German Studies Canada

Oliver Schmidtke, University of Victoria

Welcome to our latest edition of the GermanStudies.ca Newsletter 2010. For the first time this January edition includes a section entitled Comments on Current Issues. Based on the online forum www.GermanStudies.ca/berlinwall, colleagues across country were invited to comment on the contribution of Laurence McFalls on the ‘False Memory Syndrome’ related to the 20 year anniversary of the fall of the Wall. Willi Goetschel from the University of Toronto discusses the meaning of choosing November 9th as the date of celebrating German unity and the symbolism attached to this date in German history. Christian Leuprecht, Royal Military College of Canada (currently fellow at Yale University), puts the celebrations of the collapse of the Wall into an international perspective, portraying Germany as the country that benefitted greatly from the end of the Cold War but is at the same time confronted with new expectations. Willem Maas from York University draws our attention to the fact that 1989 saw many important historic developments and turning points. In this respect, the focus on the dramatic events in Berlin reflects how selective collective memory is. Elaborating this perspective, Alexandra Hausstein, professor from the University of Toronto, shows how the memory of the fall of the Wall is not necessarily shared in West and East Germany. Rather, as Hausstein argues, the memories and experiences of East Germans are often marginalized in relation to the dominant western narrative. Addressing a different aspect of modern Germany’s past, Rebecca Wittmann, University of Toronto, discusses the current Demjanjuk trial as a – controversial – element in the long account of Germany’s attempt to ‘master the past’.

NEWS FROM GERMAN STUDIES IN CANADA

National Initiatives

Canadians Commemorate anniversaries of the Berlin Wall and the FRG

In recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic in 1949, as well as the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 a number of institutions across Canada have been hosting various commemorations allowing people to reflect on the impact and legacy of these events. November 9 marks the two decade milestone of the fall of the barrier that physically separated East and West Berlin and symbolically divided Eastern and Western Europe.

Throughout the year the Goethe Institute has helped coordinate a cross-country Canadian tour of "Icons of the Wall," a photographic documentation of the state of the wall since the reunification of Germany. The exhibit was developed in 2006 by the University of Paderborn's Professor Barbara Becker, who along with 36 students and photographer Jürgen Spiler tracked down the eroding remains of old wall installations. Starting with historic photos of more prolific installations along the wall, the students sought out traces of the wall, abandoned watchtowers and visible border strips. But as the two sides of the city integrate these remnants have become increasingly scarce.

The exhibit is currently showing at the Waterloo Centre for German Studies, until October 3, when it moves west to Vancouver. The exhibit coincides with the institution's forum that touches on both anniversaries. Taking place on September 29, the forum titled, "1949-1989-2009: The Path to German and European Unity" addresses the impact the reunification has had on varying aspects of German politics and culture, including: foreign policy, arts, literature, labour mobility and education.

NEWS FROM  GERMAN STUDIES IN CANADA

National Initiatives

German Online (GO) Award presented at CAUTG annual meeting

Peter Golz, University of Victoria

The CAUTG/APAUC held its annual meeting during the Humanities and Social Sciences Congress at Carleton University, from May 22 to 25. The meeting was well attended and 28 papers were delivered, ranging from medieval studies to contemporary literary and cultural studies, as well as German as a Foreign Language (http://www.cautg.org/pdf/meetingprogram2009.pdf). Presenters came from Canada, the US, Germany, and Australia. They keynote speaker was Prof. Heidi Byrnes from Georgetown University who lectured on "Linking Content Learning and Second Language Learning: Opportunities and Imperatives for Collegiate Curricula." On the last evening, the banquet took place at the Trattoria Caffé Italia in downtown Ottawa. Close to 50 people attended this event. The German Embassy (represented by Helmut Peter Finger) sponsored a pre-banquet reception. During the banquet, three awards were presented by CAUTG President Dr. Peter Gölz. The CAUTG Award for Best Canadian Dissertation in German Studies 2005-2008 was presented to Dr. Andrew Han (Queen's University; supervisor Dr. David Pugh) for his "Deification and Invective in Heinrich Heine's Satirical Prose." For the first time, the CAUTG awarded its Prize for Best Paper Presented by a Graduate Student at the Annual Meeting. This prize went to Natalie Lachance (McGill) for her paper "Nietzsche's Ethics of Reading, or: Do Shoot the Messenger." Dr. Nikola von Merveldt (University of Montreal) received the DAAD-sponsored GO Award for her web project on Emil und die Detektive.

 NEWS FROM  GERMANSTUDIES CANADA

National Initiatives

New directorship and location for the DAAD Information Centre Toronto

NEWS FROM GERMAN STUDIES IN CANADA

National Initiatives

Germanstudies.ca’s celebrates the completion of its first year with over 200 expert profiles and a host of services for the German Studies Community. 

Over the course of last year the University of Victoria has developed a new online information platform with the financial support of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service): www.germanstudies.ca. At the core of this initiative is an online, freely accessible academic expert databank for German Scholars in Canada. In conjunction with its predecessor, the EUCAnet project (European Studies Network in Canada, www.eucanet.org) UVic has taken the lead in developing and designing online databases and services that aim at providing critical resources and networking opportunities for the German and European Studies community in Canada.  Read more about the start of the project and the new online services…