Annual Report 2019-20
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ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20 SPECIAL FEATURE Florian Böller Here to Stay: Polarization and Gridlock after the 2020 Elections ANNUAL REPORT 2019-20 IMPRINT Editor Welf Werner Editorial Staff Wilfried Mausbach Julian Kramer Anja Schüler Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) Curt und Heidemarie Engelhorn Palais Hauptstraße 120 69117 Heidelberg Germany T + 49 6221/ 54 37 10 F + 49 6221/ 54 37 19 [email protected] www.hca.uni-heidelberg.de Coverdesign Bernhard Pompey Adapted Design and Layout Barbara Grobe Christian Kempf © Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) 2020. All rights reserved. The HCA Annual Report is published yearly and is available free of charge. ISSN 1862-1201 CONTENTS Rector's Welcome 5 Preface 6 Obituary Rolf Kentner 9 THE HEIDELBERG CENTER FOR AMERICAN STUDIES Mission Statement 12 Benefactors 12 Organization 14 Board of Trustees 15 Board of Directors 20 Foundation and Development 25 The Curt und Heidemarie Engelhorn Palais 29 People 2019-2020 31 Cooperation and Support 45 AN INSTITUTE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts in American Studies (BAS) 48 The BAS Class of 2023 49 BAS Excursion 50 Exchange Opportunities for BAS Students 50 Master of Arts in American Studies (MAS) 51 MAS Graduates 2020 52 The MAS Class of 2021 53 The MAS Class of 2022 56 Students' Committee 57 HCA Social Activities 58 A CENTER FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH Ph.D. in American Studies 62 HCA Graduate Blog 63 Ph.D. Candidates 64 Rolf Kentner Dissertation Prize 80 Graduiertenkolleg Authority and Trust (GKAT) 83 GKAT Conferences 85 GKAT Faculty 87 GKAT Researchers 90 HCA Research 112 Expert in Residence 121 HCA Spring Academy 2020 122 Conferences 125 Selected Publications 136 Selected Talks 145 SPECIAL FEATURE Florian Böller Here to Stay: Polarization and Gridlock after the 2020 Elections 160 A FORUM FOR PUBLIC DEBATE The Baden-Württemberg Seminar 174 Fall Seminar 2019 175 "Corona in den USA" The Podcast of the Heidelberg Center for American Studies 180 Ruperto Carola Ringvorlesung "Quo Vadis USA?" 197 HCA Book Launches 200 Exhibition: "Suffrage – Pictures of a Movement" 203 Concert: "Ipse Venina Bibas" 204 "Natural Catastrophies in the United States" 205 Media Coverage 209 HCA ANNOUNCEMENTS 218 RECTOR'S WELCOME PROF. DR. DR. H.C. BERNHARD EITEL RECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG Dear Reader, The 634th year since the founding of our Ruperto Carola has been an extraordinary year. In mid-March, the global Covid-19 pandemic forced the university, like the entire country, into a months-long lockdown. Most university employees started working from home. We bun- dled all resources to conceptualize and implement remote teaching and moved all classes online. The Studium Generale and other university-wide lecture series went digital on heiON- LINE, the university’s Internet platform for public events. Ever-changing state and municipal regulations presented an additional challenge: Not only did we have to apply them to uni- versity life, we had to communicate them broadly to as many university members as pos- sible, including students and prospective students. All this did not always go smoothly, but our students acknowledged the collective effort and the success of digital and hybrid teaching formats while the general public availed itself of our new digital formats. The HCA was a distinctive part of these efforts. Not only did it swiftly move all of its classes on- line, it just as expeditiously confirmed its long-standing commitment to furthering the dialogue between academia and the public at a time when public events became impossible. In late April, the HCA launched the podcast “Corona in den USA,” which has since secured a large and loyal base of listeners. The Center also conceptualized the Ruperto Carola Ringvorlesung for the 2020- 21 winter semester, entitled “Quo Vadis USA?” Both the podcast and the lecture series have become important features of heiONLINE. Yet, formats like these can never replace the in-person exchange that is so crucial to our academic community. I sincerely hope that here at the Ruperto Carola we can return to in-person teaching and live events in 2021 – and that we will at the same time benefit from and expand our digital endeavors in the years to come! Kind regards, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bernhard Eitel Rector of Heidelberg University PREFACE PROF. DR. WELF WERNER DIRECTOR OF THE HCA Dear Friends, Benefactors, Students, and Colleagues, The Heidelberg Center for American Studies is looking back on the most unusual and challeng- ing year in its history. After a busy winter semester, we were in the midst of planning for an even busier summer term when the global Covid-19 pandemic forced the country – and indeed much of the world – into a complete shutdown. In March, the HCA still managed to host the annual meeting of the