Dear colleagues,
I have been asked by Patricia Casey Sutcliffe to post the following call 
for papers - deadline is Feb 12th, so contact Patricia promptly if you want 
to be involved. (Her details are at the end of her message below).
Best wishes,
Nicola

Call for Papers Proposed Session for the GSA Conference in St. Paul, MN, 
Oct. 2-5, 2008

TWO HUNDRED YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC LANGUAGE STUDY: THE LEGACY(IES) OF 
FRIEDRICH VON SCHLEGEL'S /ÜBER DIE SPRACHE UND WEISHEIT DER INDIER/

Friedrich von Schlegel's 1808 work, /Über die Sprache und Weisheit  der 
Indier/, is considered not only the foundational text of  Indology, but 
also the starting point of the scientific study of  language. Coupling Sir 
William Jones's observation from 1786 of the  relationship of Sanskrit to 
the ancient and modern languages of  Europe with Romantic philosophy, 
Schlegel provided a program and  intellectual justification for the new 
discipline of comparative  philology. The bicentennial of the publication 
of this pioneering  treatise invites us to reflect on its legacy. Papers 
are welcomed  that broaden our understanding of this text, its production, 
its  reception in a variety of contexts, and its influence on subsequent  
thinkers.

Some possible topics include:

--relationship between Schlegel's literary and philological work

--contradictions and their origins in Schlegel's philological thought

--the reception of the work in the popular press

--its reception outside of Germany

--differing evaluations of the text in varying disciplines today

--consideration of Schlegel's original questions and goals for comparative 
philology and their ongoing relevance in linguistics or other disciplines



Please submit abstracts of 250-500 words and a brief biography (100
words) by February 12, 2008, to [log in to unmask]

--
Dr. Patricia Casey Sutcliffe, Editor
German Historical Institute
1607 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington, DC  20009
Phone:   (202) 552-8926 
Fax:     (202) 483-3430
Email:   [log in to unmask]