German Studies Association Conference
Portland, OR
October 3-6, 2019

Literature and Refuge
In recent years we have witnessed the publication of a number of anthologies featuring works by writers from conflict zones, such as Weg sein –hier sein (2016), Zuflucht in Deutschland (2017) and Das Herz verlässt keinen Ort an dem es hängt (2018), showcasing a variety of genres. This panel seeks to examine possibilities for continuity in literary production from the position of refuge. Considering a broad range of genres including drama, graphic novels, prose, and poetry it pursues the following questions: Are there medium-specific ways in which writers in refuge address and comment on their experiences in Germany? How may we read literary texts by writers in refuge in multilingual and/or translated form, with regard to the German literary canon, but also transnational contexts of literatures of exile and migration? How do these texts draw upon or relate to existing traditions, topoi, and narratives of exile? What are institutional, professional, state-sponsored and/or local frameworks for literary production in refuge? Finally, how do writers address the difference between refuge and exile?

Please submit 250-word abstracts and a short bio to Ela Gezen ([log in to unmask]) and Olivia Landry ([log in to unmask]) by January 31st, 2019.