Dahlonega: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 | Hoag 209C
Gainesville: Wednesday, September 30, 2015 | Robinson Ballroom A

Sponsored by Office of Multicultural Student Affairs

Dr. Jürgen E. Grandt’s “Bebop in Bavaria” is something of a personal travelogue through the discipline of African American Studies in Europe. Drawing on my experiences as a graduate student at the University of Zürich (Switzerland) and my stints as Visiting Professor of American Studies at the University of Bayreuth (Germany) and as Visiting Professor of English at the University of Basel (Switzerland); on conference proceedings and guest lectures at institutions in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland; as well as on more informal discussions with colleagues and students from many more nations, “Bebop in Bavaria” seeks to illuminate some of the peculiar challenges and opportunities faced by the (white) European student, teacher, and scholar of African American literature and culture.

My presentation will address, among other issues, the reasons for the heavy emphasis on critical theory in general and Gatesian Signifyin(g) in particular; the impact of September 11 and current US foreign and domestic policy on the discipline; differences in institutional structure and academic culture; and the crucial role of black music and its appropriations, jazz and hip-hop especially. “Bebop in Bavaria” thus investigates how and why the discipline of African American Studies is received, amended, and/or transformed after its transatlantic journey to Europe.