In conjunction with the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in November, 2009, the German Department at the University of California, Irvine, will be hosting an interdisciplinary conference that explores the relationship between cultural images (broadly conceived) and the maintenance or breakdown of political divisions. Walls are not just physical entities; they also rely on and propagate segregationist forms of knowing and depicting "the other." This means that alternative representations are necessary if walls are to be replaced by new social unities. Keynote lectures by Ngugi wa Thiong'o (English and Comparative Literature, UCI) and Christina von Braun (Cultural and Gender Studies, Humboldt University, Berlin).
The department will also be presenting a traveling exhibition sponsored by the Goethe Institute San Francisco, "Ikonen einer Grenzanlage - Icons of a Border Installation," which displays images that capture the remnants of the Wall in unified Berlin.This show will be on display at the Student center from September 28 to November 2, 2009. Official opening and reception, October 1, 2009, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Sponsors:
Goethe Institute Los Angeles (GILA)
Department of German, UCI
Humanities Research Institute, UCI
Humanities Center, UCI
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)Program Flyer |