Waterloo Centre for German Studies 2018 Book Prize - Finalists

Misty Matthews-Roper Announcement
Announcement Type
Prize
Subject Fields
German History / Studies, Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies, Humanities, Literature, Modern European History / Studies

The Waterloo Centre for German Studies is pleased to announce the eight finalists for the WCGS Book Prize. The prize, valued at CAD $2,000, is for an author's first book in any area of German studies published in 2018.

The shortlist, available here and below, demonstrates the rich and diverse nature of German studies scholarship today. For each of the books on the shortlist,  we’ve created a webpage where, in addition to the book’s particulars, the authors answer our questions about how they became interested in their topic and what they hope readers will take away from their book.

The finalists are:

Moritz von Brescius, German Science in the Age of Empire: Enterprise, Opportunity and the Schlagintweit Brothers (Cambridge University Press). This study explores the national, imperial and indigenous interests at stake in a major survey expedition undertaken by the German Schlagintweit brothers in South and Central Asia in the 1850s. Further information: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/2018-book-prize-finalist-moritz-von-brescius

Brendan Karch, Nation and Loyalty in a German-Polish Borderland: Upper Silesia, 1848–1960 (Cambridge University Press).  This work traces nationalist activists' efforts to divide Upper Silesian communities, which were bound by their Catholic faith and bilingualism, into two 'imagined' nations. Further Information: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/2018-book-prize-finalist-brendan-karch

Molly Jean LobergThe Struggle for the Streets of Berlin: Politics, Consumption, and Urban Space, 1914-1945 (Cambridge University Press). Who owns the street? In Germany, the First World War and 1918 Revolution transformed the city streets into the most important media for politics and commerce. Further Information: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/2018-book-prize-finalist-molly-loberg

Jennifer A. Miller, Turkish Guest Workers in Germany: Hidden Lives and Contested Borders, 1960s to 1980s (University of Toronto Press). This study tells the post-war story of Turkish "guest workers" whom West German companies recruited to fill their depleted ranks. Further Information: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/2018-book-prize-finalist-jennifer-miller

Diana M. Natermann, Pursuing Whiteness in the Colonies. Private Memories from the Congo Free State and German East Africa (1884-1914) (Waxmann). This book highlights the experiences and perceptions of colonisers and how they portrayed and re-interpreted their identities in Africa. Further Information: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/2018-book-prize-finalist-diana-m-natermann

Michael E. O’Sullivan, Disruptive Power: Catholic Women, Miracles, and Politics in Modern Germany, 1918-1965 (University of Toronto Press). A study of a surprising revival of faith in Catholic miracles in Germany from the 1920s to the 1960s. Further Information: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/2018-book-prize-finalist-michael-e-osullivan

Robin Schuldenfrei, Luxury and Modernism: Architecture and the Object in Germany 1900-1933 (Princeton University Press). This beautifully illustrated book provides a new interpretation of modern architecture and design in Germany during the heyday of the Bauhaus and the Werkbund. Further Information: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/2018-book-prize-finalist-robin-schuldenfrei

Sarah Thomsen Vierra, Turkish Germans in the Federal Republic of Germany. Immigration, Space, and Belonging, 1961–1990 (Cambridge University Press). An exploration of the history of Turkish immigrants and their children from the early days of the post-war guest worker program to the formation of multi-generational communities. Further Information: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/2018-book-prize-finalist-sarah-thomsen-vierra

The winning book will be announced by mid-December 2019. For more information on the WCGS Book Prize, go to https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-german-studies/research-activities-and-opportunities/wcgs-book-prize. Please note that nominations for the WCGS Book Prize for books published in 2019 will open in the new year.

Contact Information

Misty Matthews-Roper

Administrative Assistant, Waterloo Centre for German Studies

Contact Email
wcgs@uwaterloo.ca