Wirtschaftshistorischer Ausschuss of the Verein für Socialpolitik. A joint conference with Princeton University, meant to honor the life and work of the African Ameri- can abolitionist and writer James W.C. Pennington, and planned for the same month, had to be postponed amid the growing uncertainties of transatlantic travel. The HCA was forced to cancel all events and close its doors on March 16, just days before the opening of an exhi- bition and the launch of the 17th HCA Spring Academy. The Corona crisis thwarted the HCA Commencement in April and, for that matter, an entire carefully planned program of events, including the 67th Annual Meeting of the German Association for American Studies (DGfA/ GAAS), which was expected to bring 300 participants to Heidelberg University in June. The spring lockdown felt like a heart-stopping moment, but thanks to our dedicated faculty and staff, who immediately fortified themselves and mobilized new energies, this did not last long. By the beginning of the semester in mid-April, all HCA classes had been moved online. Given that public events could not take place, our HCA Forum activities took to the airwaves with the pod- cast “Corona in den USA.” Hosted by Dr. Anja Schüler, our podcast brings the expertise of schol- ars from the HCA and other institutions to the wider public, and it immediately attracted a loyal following. Its more than thirty episodes (and counting) have generated more than 350,000 clicks as this annual report goes to print – a success beyond our wildest imaginations. But the HCA’s new digital formats do not stop there – our graduate blog is a testament to the prolific minds of our students, and our Facebook and Twitter accounts reach audiences across the globe. In addition, the HCA has put together the Ruperto Carola Ringvorlesung “Quo Vadis USA?” for the winter semester 2020-21. While we could not anticipate that the lecture series would completely go online, we developed alternative formats long in advance and complemented traditional lectures with expert dialogues and a panel discussion that kicked off the series on the eve of the November 3 presidential elections. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the rectorate and the office of communication and marketing for their support and close cooperation. While the Covid-19 pandemic encouraged us to boldly experiment with digital formats, the concept of the “digital HCA” dates back further. At its meeting in November 2019, the HCA advisory board had enthusiastically embraced our plans to substantially expand the HCA’s reach through various digital channels in the years to come. At the time, we had set out towards this goal by revamping our homepage and supplementing it with a new section documenting a number of high-profile 2019 events in video format. The developments outlined above confirm that our instincts were right on, and we will certainly use the experience from this extraordinary year to keep the ball rolling. While the global pandemic represented our biggest challenge during the past year, there were other tidings that gave us reason to pause and reflect. In May, Rolf Kentner, an honorary senator of Heidelberg University, the honorary president of the Jacob Gould Schurman Foundation, and one of the HCA’s earliest and most faithful friends, passed away. With him, we lose a tireless sup- porter and champion of American Studies in Heidelberg, who always entertained a particular de- votion to the work of young scholars, as revealed by the Rolf Kentner Dissertation Award, which will be continued in his honor by the Schurman Foundation. I am grateful that Hans-Hasso Kersten and Dr. Thomas Peuntner will carry on the work of the Foundation in Rolf Kentner’s spirit. As this arduous year draws to a close, I am confident that 2021 will – after a difficult winter – see us on the road back to normalcy eventually. I look forward to the day when we can return to in-person teaching and events and come together jauntily in the Curt and Heidemarie Engelhorn Palais, the Alte Aula, and maybe even a newly designed inner courtyard. Prof. Dr. Welf Werner Director of the Heidelberg Center for American Studies OBITUARY ROLF KENTNER (1947-2020) In 2020, the HCA mourned the death of its faithful friend and supporter Rolf Kentner, who passed away on May 20 after a prolonged illness. On top of his long career at Mannheim’s BW bank, Rolf Kentner tirelessly volunteered his expertise to many civic endeavors, among them as president of the Schurman Society for the Promotion of American Studies at Heidelberg Univer- sity and the Jacob Gould Schurman Foundation. Both associations were essential for the creation of the Schurman Library for American History, the establishment of the Curt Engelhorn Chair for American History, and the founding and development of the HCA. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Detlef Junker, the HCA’s Founding Director, payed tribute to Rolf Kentner’s achievements as a "dedicated friend of German-American relations.