Symposium to Explore Multiculturalism in Germany, USA

The symposium, which is open to the public, will be held Nov. 7-8 in Wake Forest’s Benson University Center. Titled “Identities in Question: German, European, American,” the symposium will feature experts from a variety of fields, such as politics, literature, cultural studies and history. Participants will discuss and compare the multicultural societies of America and Germany.

Registration for all symposium events, including the reception and refreshments, is $15. The fee is waived for full-time students. For more information or to pre-register, call Michael Hughes at 910-758-5557.

Wake Forest is co-sponsoring the event with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), an office of the German government that promotes awareness of Germany by sponsoring public forums and the exchange of students and professors.

Symposium highlights include keynote speaker Cem Oezdemir, the first German Federal Parliament member of Turkish decent. In addition, the film “Kolya,” a story about identity and stereotyping Czechoslovakia, will be shown.

The schedule of events is as follows.

Friday, Nov. 7

• Cem Oezdemir, first member of the German Federal Parliament of Turkish decent, will present the keynote address, “Multiculturalism in Post-Reunification Germany: Problems and Ambiguity,” at 3:30 p.m. in Wake Forest’s Benson University Center, Room 401. A discussion will follow.
• The film “Kolya” will be shown at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. in Benson Center’s Pugh Auditorium. Admission is $2.

Saturday, Nov. 8

The first group of panelists, who will address social and political debat, will speak from 9:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Benson Center, Room 401. A discussion will follow from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Presenters and their topics include:

• “Typically German!? From Stereotype to Multiple Identities,” Konrad H. Jarausch, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
• “Terms of Endearment: Europeanization of Policy and Identity Formation,” Carl Lankowski, American Institute for Contemporary Germany Studies.
• “Whiteness and ‘Other’ Identities in the United States: Past and Present,” Gerald Horne, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The second group of panelists, who will address cultural self-images, will speak from 1:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the Benson Center, Room 401. A discussion will follow from 3:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. Presenters and their topics include:

• “‘Terkiye’: An Unauthorized Biography by the Expatriate Writer,” Azade Seyhan, Bryn Mawr College.
• “Identity Issues in Contemporary America,” Eleanor W. Traylor, Howard University.
• “Writing a Cultural Identity,” Barbara Kosta, University of Arizona, Tucson.