Writing and Theorizing the Queer Subject
Symposium on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Eveline Kilian
19 April 2024
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Senatssaal
Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin
The Symposium "Writing and Theorizing the Queer Subject" is an occasion to celebrate Professor Eveline Kilian's 65th birthday, paying tribute to her legacy and expressing deep appreciation for her work. Colleagues from around the world will gather to acknowledge her academic accomplishments and contributions to the fields of queer, gender, and feminist theory, cultural studies, and literary criticism. The symposium’s broad international line-up highlights Eveline Kilian’s ongoing engagement for inter-university and international collaborations and networking, as well as her significant role in establishing queer theory and gender studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, bringing together colleagues at HU and internationally. Contributions to the programme, spanning scholarly papers to literary readings, underscore the profound impact of Eveline’s work on the intellectual pursuits of her students and peers and her influential mentorship of students, PhD candidates, and Postdocs.
We extend a warm invitation to join the Department of English and American Studies and the Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies in honouring a career devoted to guiding students, fostering inclusivity, and expanding the boundaries of academic discourse on gender and sexuality.
Short-URL for this event: https://hu.berlin/writing_and_theorizing_the_queer_subject
Registration: closed
10:00 – 10:20
Welcome Address
Helga Schwalm, Eva Boesenberg, and Anne Enderwitz (HU Berlin, Department of English and American Studies)
Beate Binder, Ulrike Vedder, and Gabi Jähnert (HU Berlin, Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies)
10:20 – 11:50
Panel 1: Queer Subjectivities
Elahe Haschemi Yekani (HU Berlin) und Beatrice Michaelis (Berlin):
A Brief History of Lesbians on TV
Katrin Röder (HU Berlin):
Humour and Comedy in Contemporary Life Storying at the Intersection of Gender, Queerness and Disability
Aileen Jorena Behrendt (University of Potsdam):
Camp and Kitsch Kindness: Questioning Masculinity and Leadership in Contemporary TV Comedies
Chair: Konstantin Helm (HU Berlin)
Coffee break
12:15 – 14:15
Panel 2: Modernism and Postmodernism
Barbara Wünnenberg (Avaaz):
The Lost City: Berlin Nostalgia in Christopher Isherwood's Goodbye to Berlin and Sabahattin Ali’s Madonna in a Fur Coat
Tamara Radak (University of Vienna):
Virginia Woolf and Queer/Modernist Temporalities
Katrin Frisch (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities):
The Modernist Animal:
Configurations of Gender and Class from a Dog‘s Perspective in Woolf‘s Flush
Julia Braga (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) (online):
Dialogues Between Modernism and Postmodernism: Representations of History in Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse and Toni Morrison's Beloved
Chair: Johanna Fokken (HU Berlin)
Lunch break
15:45 – 17:15
Panel 3: Queer Crossing Borders
Áine McMurtry (King’s College London): Greetings from KCL (online)
Susanne Hochreiter (University of Vienna):
What if ...? Conversations about Literature and Theory
Tomasz Basiuk (University of Warsaw):
Small Beginnings, Greater Ends. On Queer Temporalities, Class Assignments, and Traveling Queer Theory
Kaye Mitchell (The University of Manchester): Queer Experiments
Chair: Anna Kurowicka (University of Warsaw)
Coffee break
17:45 – 19:00
Readings
Maria Alexopoulos (University of British Columbia) (online), Krystyna Mazur (University of Warsaw), Tijana Ristic Kern (HU Berlin): Queer Friendships and Desires in Bear
Kathrin Tordasi (Berlin): Literary Forays Through London
Chair: Ulrike Vedder (HU Berlin)
Convened and organized by Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies (ZtG) and Department for English and American Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Gabriele Jähnert, Center for Transdisciplinary Gender Studies (ZtG)
Tijana Ristic Kern, Department of English and American Studies
Elahe Haschemi Yekani, Department of English and American Studies