1 German Culture News Cornell University Institute for German Cultural Studies Fall 2014 Vol XXIII IN THIS ISSUE: Critical Theory and March 15, 2014 IGCS Workshop: (post)Colonialism Critical Theory and In a daylong work- theories concep- (post)Colonialism shop co-organized Hohendahl; these were brought tualize justice and by Paul Fleming and Natalie into contact with works by prom- injustice, as well consideration Word from the Director Melas on behalf of The Institute inent thinkers of global capital- as to whether or not justice as a for German Cultural Studies and ism and proponents of postco- universal criterion is fundamen- IGCS Workshop on The Institute for Comparative lonial critique and theory on the tally at odds with postcolonial Herbert Marcuse: Modernities (Cornell Univer- other hand, such as Aimé Cés- accounts of global inequality. Radical Politics, Critical sity), presenters and participants aire, Franz Fanon, C.L.R. James, Pensky interrogated the notion Aesthetics, Queer Pleasure examined conspicuous absences Dipesh Chakrabarty, Enrique of justice as a universal cat- in Critical Theory and its devel- Dussel, and Roberto Schwarz. egory by referring to Theodor IGCS Symposium: opment, with regard to colonial Representative publications from Adorno’s writings on historical New Directions in Interdis- modernity and capitalism in workshop presenters were also progress and social justice in ciplinary German Studies regions outside of Europe and included in the reading selection. fundamentally dialectical terms. North America. Likewise, atten- Retrospective: tion was drawn to unexplored Max Pensky (SUNY Bingham- Antonio Y. Vazquez-Arroyo Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 affi nities between the respective ton) opened the discussion by (Rutgers University) continued Colloquium Series discourses of Critical Theory and outlining his current project, the discussion by arguing for a re- postcolonial critique and theory. which aims to bring global jus- evaluation of canonical accounts Hohendahl Graduate Essay tice theory into contact with of the Enlightenment as a develop- Prize in Critical Theory Radical Thought on the Margin II Conference Lectures and Events Incoming Guests of IGCS Posters of this Semester’s Conferences The workshop format consisted postcolonial theories. He intro- ment in European thought alone. of short presentations, followed He proposed the concept of plural German Culture News duced global justice theory as a by extensive discussion of ideas branch of political philosophy enlightenment, which repositions Cornell University IGCS and questions raised both during that seeks to account for distribu- intellectual developments of the 726 University Avenue the workshop and in texts and tive inequality on a global scale. seventeenth and eighteenth cen- Ithaca, NY 14850 publications circulated among According to Pensky, postco- turies into a global confi guration. phone: 607-255-8408 participants prior to the event. lonial theory could offer an ex- Philosophical writings of this pe- email: [email protected] Advance readings included works planatory tool for the roots of riod circulated in regions often by scholars and theorists affi li- global maldistribution of justice. considered to be off of the En- Paul Fleming: Director ated with the Frankfurt School lightenment map, despite the fact Olga Petrova: Editor and Neo-Marxist social theory on Forging common ground between that translations and printed cop- Miyako Hayakawa:Copy Editor the one hand, notably Theodor W. these theoretical frameworks ies of infl uential texts were dis- Hannah Mueller: Photographer Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Wal- would involve an investigation tributed in non-European areas. & Student Coordinator ter Benjamin, Ernst Bloch, Zyg- into ways in which postcolonial continue on page 3 munt Bauman, and Peter Uwe Word from the Director It has been a rewarding and productive fi rst University of Colorado-Boulder and Dame), Russell Berman (Stanford), Carsten year at the helm of the Institute for German Johns Hopkins University for advanced Strathausen (Missouri), Elke Siegel, Peter Cultural Studies, with many exciting events graduate students in German to workshop Uwe Hohendahl, and Paul Fleming (all and several new programs to report – and dissertation chapters with professors and Cornell) much more to come in 2014-15. In addition graduate students at our partner schools. to the colloquia, workshops, conferences, We were very happy to support the travel of Oct. 17-18, Conference “Antisocialism: concerts, and fi lms documented in this issue four of our graduate students to Boulder for The Age of Riots” Organized by the Depart- of German Culture News and on the IGCS 2 days of intellectual exchange: Johannes ment of Comparative Literature website, I would also like