Associate Professor Ian Afflerbach (University of North Georgia, USA)
“The Racial Sellout: Language, History, and Popular Culture“
June 20, 2023, 4:15pm, 00.212 (Philo II, Jakob-Welder-Weg 20)
What does it mean to “sell out” your race? This talk will examine the history of such accusations in the United States, moving from early 20th century debates over black leadership to contemporary scandals in popular culture. It will explain why ideas about racial “authenticity” and “solidarity” are so controversial, yet so vital. And it will explore both the unique language used to identify race traitors, such as “Uncle Tom” and “house Negro,” as well as the ways this anxiety about racial loyalty reflects a broader American anxiety with the idea of “selling out.”
Ian Afflerbach is Associate Professor of American Literature at the University of North Georgia, where his research and teaching focus on the history of ideas, modernist studies, African American literature, and popular periodicals. He recently completed his first book, Making Liberalism New (Johns Hopkins 2021) and has begun work on a second project—a cultural history of “selling out” in modern America. He is currently a fellow at the University of Regensburg, Germany.
„Interstellar – Ein Menschlicher Blick auf das Universum“
Filmvorführung und Gespräch im Rahmen der Reihe „Akademie Trifft Kino im Wissenschaftsjahr ‚Unser Universum‘“
Am Sonntag, den 18. Juni 2023, 15.30 Uhr, zeigen wir im CAPITOL Mainz Christopher Nolans Kinofilm „Interstellar“ mit Matthew McConaughey und Anne Hathaway, in dem es u.a. darum geht, wie ein künftiges Leben im Weltall aussehen könnte. Doch wie viel Wissenschaft steckt sich hinter der spannenden und spektakulären Handlung des Science-Fiction-Filmes? Und was sagt dieser Blick auf das Universum über die Menschheit?
Der Amerikanist Dr. Jens Temmen und der Physiker Prof. Dr. Matthias Neubert erörtern in einem einführenden Gespräch diese und andere Fragen.
Die Vorführung wird von der Jungen Akademie | Mainz in Kooperation mit Prisma+ und dem CAPITOL organisiert. Eintrittskarten sind zum Sonderpreis von 7,- € an der Kinokasse erhältlich, nähere Informationen:
FAMILY MATTERS follows the traces of a German family that, over generations, continues to cross the Atlantic in both directions. Like Elizabeth and Henry who, at the beginning of the 20th century, are forced to leave their beloved New York to return to the old country; the violinist Clara who can only live her passion for music in the American of the suffragettes; the war bride Toni, who courageously follows a G.I. to Nebraska after World War II; and, finally, the student Iris who is trying to find her place in both worlds in the 1980s. Looking back, they all ask the same question: „What if . . . ?” What if they had not gone to America, or back to the old country? If they had not fallen in love? What if they had taken that other road and pursued their dreams a bit more forcefully?
FAMILY MATTERS takes ordinary, yet memorable characters out of the yellowed pictures in the photo albums, gives them a voice and places them in their own time. Martina J. Kohl revives the past. She shows that today cannot be understood without the yesterday. And that migration, uprooting and the search for belonging are universal themes.
Martina J. Kohl worked in the Cultural Section of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, Germany, for many years. She developed and organized numerous programs, but especially loved the literature series. Writing has been a passion ever since she taught at the University of Michigan. It is part of her seminars that she teaches regularly at Humboldt University Berlin and defined her work as editor of the American Studies Journal. As an advisory board member of the Salzburg Global American Studies Program, she continues to engage in transatlantic dialogue. Among her academic publications, FAMILY MATTERS is her first book-length fictional work.
Prof. Dr. Brigitte Johanna Glaser (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen)
May 16, 2023, 9:40am, N.106 (Stufenhörsaal)
“Margaret Atwood’s Venture into Graphic Novels: The Angel Catbird Trilogy and the War Bears Series”
Professor Glaser’s research focus is in Canadian Studies, Globalization and Transcultural Literature, Postcolonial Studies as well as 18th-Century Literature and Culture. Her publications include the co- edited volumes Shifting Grounds: Cultural Tectonics along the Pacific Rim (2020) and Transgressions / Transformations: Literature and Beyond (2018). Since February 2021, she has been the president of the Association for Canadian Studies in German-Speaking Countries.
This summer term, all members of JGU – students, teachers, administrative staff – are invited to come together to immerse themselves into Witi Ihimaera’s novel The Whale Rider. The book tells the story of Kahu, the daughter of a respectable Māori family, who struggles to take her place in the iwi (tribe) and win the love and respect of her grandfather, the chief of the iwi. It is a story of rejection and reconciliation, of tradition and renewal – and last but not least, it is a story of the deep connection between humans and nature. The plot seems familiar and yet wants to be read in its very own Māori traditions.
To foster cross-cultural exchange about the novel at our university and beyond, we have planned a number of events: a hybrid lecture series (Wednesdays from 08:00 pm to 9:30 pm (CET), starting April 26th; PDF), Q&As with experts from Mainz and New Zealand, a screening and discussion of Niki Caro’s 2002 film adaptation of the novel, several social (digital) exchange formats including a “New Zealand-week” at the university canteen. The project, which received an award from the Stifterverband and the Klaus Tschira Foundation as part of the “One University – One Book” program, welcomes you all to embark on a multidisciplinary exploration of New Zealand life and literature in times of critical debates about postcolonialism, decolonization and climate change.
The OI will be hosting an informal first meet & greet for students and alumni of American Studies and cordially invites all students of the BA and MA programs to connect with each other and our alumni. This is your chance to talk about possible careers after finishing an American Studies program and ask any question you might have on how to make the most of your degree and ambitions.
Two alumnae, who are holding qualified positions, will speak about their jobs and their working experiences to students interested in finding out more about opportunities and perspectives for American Studies graduates.
