Announcement: Romance Studies Day 2019 in Kassel

The dynamic relationship of reconstruction, reconstruction and renewal manifests itself very clearly in architecture, for example in the current disputes over the Berlin City Palace, and in political discourses, for example when a construction of national identities perceived as renewal is set against an increasingly globalized world. The concepts themselves, however, are broader in nature and inform all areas of cultural activity, including language and literature. In general, reconstruction can be understood as a reaction to actions that have drastically altered or destroyed existing structures. Reconstruction must always confront the remnants of previous orders and position itself between the poles of reconstruction and renewal. For while reconstruction aims at the (illusionistic) repetition of the former state, renewal implies a distancing from old forms.

The chosen theme also ties in with the recent history of the city of Kassel, which illustrates destruction and reconstruction particularly forcefully.

At the heart of the Romanistentag is the section work in a total of 24 sections. The section work is divided into the subsections of literary studies (9 sections), linguistics (8 sections), subject didactics (3 sections) and cultural studies (4 sections). As in previous Romance Studies conferences, the framework theme was not an obligation for the work of the sections. It was formulated as a recommendation, which most of the section proposals followed. The program, which you will find on these pages, documents the originality with which the framework theme was interpreted and developed. The sections selected by the program advisory boards comprehensively represent current Romance Studies research in their topics and scholarly paradigms and promise inspiring lectures and discussions.