The Diversity Studies International Teaching and Scholarship Network
(DIVERSITAS), a joint initiative of the Carl von Ossietzky University
Oldenburg (Germany), the University of the Witwatersrand (South
Africa) and the University of Mumbai (India), invites applications
for its Summer School on Critical Diversity Studies in Globalized
Contexts. The Summer School will take place at Carl von Ossietzky
University, Oldenburg, Germany, July 5-13, 2013. It aims at bringing
together 25 international PhD-students and PostDocs from a variety of
disciplinary and regional backgrounds, who will work on themes and
topics in the field of Critical Diversity Studies. Prior to the
Summer School, participants will be asked to prepare relevant reading
materials provided by the organizers and meet online in order to get
acquainted with the group. During the Summer School, participants
will take part in joint seminars and keynote lectures in the
mornings, and will work in small groups in the afternoons. Moreover,
a number of excursions will invite an examination of ways in which
diversity is deployed and experienced in the local and regional
context.

The afternoon groups will be organized around the following thematic
clusters, with each cluster being facilitated by an interdisciplinary
team of academics from the three participating institutions:

1. Diversity and the Dynamics of Cultural Memory
This cluster critically explores the dynamic interplay between the
processes involved in cultural memory formation and the construction
of notions of difference and diversity, particularly in postcolonial
societies.

2. Diversity and/in the Arts/Media: Staging Sameness and Difference in
Literature, Performance, and Visual Culture
In this cluster, participants identify and analyze the specific
strategies employed by various media and forms of artistic expression
to perpetuate and/or undermine hegemonic discourses of oppression and
discrimination.

3. Multilingualism and Linguistic Diversity
Starting from a linguistic investigation of bi- and multilingualism,
this cluster will focus on identifying and analyzing the linguistic,
educational, and social issues involved. It will also explore the role
of language and multilingualism in the making of collective identities
and the possibilities for linguistic pluralism as an articulation of
social equality.

4. Hybrid Identities: Diversity, Subjectivities, and the Social
This cluster takes a closer at politics and practices of individual
and collective identity formation in a globalized world. It looks at
what has become known as 'identity politics' particularly in
societies where traumatic pasts may inform the 'narrative
unconscious' (Freeman 2010) of younger generations.

5. Migration and Mobility
This cluster focuses on the forms and effects of global migration
flows. It starts from the observation that the movement of people --
along with a set of practices, ideas, and beliefs -- has given rise
to highly diverse communities and cultural forms of expression, while
simultaneously creating new borders and demarcation lines.

The groups can select from a range of methodologies and resources and
will present their results during the concluding symposium. The summer
school aims at a critical examination of diversity in and beyond
academic discussions. Participants are encouraged to critically
reflect on their own research as well as practices in the context of
"critical diversity literacy" (Melissa Steyn) – a capacity to "read"
the prevailing power relations that establish, transform, challenge,
and resist structures of privilege and oppression. Particular
attention will be paid to cultural and historical specificities as
well as transnational interconnections and cross-cultural parallels
with respect to different phenomena, forms, modes and representations
of diversity. This will enable participants to relate diversity to
questions of social justice and equity and to conceive of it as a
point of reference for their own theorizing and practice.

In order to apply, please submit:

- CV detailing educational and international experience as well as
professional qualifications;

- A two-page letter of motivation indicating the following aspects:
 1. Why would you like to participate in the Summer School?
 Please include both academic and personal considerations.
 2. How is the Summer School's topic relevant to your current or
 future research projects and/or university teaching?
 3. Select three thematic clusters from the five listed above and
 list them in order of preference, providing a brief explanation
 for your choice.

- A letter of recommendation from your supervisor or a senior staff
member of your home institution indicating your research and teaching
interests, the progress of your research project, and your potential
contribution to as well as benefit from participation in the Summer
School;

- A copy of your university registration and transcripts;

- A copy of your passport; and

- An overview of estimated travel and visa costs (if applicable).

Deadline for submission of applications: March 31, 2013

Participants will be selected by an international and
interdisciplinary committee. They will be notified of the outcome of
their application by mid-April. All selected participants will
receive fellowships covering travel and visa costs as well as
accommodation.

NOTE: Please start inquiries about visa requirements and procedures as
early as possible. Participants will receive a letter of invitation to
support their visa application.

Inquiries and application submission to:
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The Summer School is funded by Volkswagen Foundation.


Contact:

Dr. Annika McPherson
School of Linguistics and Cultural Studies
Department of English and American Studies
Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg
D-26111 Oldenburg
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)441 798-2345
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.uni-oldenburg.de/fk3/studium/diversitas-2012/