OBAMA INSTITUTE Annual Report 2019 AnnualAnnual Report Report 2019 2019 Contents Opening Remarks 7 The Third Year of the Obama Institute for Transnational American Studies 10 A View from Abroad 14 2019 at a Glance The Obama Institute 19 Mission and History of the Obama Institute 21 Obama Institute Bylaws 24 Executive Board 27 Advisory Board 28 Obama Fellowship 29 Fellow’s Report 31 Obama Dissertation Prize 32 Winner’s Report 34 Hans Galinsky Memorial Prize 35 Prof. Dr. Gustav Blanke and Hilde Blanke Prize Imprint 36 Obama Lectures 37 Offices, Awards, and Appointments Editorial Staff Torsten Kathke, Christine Plicht, Rebecca Schäfer Teaching at the OI in 2019 41 Selected Teaching Projects Layout 46 Teaching at Germersheim Rebecca Heeb 47 Bachelor of Arts in American Studies (Mainz) 48 Master of Arts in American Studies (Mainz) Obama Institute for 50 Ph.D. in American Studies 52 Study Abroad Transnational American Studies 54 Summer School 2019 Jakob-Welder-Weg 20 55128 Mainz Research at the OI in 2019 Germany 58 Research at the OI in 2019 60 Conferences +49-6131-39-22357 67 Selected Research Projects [email protected] 77 Habilitation www.obama-institute.com 79 Selected Dissertations 87 Selected Book Publications 91 List of Other Publications © Obama Institute for 96 List of Presentations Given by Members Transnational American Studies 2019 102 List of Presentations at the Obama Institute All rights reserved. 106 List of Faculty and Staff Members Opening Remarks 6 Obama Institute Annual Report 2019 AnnualAnnual Report Report 2019 2019 | ObamaObama Institut Institute77 The Third Year of the Obama Institute for Transnational American Studies Alfred Hornung Speaker The third year of the Obama Institute was filled with more exciting activities at home and abroad with which we continued to pursue our academic and institutional goals to engage in research and teaching of Transnational American Studies at JGU Mainz and to coordinate joint programs with universities in Rhineland-Palatinate, also part of third-party funded collaborative the Atlantic Academy in Kaiserslautern as research activities. These cross-cultural well as with international partners in Europe, and cross-disciplinary approaches to North America, Asia, and Australia. The year Transnational American Studies are also started out with the good news of being reflected in a number of conferences and recognized as one of the research platforms academic events organized in 2019. Dr. of the Johannes Gutenberg University Allison M. Stagg engaged the support of securing continuous funding of the Ministry the Terra Foundation for American Art for of Education, Science, Continued Education, a conference, co-organized with Oliver and Culture for our joint research project Scheiding and the art historian Gregor on “Disruption and Democracy in America: Wedekind, on “International Perspectives on Challenges and Potentials of Transcultural American Art” in February. Tim Lanzendörfer and Transnational Formations.” Members of and Obama fellow Mathias Nilges (St. the Obama Institute and colleagues engage Francis Xavier University) jointly organized in the following research areas: Migration “Reading in the Age of Trump: The Politics and Transculturalism, Transnational and Possibility of Literary Studies Now” in Periodical Cultures, Transnational Religion, May. Mita Banerjee and Alfred Hornung Global Indigeneities, Transpacific Relations, collaborated with colleagues from the and Medical Culture, some of which are Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Annual Report 2019 Obama Institute 9 the Department of Medical Humanities and gave the keynote address on “Loyalty, in North America as well as exchange PR team and editorial staff, Thorsten Ethics at Columbia University to run the third Patriotism, and Nationalism in Times of relations with institutions in Europe, Asia, Kathke, Rebecca Schäfer and Christine workshop on narrative medicine in June, Crisis” and our Master students and PhD and Australia. The first two candidates, Plicht, who have worked to compile this preceded by a conference on “Medical candidates presented their topics in an Ashley Cheyemi R. McNeil and Thomas Annual Report expertly with the layout Cultures.” The narrative medicine workshop elevator pitch format. Leibniz Prizewinner Breideband, completed the Dual PhD assistance of Rebecca Heeb. Last but is open for professionals and scholars with Heike Paul (University of Erlangen- Program with Georgia State University in not least, we owe special thanks to a background in medicine, health care or Nürnberg) gave the annual Obama May, receiving the German Dr. phil. and the Anette Vollrath and Christine Plicht, the humanities and administered by the lecture, set on Thanksgiving Day, on “Civil American