CFP: War and Violence Network of the German Studies Association invites proposals on "Museums, Memorials, and War" (January 2015)

Open Call for Papers for the 39th Annual Conference of the German Studies Association

Washington, D.C., October 1-4, 2015

Deadline: January 26, 2015

Sponsored by the GSA Interdisciplinary Network “War and Violence”

The War and Violence Network of the German Studies Association (GSA) invites paper proposals for the upcoming 2015 GSA meeting in Washington, D.C. (Oct. 1-4).

This GSA interdisciplinary network seeks to bring together scholars concerned with any aspect of the field of war and violence studies. The network focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to a range of topics under a broad methodological umbrella, including comparative history, entangled history, and cultural transfer history [Vergleichs-, Verflechtungs-, Transfergeschichte], as well as approaches from literary and cultural studies areas such as narrative-theoretical approaches, trauma theory, psychoanalysis, and media studies.

The network will sponsor a series of panels for the 2015 GSA meeting on “Museums, Memorials, and War.”

Our vision of violence in the past has been highly influenced by different forms of cultural representations. On the one hand, countless memorials have commemorated those who suffered and/or died, oscillating between grief and glorification. On the other hand, objects of war have been collected and arranged in museums to evoke the times of war. Both forms of representation of military violence have reflected contemporary ideas of war, the role of soldiers and civilians, and the self-perception of those who remembered. Memorials and museums changed according to the underlying political, educational, and historiographical concepts. For instance, recent exhibitions increasingly focus on everyday life and individual experiences rather than battle history which reflects methodological preferences in the writing of history. The analysis of museums and memorials also points to important changes of value systems, such as the replacement of the epic vision of war after 1945 in favor of a more sober, ‘post-heroic’ view of military conflicts in a number of European societies. Museums and memorials are consistently situated between national, inter- and transnational, such as European or even global, frameworks.

We therefore invite proposals that focus on case studies from the 18th century to the present as well as papers with the emphasis on theoretical and methodological aspects in the interdisciplinary field of museums, memorials, and war. Presentations, for example, can  focus on one or more of the following dimensions of museums and memorials: their architecture; artistic concepts; narrative, representational, spatial, or intermedial strategies; the role of visitors; the functions of art, photography, film, digital media, or other media in museums/memorials; and their political, economic, ethical, societal, historical, or memory contexts.

Please note two important GSA rules: 1. All panel participants including the commentator and moderator must be registered GSA members by February 16, 2015. No individual at the GSA Conference may give more than one paper/participate in a seminar or participate in more than two separate capacities.

Please send abstracts, a brief c.v., and a specific request of AV needs, if applicable, before January 26, 2015 to all three network coordinators:

• Jörg Echternkamp (Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg) at joerg.echternkamp(at)geschichte.uni-halle.de,
• Stephan Jaeger (University of Manitoba) at stephan.jaeger(at)umanitoba.ca,
• Susanne Vees-Gulani (Case Western Reserve University) at shv2(at)case.edu.

Successful applicants will be informed by February 7, 2015. This allows unsuccessful applicants to submit their proposals directly to the GSA by February 16, 2015.