PERSPECTIVES ON CONTEMPORARY LEGEND 2012 - Call for Papers
Thirtieth International Conference
Göttingen, Germany
Tuesday 5—Saturday 9 June, 2012
REGISTRATION FORM (Word Document) (PDF)
The International Society for Contemporary Legend Research is pleased to announce that the 2012 conference will be held in Göttingen on the dates mentioned above under the auspices of the Encyclopedia of the Folktale (Enzyklopädie des Märchens), an institute of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences. The conference will take place in the Old University Library (Paulinerkirche), Papendiek 14, 37073 Göttingen.
As usual, the meeting will be organized as a series of seminars at which the majority of attendants will present papers. Concurrent sessions will be avoided so that all attendants can hear all papers. Proposals for special panels, discussion sessions and other related events are encouraged. All presentations will be limited to 20 minutes with an additional 10 minutes for discussion.
Proposals for papers on all aspects of "contemporary," "urban," or "modern" legend research are sought as are those on any legend or legend-like tradition that circulate actively at present or have circulated at an earlier historical period. To submit a proposal, please forward a title and abstract (250-300 words) by 1 February 2012 to:
Christine Shojaei Kawan
Enzyklopädie des Märchens
Friedländer Weg 2
37085 Göttingen
Germany
ckwawan@gwdg.de
christinekawan@googlemail.com
Göttingen is a small but lively university town in the heart of Germany, famous for its many Nobel prizewinners and for a time the home of the Brothers Grimm, who worked at the very place where we shall be meeting. 2012 is the bicentenary of the first volume of their Household Tales.
Thursday 7 June will be set aside for an excursion. It will take us to a region in the immediate vicinity which was cut in two by the Iron Curtain. We shall see beautiful old towns with half-timbered houses typical of the area and some medieval castles, maybe with a glance at the realm of Frau Holle and the birthplace of fable author Burkhart Waldis. We shall also visit the Borderland Museum situated at a former border crossing-point. This museum illustrates the conditions of life of the local population in the Soviet period, including spectacular escapes and enforced population relocations, and is the repository of rich sources of oral history.
To help me with the organisation of the conference I have nominated a Steering Committee comprising myself (chairperson), Professor R. W. Brednich (Göttingen and Wellington), Professor Carl Lindahl (Houston), and Mr Axel Füllgrabe (secretary seconded by the Encyclopedia of the Folktale).
The following practical information can be given at this time:
- The conference fee (including transportation, lunch and admission tickets on the excursion day, but not the optional conference dinner or other meals) is currently estimated at EUR 80.00 for ISCLR members (EUR 55.00 for accompanying persons, EUR 110.00 for non-members, EUR 98.50 for non-member students). It will be payable via bank transfer by 31 May 2012. Bank details will be given in in a second circular to be issued before Christmas 2011. Cash payment on arrival can only be accepted in exceptional circumstances. Payment by check or credit card will not be possible.
- Hotel accommodation must be booked and paid for individually. I have reserved 10 double rooms (EUR 77.00) and 40 single rooms (EUR 55.00) at Leinehotel (website www.leinehotel-goe.de) until 5 March 2012. Both prices are reduced and include breakfast. When booking, please use the ID “Akademie der Wissenschaften” (strictly thus in German, otherwise the computer will not be able to find the reservation). The hotel is located at about 15 minutes walking distance from the conference site and about 10 minutes from the railway station. There are also reliable municipal buses.
- For other hotels, information and booking are available on the website of the Göttingen Tourist Bureau (www.goettingen-tourismus.de).
- For those who can afford it, I would warmly recommend Gebhards Hotel, an elegant hotel of high standard close to the conference venue (www.hotelgebhards.de). The youth hostel (Jugendherberge; www.djh-niedersachsen.de/jh/goettingen/goettingen-jh) and Hostel 37 (www.hostelz.com/hostel/175207-Hostel-37)) would be good low-budget solutions.
- The most convenient international access to Göttingen is via the airports of Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and Berlin. From these cities there are frequent daytime connections to Göttingen with the German railway system (website www.bahn.de). A rail connection that is cheaper because it is very much closer to Göttingen is from Hanover airport, which is the hub of the low-cost airline GermanWings. Participants who wish to travel with RyanAir should preferably use the airports of Bremen and Lübeck, bearing in mind that savings on airfares might be levelled out by more expensive train tickets.
I look forward to meeting you all in Göttingen.
Christine Shojaei Kawan
Enzyklopädie des Märchens, Göttingen