The Department of Germanic Studies and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on German Literature and Culture present:
Rhythm: A Transdisciplinary Concept
This workshop/conference will take place at the University of Chicago on February 20-21, 2015. Information regarding the exact location and schedule will become available shortly. The workshop is organized by Florian Klinger and David Wellbery.
To register, please send an e-mail with the subject line "Rhythm" to wellbery@uchicago.edu
We are delighted to announce that our keynote address will be delivered by
Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht (Stanford)
Sepp Gumbrecht is one of the most eminent literary scholars and cultural theorists in the world today and his works have had a tremendous impact across the Humanities. His pioneering article on the concept of rhythm (Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, "Rhythmus und Sinn," in: Materialität der Kommunikation, ed. by Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht and Karl Ludwig Pfeiffer, Frankfurt: Suhrkamp, 1988, pp. 714-29) is one of the intellectual inspirations for our workshop.
In addition, we have assembled a very distinguished group of speaker-participants:
Anthony Cheung (Chicago)
Simon Jarvis (Cambridge)
Michèle Lowrie (Chicago)
Burkhard Meyer-Sickendiek (Berlin)
Paul North (Yale)
Steven Rings (Chicago)
Rahel Villinger (Basel)
This workshop is conceived as a working forum in which the primary focus is on discussion. With the exception of the keynote address, we are asking speaker/participants not to deliver conference papers in the ordinary sense. The genre we have in mind is what one might call a “thesis paper” (in German, ein Thesenpapier). That is to say, participants will: a) present ideas that are not fully developed; b) present ideas that are not concatenated in the form of an argument; c) state their case in a “risk-taking” manner. The purpose of the paper is to circumscribe a terrain of discussion and to chart that terrain in a preliminary, perhaps provocative way. Statements of aphoristic density and boldness (e.g., “Rhythm is the body of intelligence.” Or: “Rhythm is the form of durée." Or: “Rhythm is the origin of sociality.”) are to be expected.
With two full days and seven presentations (in addition to the keynote), we have plenty of time for thorough discussions and generous breaks.
For further information, please go to www.rhythmasconcept.com
If you have a disability and need assistance, please contact Michelle Zimet at mzimet@uchicago.edu or (773) 702-8494.