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09/19/2019 | Pressemitteilung

36th German Romance Studies Conference takes place at the University of Kassel

For the first time, the University of Kassel is hosting the international conference of the German Romance Studies Association (DRV). From September 29 to October 2, around 500 scholars from all over the world will then be guests in Kassel. Speakers at the opening ceremony will include Hessian State Secretary Ayse Asar and FAZ editor Jürgen Kaube.

Image: Tuengerthal/etgrafik.com

The Romance Studies Day is organized by Kassel University Professor Angela Schrott. In addition to her work at the Institute for Romance Studies at the University of Kassel, she is currently also the chairwoman of the German Romance Studies Association (DRV). She is pleased to have brought the DRV's biennial conference to Kassel for the first time: "The framework theme Reconstruction, Reconstruction, Renewal ties in with the recent history of the city of Kassel, because the reconstruction of the city in the 1950s and 1960s had to position itself between old and new forms, so for many Kassel citizens the discussions about reconstruction or renewal are formative experiences," Prof. Schrott continues, "it's a theme that connects the conference to the city, that was important to us."

From Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, some 500 Romance scholars will be in Kassel to present their research on Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and other Romance languages. The nearly 350 lectures will deal with Romance languages in history and the present, the literatures and cultures of the Romance world, as well as didactics and language teaching. The total of 24 sections are divided into literary studies, linguistics, cultural studies and didactics. The sections cover a wide range of topics: the poetics of ruins, representations of Africa in literature, language and politics, language change in the Middle Ages, language contact and multilingualism in Romance countries, language teaching and inclusion, teacher education.

"Romance Studies is a thoroughly international subject," explains Angela Schrott, "so we are also particularly looking forward to many international participants." In addition to the section's work, science policy events will also take place. For example, there will be a panel discussion on September 30 at 4 p.m. with the topic: "Third Mission: How can Romance scholars carry their research results into society?" and a panel discussion on October 1 at 5 p.m. with the topic: "The Rediscovery of the Factual or: Science as the Fifth Estate?"

At the University of Kassel, Romance Studies is a fixture in the humanities and cultural studies. Spanish and French can be studied in Kassel, and Italy enthusiasts can pursue interdisciplinary Italian studies at the university and earn a certificate. "Romance Studies plays an important role in the spectrum of subjects at the University of Kassel - experts for the countries within the Romance world are trained here," says University President Prof. Reiner Finkeldey. "Many of the students will teach these languages and cultures as teachers, while others will use their skills in culture and business," Finkeldey describes. For students who want to study French and Spanish but are not attracted by the teaching profession, the Kassel institute offers a bachelor's and master's degree program in cultural studies. Two-thirds of these courses deal with Spanish or French language, literature and culture, while one-third of the program is business-oriented. "These are qualifications with which many attractive professional fields are open to one," says Angela Schrott, "whoever studies interdisciplinarily always acquires versatility and flexibility."

Particularly with regard to Latin American research, a major research focus has formed at the University of Kassel in recent years: The research center CELA (Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos) forms an umbrella structure for several subfields: One focus is the BMBF-funded research network CALAS (Maria Sibylla Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences), in which the University of Kassel plays a leading role.

However, at the Romance Studies Day - and this is the special feature - the focus is not on a single language; rather, the conference brings together research on all Romance languages. "Romance studies encompasses many languages and cultures, each of us specializes in mostly two languages, but we still see ourselves as Romance scholars; unity and diversity are what make Romance studies as a subject," Angela Schrott emphasizes.

The Romance Studies Day will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 29. The opening lecture will be given by FAZ editor Jürgen Kaube; the topic is "The Shape of a City". The citizens of Kassel are cordially invited to the opening event. Location: Lecture hall 1 Campuscenter of the University of Kassel. Moritzstraße 18, (Campus Holländischer Platz).

The German Romance Studies Conference takes place every two years and was last held in Zurich (2017), Mannheim (2015) and Würzburg (2013). This year's event at the University of Kassel is sponsored by the Presidium of the University of Kassel, the Romance Studies Association, the DFG, the Institute of Romance Studies, and the Kasseler Sparkasse.

 

Contact address before the start of the congress:

Prof. Dr. Angela Schrott
Department of Romance Linguistics
Institute of Romance Studies
University of Kassel
34109 Kassel
t 0049 (0)561 804 3357 (secretariat)
angela.schrott@uni-kassel.de 

www.romanistentag.de