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Neighbours and Strangers
The last decade of the twentieth century and the beginning of the new century have been marked by changed relations in the literary and cultural landscape, as well as by a restructuring of the political environment in Central Europe. Nowhere have these changes been felt more keenly than in the German-speaking countries and their neighbours, particularly to the east and south.
This conference will re-examine the literary and cultural interfaces between Germany and Austria, their immediate neighbours and other countries of east central Europe. The focus will be on the period since the end of the Cold War, 1989 to the present. Papers examining the changes that have taken place over a longer period, in a particular writer’s work, for example, are also welcome.
Proposals are invited on any aspect of this topic. Suggested themes, not an exhaustive list, might include the following:
German/ Austrian writers’ perceptions of Slavic neighbours (and vice versa)
New reflections on the Habsburg myth
German writing by writers of east Europe
East European writers in Germany
Changed perceptions of Germans/ east Europeans in literature and culture
Reception of writers abroad, e.g. in translation
Gendered perceptions
Locations/ melting pots, e.g. Berlin, Vienna
Evolving attitudes in writers/ genres
The Bosnian war
East and West German perspectives
Abstracts of 250 words should be sent by 31 January 2001.
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