Minority Reports: Representing Social Identity in (New) Media

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University of Pennsylvania
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
Graduate Student Conference 2012

Minority Reports: Representing Social Identity in (New) Media
February 24, 2012, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Max Kade German Culture and Media Center, Room 329A, 3401 Walnut Street

Keynote Speaker: Professor Martha Helfer, Department of Germanic, Russian, and East European Languages and Literatures, Rutgers University

New modes of mass communication stimulate evolution in non-dominant group identity while also fostering innovation in minority (self-)representation. This has been the case for centuries: from depictions of “das böse Weib” in 17th century broadsheets to the emergence of Yiddish-language Facebook groups, technological progress alters the landscape of language and identity. Our conference aims to investigate the specific ways in which new media engender new visual and textual representations of minority status. We will focus on material from across the Germanic languages from the Early Modern period to the present day.

Funding for this conference has been provided by the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Annenberg School for Communication, Jewish Studies Program, and Department of Comparative Literature and Literary Theory