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Funded with the generous support of Warwick's .

This is an interdisciplinary workshop series dedicated to all areas of German cultural studies. Meeting two to three times during term in the German Studies Section, or online, the workshop hosts presentations (usually) on a Wednesday afternoon by senior national and international scholars, Warwick colleagues and doctoral students. Presentations can be delivered both as finished conference-style papers, or more informally as work-in-progress. Please contact the workshop convenor, thomas dot crew at warwick dot ac dot uk, if you wish to offer or attend a presentation.

WWIGS 2026-27

Please note: days and times vary, please see below

Term 1

• Wednesday 4^th November 4:30-6 pm, FAB4.74 

Divya Suryawanshi (Warwick)

Reimagining Prison: From Detention to Destination

This project investigates how former prisons in Germany, adapted as memorial museums and commercial heritage sites, construct authenticity and engage with histories of political violence, repression, and incarceration. Through four case studies, the research examines the Gedenkstätte Lindenstraße in Potsdam, the Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, the Kaßberg Prison Learning and Memorial Site in Chemnitz, and Hotel Wilmina in Berlin, a former prison that has been adaptively reused as a hotel.

This presentation focuses on the Kaßberg Prison Learning and Memorial Site in Chemnitz. The site is of particular interest because it embodies multiple historical layers, reflecting Germany's political transformations from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Originally constructed in 1876/77 as a Royal Saxon prison, it later functioned under National Socialism, the Soviet occupation authorities, and the German Democratic Republic. Today, the memorial seeks to represent these histories while simultaneously serving as a place of remembrance, education, and public engagement.

• Wednesday 25^th November, 4:30-6 pm, FAB3.26

Helmut Schmitz (Warwick)

‘Es gab Zeiten, da wäre ich am liebsten selbst ein Italiener gewesen.’
The Deconstruction of Italiensehnsucht in Hans-Ulrich Treichel's
Mein Sardinien.