Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology of Bielefeld University

Boundaries are created not only by walls and toll gates. Even in academic discourse, the nation state is still a major delimitation criterion and sometimes obscures the big picture. Young researchers at the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS) are organising the 9th International Annual Seminar of the BGHS from 13 to 15 July to expose and break down the “boundaries in the heads” of sociologists and historians.
 
In the individual panel sessions, the researchers will be presenting their approaches and findings on the global dimension of history and sociology with their own topics and doctoral theses. The panels are organised by topic and focus, for example, on the global dimension of multilateral conflicts, international migration or the legacy of colonial empires. In the various discussions, the researchers will question whether and to what extent the nation state as a category can be over-come - also in research practice.

Besides the 17 BGHS doctoral researchers, three distinguished researchers will be delivering keynotes on topics concerning global interdependence: Professor Dr. Saskia Sassen from Columbia University in New York, Dr. Drew Thompson from Bard College in the state of New York (both from the USA) and Professor Dr. Ahmet Öncü from Sabanci University in Istanbul (Turkey). The programme will be rounded off by intermedia artist Karina Smigla-Bobinski, who will be discussing her installation ADA, which is also the key visual of the conference.

The three-day BGHS Annual Seminar takes place in Bielefeld University’s Building X. Before the actual start of the conference, the First Interdisciplinary Dialogue takes place on Wednesday, 12 July at 6pm in Building X-B2-103. Researchers from Bielefeld University like Professor Dr. Ursula Mense-Petermann, Professor Dr. Angelika Epple, Professor Dr. Eleonora Rohland as well as visiting professor Dr. Alan Lessoff will be discussing the conference topic from an interdisciplinary perspective. The language of the conference is English; participation is free of charge. Everyone in-terested in taking part and joining in discussions is welcome.

The Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS) is an institution providing a structured doctoral degree programme in history and sociology at Bielefeld University. It adopts an international orientation, is open to all topics covered by the disciplines involved, and thrives on interdisciplinary exchange. It has been funded as part of the Excellence Initiative by the German federal and state governments since 2007. Currently, the second funding phase runs until 2017. As of November 2017, all graduate schools - including the BGHS - will receive follow-up financing for two years through the expiring Excellence Initiative.

Members of the media are invited to all events during the seminar. Regarding the event on Wednesday evening, the organisers request that those wishing to attend register with the BGHS Office.

Further information:
For details on the seminar and programme visit:
http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/bghs/Programm/Ansem/2017.html