Ossi Wessi

Paper proposals are being accepted for the 14th Annual Interdisciplinary
German Studies Conference, March 17-19, 2006 at the University of
California, Berkeley. The conference theme is Ossi Wessi: 1989 and beyond.

This conference aims to explore historical, cultural, political, linguistic
and literary movements occuring in and around the landscape of German
Reunification. In January 1989, Erich Honecker stated, "Die Mauer wird in 50
und auch in 100 Jahren noch bestehen bleiben, wenn die dazu vorhandenen
Gründe noch nicht beseitigt worden sind." On November 9, 1989 the Berlin
Wall came down and Europe as we knew it ceased to exist. The turmoil of the
succeeding 17 years has brought many changes. From the fall of the Russian
communist regime to the creation of the EU, the world has become a different
place.

How has language changed? In what way has German literature and/or its
reception been effected by the fall of the wall? What effects did Nov. 1989
have on the political landscape of Germany and/or nations behind the iron
curtain? How has the landscape of film in Germany changed?

We invite scholars from all disciplines to submit paper proposals in German
or English responding to these or similar questions related to Germany,
German speakers and life in Europe from 1989 to the present. Possible topics
include but are not limited to:

* The (Dis)Integration of Germany
* Evolving Germanic Semantics
* Literature after 1989
* Linguistic approaches to Reunification
* Portrayals of the Wall in film and popular culture
* Teaching of Deutsch als Fremdsprache
* German as a foreign language
* "Ostalgie"
* Changes caused by or to migration; Changes in migration
* Economic/Political effects of Reunification
  
   Forward abstracts of no more than 400 words, in either German or English,
to backman_at_berkeley.edu. Deadline: Dec. 15, 2005.

For further details, or questions please contact Donald Backman at
backman_at_berkeley.edu.

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Received on Sun Oct 23 2005 - 23:10:02 EDT