PhD degree. The Annual Summer who untiringly and proficiently handle Center for Continuing Education at Mainz Sentimentalism in Contemporary Political School through the South of the United all administrative tasks of the Obama University. In July, Axel Schäfer combined and Popular Culture.” On this occasion we States is another highlight of our program, Institute. the expertise of Obama fellows with the also award the Obama dissertation prize, directed by Prof. John R. Duke (Harding scholarship of participants in his seminar which Dr. Noaquia Callahan received for her College, AR). We encourage our students to for a final conference session on “The Black University of Iowa thesis in American history participate in these joint efforts to promote Diaspora and African American Intellectual on “Heat of the Day: Mary Church Terrell and Transnational American Studies and History.” The research group “Transnational African American Feminist Transnational we invite new students to join our Periodical Cultures,” directed by Jutta Ernst Activism,” and the Hans Galinsky prize for attractive program. and Oliver Scheiding, conducted several undergraduate and graduate papers in The Obama Institute for Transnational workshops throughout the year, leading early American studies. American Studies attracts national and up to a major international conference in The publication organs of the German international attention for its pursuit of January of 2020. Members of the Obama Association for American Studies, the the Obama spirit and its dedication to the Institute continue to be active participants journal Amerikastudien/American Studies past president’s ideas. At a time when the in third-party funded research, such as the and the book series American Studies: impeachment of the current president research group “Un/doing Differences” and A Monograph Series were edited in the has reached the Senate floor, it is good a follow-up collaborative research center Obama Institute. And we continue to closely to recall Barack Obama’s integrity on “Human Differentiation,” as well as the cooperate with the Journal of Transnational and empathy, also because of its expected research training group on “Life Sciences/ American Studies (Stanford), Sabine Kim outcome. Life Writing.” serving as managing editor and Alfred On behalf of the Executive Board I would The Obama fellowship program, which Hornung as European editor. like to express our gratitude to the support intends to augment our American Studies This Annual Report documents the and cooperation of the members of our competence, continues to provide valuable impressive output of all members of the Advisory Board and the Affiliate members input for research and teaching in areas Obama Institute in terms of research at the Johannes Gutenberg University. less represented in Mainz. This year we activities, publications, organizations of and We would also like to thank the University enjoyed the expertise of seven fellows presentations at conferences. It also lists and the State of Rhineland-Palatinate for from Great Britain, the United States, and some of the excellent achievements of our their collegiate and financial support for Canada in the fields of North American Bachelor, Master and, doctoral students, our work. Thanks are due to all students literature, culture, history, and politics. For who profit from our international network and faculty members who empower the our Fourth of July celebration, Historian of relations, an extensive direct exchange Obama Institute with their energy and Richard King (University of Nottingham) program with 18 partner universities commitment. Special thanks go to the 10 Obama Institute Annual Report 2019 Annual Report 2019 Obama Institute 11 the bushfires in Australia indicted Prime I have heard it suggested by some A View from Abroad Minister Scott Morrison for the short-sighted younger scholars that transnationalism is environmental policies of his government, now past its sell-by date, the relic of an and it is true that this career politician, more era of Clinton, Blair and Obama that tried Paul Giles | The University of Sydney used to dealing with parochial affairs such to reconcile progressive social democracy Advisory Board Member as budget deficits and internal divisions with international market capitalism. It could within his own Liberal Party, appeared way be argued, however, that the transnational out of his depth. He also appealed, typically turn is simply entering a different, tougher “Some say the world will end in fire,” wrote enough, to an old spirit of Australian and more contentious phase. It will surely Robert Frost: “Some say in ice.” Visiting exceptionalism, blaming the crisis purely be no surprise to historians fifty years hence