Conventions
59. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Amerikastudien
59. Annual Convention of the German Association for American Studies
“American Lives”
31 May – 3 June 2012, Mainz
From its beginning American culture has shaped the formation of the American self. In the course of its evolution, religious, historical, literary, cultural and political discourses have developed various models of self-realization as the basis for living and recollecting American lives. The general topic of the 2012 GAAS Convention in Mainz lends itself to a discussion of all aspects of the presentation and representation of individual and/or collective lives in the United States and Americans abroad from a national and transnational perspective. All disciplines in the American Studies community analyze, interpret and resort to forms of life writing, their uses and abuses, for their research: biography, autobiography, diary, journal, biographical and autobiographical works, performance, photography, music, film or electronic media: blogs, e-lives, chat-rooms, as well as forms of personal narratives (conversion, captivity, slave narratives). The keynote speakers chosen for the conference, Sidonie Smith (U of Michigan), Craig Howes (U of Hawaii) and Thomas Bender (NYU), experts in the field of life writing, will address these areas from the fields of literature, culture, history and politics.
The annual convention 2012 coincides with the 60-year anniversary of Mainz American Studies. Hence the conference topic reflects a special focus on life writing at Mainz and a more recent concern with the interaction of life writing and life science. The American writer Siri Hustvedt, who combines both areas in her work, has agreed to participate in the conference and will address this form of life writing. The concluding forum will bring together scholars from American Studies, medical humanities and natural sciences, including Siri Hustvedt. The newly developed centers of research in Early American Studies and Comparative Native and Indigenous Studies would welcome contributions in these areas. Birgit Däwes (Mainz) will give an additional keynote on American lives and indigenous studies.
Registration
Registration for the 59th Annual Convention of the German Association for American Studies is open now!
In order to register for the convention, please transfer the fee of € 40 to the DGfA/GAAS account by 23 April 2012 (students and members with an income below € 1000,–/month transfer € 25,–). An extra € 20 is required for the conference dinner.
Please remember that all speakers in the annual convention workshops have to be members of the DGfA/GAAS by the time of the convention. ( Mitgliedschaft and Mitglied werden).
For more information on the convention, registration, and payment of the registration fee please check the following website: