Workshop: Villages of Europe. Provinciality in the mirror of contemporary European literature

The workshop "Villages of Europe. Provinciality in the mirror of contemporary European literature" examines the significance and representation of rural areas in contemporary European literature. Despite an often negative image, villages and provinces are gaining in importance in an increasingly globalized world, as they function as microcosms of social, cultural and political processes. The workshop will shed light on how local structures are negotiated in the context of European identity, glocalization and regional diversity. Questions of similarities and differences between European provincial literatures, their role in the European self-image and current challenges posed by nationalism and regionalism will be discussed. The aim is to analyze the diverse links between locality and Europe in literary terms and to make European understandings of provinciality comparable.

The workshop will take place on February 26 and 27, 2026 at the University of Kassel; a publication is planned for early 2027. The plan is for 20-minute presentations, each followed by 20 minutes of discussion.

Contact: julia.leitherer[at]uni-kassel[dot]de // lea.lotterer[at]uni-kassel[dot]de