Walter Benjamin Förderpreis 2020

Endowed by the

International Walter Benjamin Society

Walter Benjamin Archive

Leibniz-Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung

Research on Walter Benjamin has been unusually productive in recent years. A generation of younger scholars has been especially active, developing new readings and exploring new contexts. This generation has ensured that the old antagonisms—materialism versus theology, for example—no longer dominate discussion of Benjamin’s work. Benjamin has, consequently, begun to play a role in new and surprising scholarly discussions. This funding opportunity is intended to encourage the creation of a series of workshops for this generation of younger scholars.

Diverse opportunities for scholarly exchange on Benjamin are, to be sure, already present in abundance: conferences and symposia on various aspects of Benjamin’s thought and writing are offered on a regular basis, and younger scholars now increasingly play a prominent role there. The younger generation is seldom able, however, to stage their own events and to develop their scholarly profile in conversation with other members of their cohort.

The International Walter Benjamin Society, the Walter Benjamin Archive, and the Leibniz-Zentrum fuer Literatur- und Kulturforschung will provide a team of younger scholars with up to 4500 Euros for the independent conception, organization, and execution of a two-day workshop that would include up to 12 participants who have received the Ph.D. within the last ten years. The workshop will take place in Berlin during the Winter Semester 2020/2021, with meeting rooms and facilities provided by the Walter Benjamin Archive and the Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung.

Younger colleagues are invited to submit proposals. The proposed workshop may be based either on a call for papers or on a previously established group of researchers. Alternative meeting formats—beyond the standard paper / discussion model—are particularly welcome. The support is intended to function as basic financing (travel costs, lodging, catering); we will be glad to assist in fundraising for additional expenses (e.g. international travel or the publication of contributions).

Please submit a short expose (no more than two pages in length) together with a sketch of the proposed workshop format, a concise depiction of the focus of the workshop that includes a scholarly justification, and a budget by January 17, 2020 to IWBS.webmaster@gmail.com.

Questions regarding the funding or the nature of the proposed workshop can be addressed to Ursula Marx (marx@adk.de).

Link toward the International Walter Benjamin Society website: http://walterbenjamin.info/event/nachwuchs-forderpreis-2020/