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CFP for a panel on Puppen at the 2024 German Studies Association annual conference in Atlanta

Type: Conferences & Symposia [View all]
Posted by: University of Miami & Williams College
Deadline: Sat, May 11th, 2024

GSA Atlanta 2024 - Panel on German "Puppen"

Following the triumph of the highly anticipated movie Barbie by Greta Gerwig (2023) at the box office, a pink Barbie mania took over the world last summer and turned it hot pink. A plethora of film reviews and articles, discussion forums and opinion pieces on the socio-cultural meaning of the most famous doll of German origin largely contributed to prompt a renewed interest in Puppen (dolls and puppets). 

This panel offers to investigate the recurrent presence of Puppen in literature, visual and performing arts, and explore the ongoing fascination these anthropomorphic creatures have held for artists since the 18th century. How come modern and postmodern German-speaking cultures have been haunted by these lifeless creatures ever since? Why do these inanimate, man-made artifacts invariably come to life in literary texts, paintings, photographs and films, operas and ballets, sculptures, art installations and fashion shows? What is it about these humanoid objects that hits a raw nerve and strikes a chord with us, human subjects?

With a real intent to move the discussion beyond the traditional Freudian discourse of the uncanny and fetishism, this panel seeks to examine dolls and their anthropomorphic counterparts in their various incarnations (puppet, automaton, android, sex surrogate, artist’s model, mannequin, etc.) and thus welcomes proposals that engage creatively and innovatively with works by E. T. A. Hoffmann, Achim von Arnim, Heinrich von Kleist, Oskar Kokoschka, Max Beckmann, Rudolf Schlichter, Rainer Maria Rilke, Lotte Pritzel, Erna Pinner, Käthe Kruse, Otto Dix, Anita Berber, Niddy Impekoven, Hanna Höch, Emmy Hennings, Raoul Hausmann, John Heartfield, George Grosz, Hans Bellmer, Jacques Offenbach, Oskar Schlemmer, Maria Schrader, etc.

Please send a 300-400 word abstracts with a title and a short bio in English to panel organizers: Christophe Koné cak4@williams.edu and Nathan Timpano ntimpano@miami.edu by March 11, 2024.

Posted on Mon, March 4th, 2024
Expires on Sat, May 11th, 2024

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