Theories and Practices of the Archive

Deutsches Literaturarchiv, Marbach

16-20 April 2012

Applications are invited from postgraduates (Masters and early PhD level) at universities in the UK and the Republic of Ireland for a fully-funded week-long course at the Deutsches Literatur­archiv (DLA), Marbach. This course, the first of its kind to offer collaboration between Marbach and UK postgraduates, will facilitate the development of personal research projects whilst addressing core theories about the nature of archives. Alongside a programme of themed seminars, participants will be introduced to Marbach’s holdings and museums, and will be given the opportunity to conduct and present their own work at the DLA. The course aims to augment postgraduate research training and disciplinary awareness, to provide access to a unique set of resources, and to foster links both among participants and between the participants and the archive.

Theories

A series of themed seminars will introduce participants to key moments in the history of theorization about the archive, from the positivist nationalism of Dilthey in the nineteenth century, through the structuralist and post-structuralist internationalism of Foucault and Derrida in the mid-twentieth century, to the ‘cognitive turn’ of the twenty-first century. In the context of one of the world’s leading research archives, the participants will examine the precise nature of the relationship between theory and practice. How does the modern archive relate to its historical theorizations?

Practices

Experts in Marbach will work with the course tutors to offer participants a series of sessions on the different aspects of working in the continuously changing environment of the archive. Areas covered will include: looking at manuscripts, working with annotated private libraries, examining visual images, sifting correspondence, organizing exhibitions. A particular emphasis will be placed on working within the context of large institutional archives such as those of the publishers Cotta or Suhrkamp: what challenges do they throw up, what opportunities do they create?

Research Projects

Participants will be invited to pursue their individual research projects through working with the archival holdings and library of the DLA. The course tutors will oversee work on these projects, and will advise as appropriate on how best to utilize the DLA’s resources. At the end of the week, participants will present brief papers based on their work in a mini-conference.

Deutsches Literaturarchiv

The DLA (www.dla-marbach.de) is one of the world’s leading centres for research in modern German literature. In addition to its literary holdings, it contains important  philosophical archives (notably those of Heidegger, Gadamer and Blumenberg), as well as the archives of some of the most influential publishing houses of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Cotta, S. Fischer and Suhrkamp). It has extensive audio-visual and press cuttings collections as well as a world-class library.

Application procedure

Prospective participants should submit a one-page outline of their MA dissertation or PhD project along with a CV, demonstrating in their application the relevance of the DLA’s resources to their work. Seminars will be taught in English, but participants will need a high-level reading knowledge of German. Accommodation will be provided free of charge, and the DLA will reimburse participants’ reasonable travel costs. Please send applications by 15 January 2012 to:

Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach

Birgit Wollgarten

Schillerhoehe 8-10

D-71672 Marbach am Neckar

E-Mail: [log in to unmask]

Telefon: +49-7144-848-175

Fax: +49-7144-848-191

Organizers

Dr Steffan Davies, Lecturer in German, University of Bristol

Dr Ben Hutchinson, Reader in Modern German and Comparative Literature, University of Kent