post War Germanies”

This transdisciplinary seminar seeks to discuss challenges of Jewish political engagement within Germany following World War II, to understand its motivations, concerns, effects, and results. Generally, three specific areas of engagement attracted wide-spread public attention among the Jewish population: the Nazi era, Israel, and the Jewish community. The multifaceted participation of the Jewish population resides within the very different reasons of Jewish survivors for being in Germany; either against their will, by choice, or as returned exiles. The latter were often led by the urge to build a different Germany, though the country they encountered wavered between Wiedergutmachungs- and Schlussstrichdebatte. Hence, Jewish activities within the political space of the two Germanies included jurisdictional, educational, and journalistic concerns. Consequently, direct participation and engagement in contemporary German and European politics developed alongside a public discussion of Jewish politics. This seminar will explore more than seven decades of political work by Jews in Germany, and follow the shifts also reflected in the changing Jewish Selbstverständnis: In which way did engagement impact the democratic development of the three Germanies? What role has art played in this process? How do Jews politically relate to the German, non-Jewish majority and other minorities?

Seminar Format
Six core readings will be provided, additional readings will be available. The participants need to join one of three response groups, and prepare up to 5 pages of one critical reaction paper, which will be circulated in advance. The conveners will open the first seminar with an introduction, and each response group will introduce the topic of one day as well as open its discussion. The focus in content and structure is the critical discussion.

If you wish to participate in a seminar, please visit the GSA website and apply electronically at: https://www.xcdsystem.com/gsa. You might have to become a member or renew your membership of the GSA.

Seminar participants will be listed by name in the program. Upon the acceptance of your application you will be an active participant in the seminar, and thus you are not allowed to give a paper in panel sessions, nor may you withdraw from a seminar in order to present a paper instead. However, you may moderate or comment on a panel or participate in a roundtable.

We have reserved spots for advanced Graduate Students, and encourage you to send us an application.

You may choose to be a silent auditor in a seminar. Slots for auditors are limited; the enrollment process for interested auditors will only take place after the entire GSA program is set.

Applications for enrollment are due by January 26, 2017. The conveners of the seminars will make their determination of the membership of their seminars by February 2, 2017. The GSA Seminar Program Committee will inform applicants by February 5, 2017 whether they have been accepted or not.

Please send your proposal of max. 500 words, and a short bio of not more than 300 words by January 26, 2017 to
Dr. Juliette Brungs brun0334@umn.edu and Dr. Dani Kranz dani@danikranz.com