December 15, 2024
Call for Applications: GSA Emerging Scholars Workshop (ESW) 2025
We are excited to issue this call for the next Emerging Scholars Workshop (ESW) to be hosted at the 49th Annual German Studies Association Conference in Arlington, Virginia, on September 25–28, 2025. This workshop is only open to graduate students.
The ESW will run parallel to the established seminars, panels, and roundtables. It will convene Friday through Sunday, 8am–10am. Participants must commit to participating in all three workshop meetings. For general conference information, visit the current conference page.
Over the past decade or so, graduate programs across the country have contracted. Now, fewer graduate students encounter fewer regular graduate courses, which have also become more general in content to meet satisfactory enrollment. As a result, much of the specialized yet crucial field training has moved into one-on-one tutorials and directed readings. The ESW gives an up-and-coming cohort of scholars access to leading faculty in their fields. It increases the advice and mentoring they receive and cultivates a sustained professional conversation. The goal is to enable the next generation of Germanists to produce their best possible work, be competitive across fields, and contribute to the vitality, relevance, and productivity of our fields at large.
The topic of this year’s workshop is “Migration in/and German Studies.” It will be facilitated jointly by:
- Sheer Ganor, University of Minnesota
- Ela Gezen, University of Massachusetts Amherst
This workshop will explore migration-related scholarship within the field of German Studies. It will examine the topic of migration as a historical phenomenon and a signal contemporary issue that has and continues to shape societies and communities across the German-speaking world.
The workshop will focus on research practices, curricular implementations and considerations, as well as contributions to on- and off-campus service. At the same time, we will consider possible synergies between research, teaching, and service in our focus on migration in/and German Studies. The following questions will guide or conversations:
- How do German Studies scholars approach the field of Migration Studies?
- In what way can we form alliances, create collaborations, identify and join existing networks?
- How do disciplinary boundaries, transgressions, interventions but also gatekeeping impact our research and teaching?
- How are the experiences of migrants in German-speaking contexts shaped by intersectional factors like gender, race, class, sexuality, dis/ability, nationality, age, religion and others? How can our work reflect these intersectional experiences?
- How can German Studies scholars studying migration-related questions engage with academic and non-academic audiences on the topic?
There will be no assigned reading, however, you will be asked to prepare short statements to pre-circulate in preparation for our exchanges during the GSA conference.
An initial Zoom session will take place prior to the conference for the workshop’s faculty leaders and participants to get to know each other, and to solicit input from participants.
The ESW is open to students who are enrolled in graduate programs. Students working on any time period or at any level under the broad umbrella of German Studies (literature, history, cultural studies, art history, musicology, anthropology, Queer Studies, Black Studies, architectural history, political science, sociology, and others) are encouraged to apply. Participants in past ESW workshops (2020-2024) are not eligible. This policy ensures participation from as many young scholars as possible.
Please note that ESW participants will not be allowed to submit a paper in a regular panel session. They may take on one additional role in the conference as a moderator of another session or as a participant in a roundtable. ESW participation counts as a full conference participation and may be listed on the CV accordingly.
To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter of no more than 500 words, in which you introduce yourself and your scholarly interests. Entry-level graduate students should share their research focus and plans for their MA thesis or dissertation as they currently stand. Advanced graduate students should address their dissertation projects. The letter should also outline your interest in the subject of this year’s workshop and how you expect to benefit from participation.
The deadline for applications is Sunday, January 26, 2025, by 11:59 pm PST. Please email your CV and cover letter to emergingscholarsworkshop@gmail.com. Late applications will not be considered. Following the submission of applications, the ESW Committee, in conjunction with the workshop’s faculty leaders, will select the participants. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decision by early February 2025.
As you consider applying to the ESW, please keep in mind that the GSA offers funding to help offset conference and travel costs through the Conference Community Fund.
The ESW Committee is chaired by Jennifer L. Allen (Yale University).
Please direct inquiries to the ESW Committee Chair and the workshop’s faculty leaders at emergingscholarsworkshop@gmail.com. We look forward to receiving your application!