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Dear colleagues, I too have replied separately to Anne on this subject but would like to add my support to what appears to be the growing opposition among Germanists to this proposed change. I particularly agree with Adrian. I think that the history of all this is not irrelevant. I can only speak knowledgeably about the Germanic Institute, but the circumstances of its demise are themselves regrettable enough and do not reflect well on the University of London. The Institute was founded by a group of distinguished Germanists, in the 1950s I believe, who themselves contributed time and effort and whole collections of books. By the 1970s it was the venue for research seminars, for lectures by eminent Germanists from the UK and abroad, and for postgraduate work. Its library contained holdings in German unavailable elsewhere in the UK, particularly in periodicals and Festschriften. German Depts up and down the country and individual Germanists supported it with subscriptions, donations and bequests. It was in effect a national centre of excellence for research in German Studies, although we did not use such terminology in those days. It was a somewhat conservative institution and not unfailingly user-friendly, but many British Germanists like me from outside London visited it regularly, worked in its library and held it in affection, seeing it as the repository of the best traditions of German Studies in the UK. All this disappeared abruptly in the space of a few months at the turn of the year 2003/04, when the Institute was expelled from the premises it had occupied for 50 years, the precious library holdings were subsumed in the central London University Library, and the merger with Romance Studies was forced through at breakneck speed against internal opposition and without any attempt to consult the wider community of British Germanists. The University did involve the then Director of the Institute in the discussions about these changes, but he judged it politic not to consult widely about them or even to inform Germanists in general until they were an irreversible fait accompli. The Germanic Institute thus ceased to exist as an institution with a separate identity, except tenuously in the title of the IGRS, and the present proposals would complete the porcess of obliterating this once proud and successful body. Once again it seems that the University of London intends to carry through these changes without regard either to internal oppostion or to the views of those who Sarah rightly calls stakeholders. The proposed new title does not accurately reflect the activities of the IGRS or its predecessor institutions and rides roughshod over the purposes for which they were originally set up. Shame on those cynical administrators who are behind this move. Richard Littlejohns ---------------------------------------- From: "Adrian Stevens" <[log in to unmask]> Sent: 18 June 2013 20:18 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Name Change for IGRS Dear Anne, I am pleased to see from the public responses of colleagues that the proposal to change the name of the IGRS to 'Institute of Modern Languages and Cultures' has met with considerable opposition. Given the severely depleted state of language studies generally in the UK, it is difficult to understand why anyone should imagine that setting up a new Institute in opposition to the existing specialist schools at SEES and SOAS makes any sense. As an Institute that covers both Germanic and Romance languages, the IGRS already has a very broad remit, and to extend that remit into areas for which there is already adequate specialist provision in London would inevitably weaken the disciplinary focus that makes the IGRS distinctive. The IGRS when it was instituted became the successor to the old Institute of Germanic Studies, which in the decades following its inauguration built up an unrivalled reputation for fostering Anglo-German academic collaboration, and succeeded in creating personal, cultural and intellectual ties in precisely the way its founders had envisaged. The effect of the proposed and almost risibly hackneyed name change would be to undermine a great enterprise long celebrated across the German-speaking world. Traditions such as the IGRS represents, which have been of untold benefit to large numbers of German-speaking scholars and students past and present from the UK and across the world, are the labour of generations. 'Only connect', as E. M. Forster so trenchantly put it, and that is precisely what the IGS and the IGRS have managed to do. It would be easy to destroy a prestigious and widely respected institution by using bureaucratic fiat to delete the name that defines it; but should that happen, the quaintly named 'stakeholders' in the amorphous construct that threatens to displace the IGRS are likely to feel themselves disinherited. With all best wishes, Adrian Stevens Honorary Senior Lecturer Dutch Department School of European Languages and Cultures UCL The IGRS took On 18 Jun 2013, at 16:53, Steve Giles <[log in to unmask]> wrote: I also responded to anne privately in similar vein, but also observed that the intention to go beyond germanic and romance languages might not go down too well with soas and sees. and once you knock out oriental, african, and east european languages, it's not going to be much of a 'modern languages and cultures' entity - whereas germanic and romance is clearly defined, covers languages/cultures/societies over 3-4 continents, and also has an ec focus. regards, steve ---------------------------------------- From: JISCmail German Studies List [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Colvin, Sarah [[log in to unmask]] Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 11:00 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Name Change for IGRS Dear Anne, many thanks for your email below, and apologies for the late response. I think the proposed name change raises two issues. The first is that it causes the IGRS to lose a well-established identity. The second and more serious is that the new name seems to implement a 'future focus and remit' on which stakeholders are not being and have not been consulted. Particularly German, French, and Italian Studies are in need of support at present. There is clear evidence for that. The IGRS is ideally placed to offer that support. An IMLC would presumably have little extra funding but a much broader remit, 'taking in' particularly (I hazard a guess here!) Chinese and other languages/cultures currently fashionable because they are perceived as economically advantageous. On that - which is rather a significant change, and much more significant than a name change - 'stakeholders' have not been consulted. Should we expect to be? Best wishes, Sarah -----Original Message----- From: JISCmail German Studies List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Anne Simon Sent: 05 June 2013 16:55 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Name Change for IGRS Dear Colleagues, As a result of the recent HEFCE review of the School of Advanced Study, the IGRS has been informed that a change of name will be necessary as, apparently, the "Institute of Germanic & Romance Studies" does not accurately reflect what we do. Below is what came down to us from the Dean: "The Dean has been in discussions with the Director of the IGRS to consider whether a change to the name of that institute might be appropriate in order to reflect correctly its future focus and remit. This is evidently a delicate matter, on which the Director of the IGRS will wish to consider a range of viewpoints, including that of the institute's Advisory Council. Notwithstanding, it is currently considered that the name 'Institute of Modern Languages and Cultures' would be suitably inclusive." We have been instructed to consult our "stakeholders" on the proposed name change and to elicit suggestions for catchier alternatives. Hence I would be very grateful for any comments and/or suggestions you may have. Best wishes, Anne This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. 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