Department of German and Dutch

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Research Group

Cultural History & Literary Imagination

The research group Cultural History & Literary Imagination originated within the Department of German. Established in 2001 with a generous grant given by Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, its purpose is to foster and develop research into the relationship between literary texts and their cultural and intellectual contexts, in theoretical, interpretative and historical perspectives. Critically following recent trends of a 'cultural turn' in the humanities, and seeking to address the theoretical problems the humanities have to face in the twenty-first century, it regards itself as mediating between the English speaking cultural studies and the German tradition of a historische Kulturwissenschaft. As such, the main focus of the research group's inquiries is on the role of the literary, social and historical imagination, broadly perceived, in European culture and intellectual history. While the main interest is in the modern period in Europe (since ca. 1500), there is scope for interaction with other research efforts concerned with the medieval or classical periods, or indeed with non-European cultures.

  The organisational structure of the research group takes the form of a loose association of scholars working in a variety of humanities subjects in the UK, the United States, Germany and further afield. Its main activities consist in a regular programme of seminars at Cambridge University, occasional workshops with a small number of invited participants, and a series of biannual conferences which seek to attract an international audience. In cooperation with Peter Lang AG European Academic Publishers, the research group has also established a book series.

The group's activities are currently supported by St John's College and the Department of German.

Previous support has included grants from the British Academy and the Tiarks German Fund

Further information on the research group's activities can be obtained from the organisers:

Dr David Midgley, Director of Studies in Modern Languages, St John's College, Cambridge CB2 1TP, United Kingdom, Telephone: +44 (0)1223 338779, Fax: +44 (0)1223 337720, E-mail: drm7@joh.cam.ac.uk

Dr Christian Emden, Assistant Professor, Rice University, Department of German & Slavic Studies, Houston, TX 77005, USA, Telephone: (+1) 713-348-5312, Fax: (+1) 713-348-4863, E-Mail: emden@rice.edu, URL: http://lang.rice.edu/germanfaculty/emden.html