Sommerakademie 2008
International Summer School, 13.7.–23.7. 2008
“Regions of Culture – Regions of Identity“
[Program]
Regional Identity has long been a dynamic branch of research, to which more and more interdisciplinary approaches are finding access. Against this backdrop, the question arises whether and how regions can be described from a cultural perspective and distinguished from each other. Are region defined by certain parameters, such as state or administrative borders, the prevalence of elements of a particular material or intellectual culture, or the realms of certain linguistic interactions or other social practices? What role is played by perception and attribution, both from the outside and from within the region in question, in the process of rooting a regional identity in the collective consciousness? How can the various levels of scale be brought to bear in the comparison of regions?
The objective of the International Summer School is to draw together the current debates about regional identity and the structural elements of culture upon which regions are based. This discussion will provide a starting point for the interdisciplinary comparison of innovative PhD projects. The centre of reflection will by no means be a functional analysis of administrative or strategic regions, but rather a perspective that could best be captured in the coupling of the concepts “Region of Culture” and “Region of Identity”. Which phenomena and concepts, from history, language, academia as well as popular and high culture, can make regions tangible? And does this attempt to define correlate with the diverse aspects of identification and identity management connected to regions? Accordingly, we particularly welcome PhD projects that address the following issues:
- the structural persistence of “Regions of History”, regions as sites of memory, regional historiography and the regional politics of history and the past;
- the genesis of cultural identities in linguistic contact regions and phenomena of linguistic standardization on a regional level;
- identity formation through regional literatures and the stylization of regions in literary works, music and the fine arts;
- the identity-forming effect of practices of popular culture within a particular local and regional space
On which level of scale to approach these issue is a question deliberately left open to candidates so that the example regions they use can range in scale from local to medium-sized regions (e.g. the Basque region, Alsace, Silesia or Transylvania), over trans-border regions, to European sub-regions (like Scandinavia or the Balkans).
The International Summer School 2008 is interdisciplinary but does place emphasis on the study of culture. From the perspective of various academic disciplines, high-ranking scholars from Germany and abroad will shed light on current debate and lay open questions for further discussion. Proposals for PhD projects should stem from the academic fields of history, linguistics and literary studies, art history, musicology, ethnology and anthropology, but projects informed by the study of culture from other disciplines (such as Geography, Sociology and Political Science) are very welcome.
The International Summer School is hosted jointly by the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC), the Centre for Eastern European Studies (Giessener Zentrum Östliches Europa – GiZo) at the University in Giessen and the Herder Institute in Marburg. The involvement of the Herder Institute (which holds unique collections about Eastern European history and culture) and the Centre for Eastern European Studies in Giessen (GiZo) are reflected in the emphasis of the Summer School on Eastern Europe. The Herder Institute also offers participants the opportunity to pursue their studies on relevant topics at the Herder Institute after the Summer School has ended. However, the aim is a far broader, pan-European comparative perspective, which can also include papers on German regions.
The International Summer School will take place from 13th to 23rd July 2008. The first five days in the castle of Rauischholzhausen (close to Marburg) will be dedicated to the discussion of central concepts and the differing approaches of various disciplines. Then, the participants will be divided into groups working in three parallel sections, where prevailing methodological and theoretical questions will be examined more closely and individual PhD projects will be presented (in talks of 20-25 minutes) and discussed. An excursion offering concrete examples for the interconnection of regional identities and cultural management will also be part of the International Summer School that will, finally, be rounded up by a practical course of one and a half days to be completed optionally at the Herder Institute, the GiZo or the GCSC.
Confirmed keynote speakers for the castle of Rauischholzhausen: Prof. Dr. Christian Prunitsch (Dresden), Ana Pizarro (Santiago de Chile).
The conference languages are English and German. About a month prior to the International Summer School, a reader will be made available as a basis for discussion. The hosts will as a rule bear the expenses for travel and accommodation, as well as much of the maintenance costs. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact:
Dorothea Walter
Justus Liebig University Giessen
International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC)
Alter Steinbacher Weg 38
D-35394 Giessen
Germany
e-mail: dorothea.walter@gcsc.uni-giessen.de
tel: +49 641 99 300 43.