Becoming Trans-German: Transnational, Transdisciplinary, Transgender, Transhuman (Free University of Berlin, June 23-25, 2016)

For those readers already looking ahead to their summer plans, here's one more workshop to consider. At the Free University of Berlin, the Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies is hosting a conference called "Becoming Trans-German: Transnational, Transdisciplinary, Transgender, Transhuman" from June 23-25, 2016. In spite of the name, the conference is directed not only toward scholars working on German history but also other fields as well. The call for applications explains further:

The aim of this workshop is to explore the ways in which "trans" describes contemporary Germans and German society. The transcendence of national, corporeal, disciplinary, and institutional limits is embodied by the use of the prefix "trans." The workshop seeks to engage this multifaceted transcendence to explore how Germans and Germany are increasingly situated "beyond" prescribed limits: Beyond the nation, the discipline, the human, the gendered subject, and more. Scholars and artists are encouraged to explore the ways in which "trans" is deployed in a wide variety of academic and cultural areas, from political and social institutions to cultural discourses and aesthetic forms.

The workshop takes as its geographical points of departure not simply German but also European and global ones. While historical objects and events are welcome foci for investigation, scholars whose work examines those experiences and engagements in the contemporary and the futuristic are encouraged as well. Participants may focus on the concept of "trans" or a related topic, such as one that examines dynamic activity around borders, limits, political institutions, social practices, or forms of cultural and aesthetic expression.

The call for applications goes on to explain the format of the event.

This workshop seeks participants from a broad array of disciplines whose work intersects with German Studies, including fields such as Anthropology, Art History, Film Studies, Gender Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. The event serves as a forum for Berlin Program fellows and alumni, but invites participation of all other scholars (doctoral students/postdocs/non-tenured and tenured professors). During the workshop, scholars will present for roughly 5 minutes on their paper, and then engage the audience in discussion of their work for 10 minutes. Each panel will conclude with a 45-minute discussion on questions raised in the panel.

If this sounds of interest, then apply! Applications are due no later than February 15, 2016 and should be addressed as one PDF file, composed of a 250-word abstract and a short, two-page curriculum vitae (including position, department and institution). That PDF file should be sent to bprogram [at] zedat.fu-berlin.de