The XXXVth Romanistentag (biennial conference) of the German Society of Romance Philology (Deutscher Romanistenverband; DRV) will take place at the University of Zurich, in cooperation with the secondary school “Literargymnasium Rämibühl”, from October 8th through October 12th, 2017.

Its overarching theme: “Dynamic, Encounter, Migration” implies the following dimensions:

(1) Research of the various sub-disciplines of Romance Studies will be devoted to phenomena comprised in or derived from the component terms of the central conference theme. This may include language contact and cultural contact phenomena, ensuing shifts in cultural horizons of reference and order models, mutual influence on language systems etc. Historically, the Romance cultures have been impacted time and time again by incisive phases of cultural encounter, migration, but also implantation and colonization, respectively generating specific dynamics, which will be analyzed and examined with a view to their common features overall.

(2) These central guiding concepts can also be fruitfully applied at the institutional level. This is especially true of the discipline of Romance Philology, founded within the German university system in the 19th Century, in its interactions with neighboring philological disciplines, such as classical philology, German, English, Slavic, and Scandinavian studies, but also in cross-border comparison with the disciplinary environment in France, Italy, Spain, etc. Switzerland, as a territory having three Romance languages among its official languages and host to a multi-faceted and fruitful exchange between German-speaking and Romance cultures, is an ideal setting for institutional self-description of this sort, in the form of a dialogue under the heading of dynamic, encounter and migration.

Section work, which will form the core of the conference, is divided into the sub-disciplines of literary studies, linguistics, cultural studies and subject didactics. The board invites all scholars of Romance languages and literatures interested in heading a section to submit their proposals – in the form of a two-page presentation (including bibliographical references) and indicating the respective sub-discipline – to the chairman of the DRV by May 31st, 2016. Section proposals not strictly in keeping with the central conference theme are also welcome. The anonymized section selection process will follow rigorous scientific criteria, in consultation with a program advisory board. The decision on selections will be communicated by the end of July, 2016.

Please submit section proposals via e-mail to:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Klinkert
Universität Zürich
Romanisches Seminar
Zürichbergstrasse 8
CH-8032 Zürich
Mail: thomas.klinkert@uzh.ch