Welcome to the Obama Institute
for Transnational American Studies!

The Obama Institute for Transnational American Studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz offers a dynamic and wide-ranging program in both research and teaching for all students interested in topics related to the Americas in a global context.

With a special focus on interculturality, transnationalism, and interdisciplinarity, our expertise lies in the fields of Early American Studies, Indigenous Studies, Life Writing/Life Sciences, Political & Intellectual History, Film & Media Studies, Religion and American Culture, and Materiality.

Contact

Obama Institute for Transnational American Studies
University of Mainz
Jakob-Welder-Weg 20
55128 Mainz
Germany
+49 6131 39-22357
+49 6131 39-29097
Email

Call for Papers – Being (In)Visible: Representations of Disability and Ableism in Popular Culture 🗓

Call for Papers Being (In)Visible: Representations of Disability and Ableism in Popular Culture Student Conference (Jan 16-17, 2025) This conference will be organized by Ayishat Aluko, Jill Reuter, and Samira Schwarz, who are all M.A. students of American Studies at...

Call for Papers – Transpacific Connections: Perspectives, Dialogues, Future Visions 🗓

Call for Papers Transpacific Connections: Perspectives, Dialogues, Future Visions The Transpacific Studies Network (TPSN) was established in the fall of 2022 with the goal of providing new impulses in the research of Pacific cultures, ecologies, histories,...

July 8 – Guest Lecture “Go-To Lines: Reading Political Life Writing in America” 🗓

Irene Gammel(Toronto Metropolitan University) with Carlos Lozada (The New York Times) Go-To Lines: Reading Political Life Writing in America July 8, 2024, 15:10pm, N.206 (Campus Germersheim) This event features Irene Gammel and Carlos Lozada discussing...

4th of July 2024 – Lectures, Exhibition, Get-together, Food and Drinks 🗓

4th of July Events at the Obama Institute July 4, 2024, 4-8 p.m., P4 & Foyer P2-P5 (Philosophicum) What might the 4th of July mean to Americans and foreigners in general and especially in 2024? From American Poetry to Money and American Identity to students’ takes...

July 2 – Guest Lecture “World War I, New York Dada, and Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven” 🗓

Irene Gammel(Toronto Metropolitan University) "World War I, New York Dada, and Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven" July 2, 2024, 09:40pm, N.106 (Campus Germersheim) This lecture explores the intersection of World War I, New York Dada, and the impact of German- born...

July 1 – Guest Lecture “Dos Hemisferios: Racial Capitalism and the Problem of Latinidad in Hispano-American Newspapers in Paris and New York City, 1852-1856” 🗓

David Luis-Brown(Claremont Graduate University, CA, USA) "Dos Hemisferios: Racial Capitalism and the Problem of Latinidad in Hispano-American Newspapers in Paris and New York City, 1852-1856" July 1, 2024, 15:10pm, N.206 (Campus Germersheim) The phrase dos...