to highlight the Wankhammer, Hannah Mueller, Alexander following news from the 2013-14: Phillips, and Katrina Nousek. Oct. 24, IGCS Colloquium, “Seeing the Invisible: Contagion and Hygiene in 19th The IGCS is excited to announce our Please mark your calendars for the up- Century German Popular Media” (Christiane new graduate student exchange with the coming Fall 2014 IGCS sponsored events Arndt, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of Cologne, starting this fall – for more information and up-to-the- Queen’s University) 2014. Our exchange partner is Cologne minute reports, please visit the IGCS University’s Humanities graduate school, website (igcs.cornell.edu): Oct. 31-Nov. 1, Sage School of Philosophy, a.r.t.e.s. (part of Cologne University being 218 Goldwin Smith Hall awarded an “Exzellenz” status among Ger- Sept. 5, IGCS Colloquium, “Fabelhafte Conference in Honor of Allen W. Wood man universities). Applications for the new Macht: Louis Marin Liest Jean de la Fon- “German Philosophy & the Ethics of exchange are open to all Humanities gradu- taine” (Ethel Matala de Mazza, Institut für Belief.” Organized by Andrew Chignell, ate students with a knowledge of German deutsche Literatur, Humboldt-Universität zu Cornell University; Lara Denis, Agnes who could benefi t from a semester or a year Berlin) Scott College; Desmond Hogan, Princeton researching in Cologne. As part of the ex- University change, Cornell students receive 1,000 euros Sept. 12, 3pm, A.D. White House per month for up to 10 months: every year Lecture “Inheritance Trouble: Migra- Nov. 7, IGCS Colloquium, “Shylock’s we can send either one 1 graduate student tion, Memory, and the German Past” Daughters: Philosemitism, 19th Century for the full 10 months, or 2 graduate students with speakers Michael Rothberg (English, Melodrama, and the Liberal Imagination” for 5 months each (it can be the same se- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) (Jonathan M. Hess, Germanic Languages mester). If you are a graduate student in the and Yasemin Yildiz (Germanic Languages and Literatures, UNC at Chapel Hill) *co- Humanities, know German, and would like and Literatures, University of Illinois at sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program to apply to this program for 2015-16, please Urbana-Champaign) be in touch with IGCS. Congratulations to Nov. 19 Time and place TBA Matteo Calla, PhD candidate in German, for Sept. 13, 12:15pm, 236 Goldwin Smith Hall Lecture “Turkish Nationalism and Ger- being awarded the fi rst stipend to Cologne Luncheon and Seminar with speakers man Colonialism: A Joint Venture during for 2014-15. Michael Rothberg (English, University of WWI” (Malte Fuhrmann, Orient-Institut [for more information on a.r.t.e.s., please Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Yas- Istanbul) visit: http://artes.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/] emin Yildiz (Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Illinois at Urbana- Nov. 21, IGCS Colloquium, “Figment, Fic- Congratulations to Alina Dvorovenko, CAS Champaign tion, Fabrication: Artifi ce and Evidence in undergraduate major in Economics, for Org. by German Studies graduate students J.J. Breitinger’s Poetics” (Johannes Wank- being awarded a full tuition and accom- hammer, German Studies, Cornell Univer- modation scholarship to the six-week Sept. 16, 9:30am – 5pm, 258 Goldwin sity) “Cologne Summer School on Legal Aspects Smith Hall of European Integration 2014.” Conference: “Derrida’s Jewish Specters” Dec. 6 Time and place TBA Organized by Jonathan Boyarin, Jewish Critical Theory and (post)Colonialism IGCS is also very happy to sponsor a new Studies Program Part II Contemporary German Literature Read- Speakers include: Martin Land (Jerusalem), A joint workshop with ICM ing Group dedicated to the discussion of Sarah Hammerschlag (Chicago), Michael the most recent works of German literature Levine (Rutgers), Sergei Dolgopolski (Buf- Please take the time to read the German (texts appearing in the last 5-10 years). We falo), Culture News (in its ‘new’ retro layout) and meet several times throughout the term at browse the IGCS website (igcs.cornell.edu) IGCS; last semester we read work by Rain- Sept. 26-27, A.D. White House for all that is taking place this year. The ald Goetz, Ann Cotton, and Maxim Biller. If Conference: “The Poet and the University: IGCS is eager to partner in exciting, multi- you are interested in participating, please be Stefan George among the Scholars” disciplinary events; if you have ideas or sug- in touch with IGCS. Organized by Peter Uwe Hohendahl and gestions, please feel free to contact me. Paul Fleming Last year, IGCS together with the Ger- With talks by Eva Geulen (Frankfurt am --Paul Fleming man Department, inaugurated a new, Main), Ernst Osterkamp (Humboldt Uni- yearly graduate