About the Conference

54th Annual Meeting of the German Association of American Studies:
“Religion in the United States”

Religion has always been a central, identity-shaping force in the American colonies and the United States. At the same time, religion has also been an important motor for social movements against the dominant culture and system – from the Puritan dissidents in the 17th century to the Afro-American resistance against slavery, from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to feminist liberation theology of the late 20th century. The most recent political developments have further increased the public interest in this tension between status quo and counter culture.
With “Religion in the United States” as the topic of its annual meeting (from May 31st to June 3rd, 2007 in Bochum and Dortmund), the German Association of American Studies (DGfA) is thus focusing on a particularly relevant topic which highlights both the continuities and the dynamics of American culture. The varying perspectives brought to the topic from the different disciplines—from literature and culture to media, politics and history—will help to elucidate the diverse religious cultures and discourses in the United States in both the past and the present.
For keynote and plenary lectures, prestigious international specialists have been invited to Dortmund and Bochum, including Paul S. Boyer (University of Wisconsin, Madison); David D. Hall (Harvard Divinity School); Heather Hendershot (Queens College); Michael Hochgeschwender (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München); Lawrence Meredith (University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA).
In addition, a series of workshops will deal with the following topics: new radical transformations in religious and political spheres; the conflictual relationship between mainstream and religious outsider, the intersections of religion, gender and ethnicity. How to innovatively convey these issues in secondary schools and university classrooms will be an additional workshop.
In the concluding forum, entitled “Secularization and its Discontents,” (moderated by Alfred Hornung, Mainz), basic questions and differing perspectives on American religions and their political and cultural impact beyond the U.S. will be discussed, with the main speakers in dialogue with the audience.
This DGfA conference is organized cooperatively by the American Studies programs of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the Universität Dortmund.

Conference Fee

Reduced rates for DGfA-members registering before May 16, 2007:

If you make your bank transfer to the DGfA's bank account (banking information: see below) prior to May 16, 2007, you are eligible for the following reduced rates:

Banking Information:

Commerzbank Halle
Account No.: 127 598 100
BLZ: 800 400 00
Reason for transfer: DGFA JT2007 "surname, given name "