CFP: Mutterlos im Faserland?! Absent and Failed Mothers in Contemporary German Literature, Film, and Culture
GSA October 8-11, 2009, Washington, DC
In the context of recent debates surrounding motherhood in Germany, this panel aims to explore representations of mothers and motherhood in contemporary (post-Wende) German cultural texts. The topos of the absent or failing mother has held a central place throughout German-language cultural history, from bürgerliches Trauerspiel to Trümmerliteratur. Since 1945, the figure of the mother (particularly as conflated with the motherland) has become increasingly problematic. Members of the Frauenbewegung rebelled against their mothers, who were largely regarded as shackled by patriarchal family and social structures. Those of the 1968 generation, in turn, left few examples for their children of how to combine motherhood and careers. Indeed, it is this generation of mothers that is most often critiqued and/or is notably absent in contemporary literature (Faserland by Christian Kracht, Das Blütenstaubzimmer by Zoë Jenny) and film (Good Bye Lenin, Lola and Billidikid).
We welcome abstracts that explore the changing roles of mothers in contemporary German-language cultural production. Topics may include but are not limited to:
- examples of the mother who is absent in the physical and/or emotional sense
- examinations of the institution of motherhood as outdated
- paradigm shifts in parenting (e.g., a shift towards fathering, a move away from nuclear families)
- the motif of the Rabenmütter
- the absent or failed mother as connected to a weakened sense of national identity
Please send abstracts of approximately 300 words to Corinna Kahnke ([log in to unmask]) and Alexandra Merley Hill ([log in to unmask]) by February 5, 2009.
*********************************************************************************************
Dr. Corinna Kahnke
Lecturer of German
German Minor Advisor
Modern Languages and Literatures
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo
Office Hours: MW 10.00-11.00, TR 11.00-12.00 and by appointment
Office: Building 47 Room 26 Q
Office Phone: (805) 756-1620
Fax: (805) 756-2312
Per aspera ad astra.
*******************
The German Studies Call for Papers List
Editor: Stefani Engelstein
Assistant Editor: Megan McKinstry
Sponsored by the University of Missouri
Info available at: http://www.missouri.edu/~graswww/resources/gerlistserv.html
|
