BGHS

Workshops and conferences 2012

Third Interdisciplinary Workshop: Culture, Society and Memory: The Challenges of Historical and Sociological Research on Russia, Germany and the US (12-14 May 2012)

Organisers: BGHS, Semion Lyandres, Stephan Merl, Andreas Vasilache, Dietmar Wulff, Tatjana Zimenkova

In cooperation with: Department of History (Bielefeld University), Department of History (University of Notre Dame, USA), Center of European and German Studies (Bielefeld University and St. Petersburg State University, Russia), European University St. Petersburg, Russia

Guests: Anna Amelina (Bielefeld University), Patrick Griffin (University of Notre Dame), Boris Kolonitskii (European University St. Petersburg)

Rapid developments of societies in the edge of globalisation, glocalisation and transformation pose new conceptual challenges for scholars in history, sociology and other social sciences. Do comparative approaches become necessary in historical and sociological research? Are comparisons still possible in the absence of enclosed academic, cultural, political and societal settings? Do such developments affect historical and sociological research in the same manner and to the same degree? Does the study of culture, societies and memory become interdisciplinary? Doctoral researchers from Russia, the United States and Germany will discuss these and related questions and problems during this interdisciplinary the workshop. The workshop is part of a close cooperation between the institutions mentioned. The first was held in 2010 in Bielefeld, the second in 2011 in South Bend, and the Fourth Interdisciplinary Workshop will take place in spring 2013 again at Notre Dame University.

Programme

The City: Analyzing Contemporary Transformations and Structures (09 - 10 Mar. 2012)

Organiser: Anna-Lisa Müller
Guest: Dr. Catharina Thörn, University of Gothenburg (keynote speaker)

This workshop brought the social scientist's perspective on contemporary urban transformations and structures into focus. What are the specific challenges for inhabitants, city planners, but also for us as researchers? What is life like in (post)modern cities, how can these cities be characterised? What kind of relation exists between cities and the societies they are embedded in?
The workshop thus focussed on urban transformations and urban structures. Several questions then come up: What are recent developments and transformations of cities? How can we adequately analyse and analytically formulate contemporary urban phenomena? In what respect do cities possess features that are specific for the late 20th and beginning 21st century, i.e. what are typical structures? What kind of social transformations influence the character of cities and in how far do cities in turn influence social developments? In what respect can cities be understood as specific physical-spatial structures resulting of (social) developments?
Therefore, we worked on adequate theoretical frameworks for urban transformations and structures and their thorough empirical analysis. Additionally, the workshop asked for methodological reflections on adequate forms of researching these developments.

Programme of the workshop