In recent years, German colonial history has emerged as a vibrant field of scholarly debate. Inspired by the expanding scholarship in postcolonial studies and global history, a growing number of German and international scholars set out to study the cultural underpinnings, the discursive patterns and the Gender aspects of German colonialism; to question the traditional assumption of a one-way process of political domination and cultural diffusion; to reassess the role of local agency; and to place German colonial history in the context of global integration. Exploring the history of German colonialism well beyond the spatial and temporal boundaries of the immediate colonial empire, scholars have begun not only to compare German colonialism to colonial politics of other imperial powers, but also to address its transnational entanglements and to situate it in the context of globalisation and the worldwide circulation of people, goods, and ideas. Moving beyond the older picture of colonialism as a short and inconsequential period of German history the postcolonial aftermath and long-term cultural as well as political continuities have become a highly debated issue.

The conference, hosted by the Free University of Berlin and organised in cooperation with Cambridge University, intends to offer a forum for the discussion and evaluation of recent trends in the field and for the debate of its future directions. It aims at bringing together scholars currently engaged in the research of German colonial/postcolonial history and invites both senior and junior researchers to present their work. Travel expenses and accommodation will be covered.

Proposals of 400 words, accompanied by a short CV, should be sent by 15 April 2011 to s.gottschalk@fu-berlin.de.

Sebastian Conrad (FU Berlin)