North American Studies Bonn

Welcome back to the University for the winter term 2025/26 and to this term's lecture series!

Thank you to everyone who joined us on 1 July for Prof. Robert Nichols' thought-provoking talk "Red Power Partisans: Native American Activism and the 'New Indian Wars'."
This event was part of our free and open "Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies" lecture series.

Flyer for a lecture titled "Red Power Partisans: Native American Activism and the ‘New Indian Wars’" by Prof. Robert Nichols (University of California, Santa Cruz). Scheduled for Tuesday, 1 July 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Rabinstraße 8, Room 7, 53111 Bonn. Part of the "Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies" Lecture Series of the North American Studies Program at the University of Bonn. The flyer includes a historical photo of a 1992 Red Power march in South Dakota. Abstract: This lecture explores how Red Power intellectuals of the 1960s–70s redefined irregular warfare through anti-colonial critique and grassroots historiography. Prof. Nichols argues that Native activism forged a distinct theoretical contribution, portraying U.S. hegemony as imperial counterinsurgency. This reimagining of guerrilla struggle reveals an enduring critique of American militarism and colonial violence. Prof. Robert Nichols teaches in the History of Consciousness Department at UC Santa Cruz. His work in political thought includes the book Theft Is Property! Dispossession and Critical Theory (Duke University Press, 2019).

Join us on 1 July 2025 for Prof. Robert Nichols’ talk, “Red Power Partisans,” on Native American activism and guerrilla warfare theory in the 60s–70s.

Part of our “Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies” series. Free and open to the public.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on 27 May 2025 for Dr. Sine Kontbay Busun’s lecture on NAFTA and USMCA. She analyzed key shifts in North American trade policy and rising tensions under Trump’s second term. This event was part of our North American Studies Lecture Series.

Join us next week for an input lecture by Prof. Dr. Jill Doerfler who will talk about land allotments on the White Earth Reservation in the early 1900s.

This event is free and open to the public.

Join us for our informal lunch session on 9 July 2025 at 12pm (c.t.) in room 02.025 at Rabinstraße 8, 53111 Bonn.

We will discuss issues pertaining to the current state of Native America.

Please note: Participants are kindly asked to bring their own lunch. No food or drinks will be provided.

Einladung Kanadisches Wochenende 2025 - DKG (Deutsch-Kanadische Gesellschaft) Einladung Kanadisches Wochenende 2025 ***English version see below*** Liebe DKG-Mitglieder, liebe Kanada-Freund:innen, kommt zum diesjährigen Kanadischen

Interested in Canada? The DKG’s Canadian Weekend 2025 is still open for registrations as the deadline has been extended! Check out the details and how to join here: www.dkg-online.de/einladung-ka...

Thank you to Professor Kinohi Nishikawa for delivering this year's Juneteenth Lecture! His powerful exploration of the "afterlife of slavery" in Toni Morrison’s 'A Mercy' (2008) shed new light on the richness and complexity of the novel.

@unibonn.bsky.social @dfg.de @nas-bonn.bsky.social

Thank you to everyone who joined us on 29 April 2025 for Prof. Jean Pfaelzer’s lecture “California, a Slave State.” Drawing from her recent book, she explored how California’s history of slavery challenges its mythic image and reveals a legacy of resistance and rebellion.

Thanks to everyone who joined us on 3 June, 2025!

Dr. Pyke explored how queer sensibilities have shaped some of the most beloved children’s literature of the mid-twentieth century.

This event was part of our free and open "Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies" lecture series.

Flyer for a lecture titled "Getting It Past the Adults: Children’s Books and Queer Kinship in Mid-Twentieth Century America" by Dr. Sarah Pyke (University of Münster). Scheduled for Tuesday, 3 June 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Rabinstraße 8, Room 7, 53111 Bonn. Part of the "Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies" Lecture Series of the North American Studies Program at the University of Bonn. The flyer includes a double-page image from Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd (1947). Abstract: This lecture lays out how queer sensibilities have shaped some of the most beloved children’s literature of the mid twentieth century. Dr Pyke’s talk recalls visionary editor Ursula Nordstrom who, as Harper Row children’s books director from 1940 to 1973 nurtured a network of author illustrators. Among them were Margaret Wise Brown, Maurice Sendak, and Arnold Lobel, all now recognised as bisexual, gay, or lesbian. As groups such as Moms for Liberty call for children’s books by and about LGBTQ+ people to be censored and banned, Dr Pyke offers an alternative history of American children’s literature and its queer intimacies. Dr. Sarah Pyke teaches children’s and Young Adult literature at the University of Münster. She is a co founder of the Banned Books Network Münster, a former Munby Fellow in Bibliography at Cambridge University Library and currently working on a group biography, entitled “Former Children The Queer Creators of Mid Century American Children’s Books."

Join us on June 3 for Dr. Sarah Pyke’s talk on queer kinship in mid-20th-century U.S. children’s literature. She explores how figures like Sendak and Brown shaped the genre, offering a counter-history amid current censorship debates.

The event is free and open to the public.

Thanks to everyone who joined us on 13 May, 2025!

Dr. Fackler explored how Indigenous literatures challenge extractivism through kinship narratives.

This event was part of our free and open "Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies" lecture series.

For the next talk in our summer 2025 series "Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies," we welcome Dr. Sine Kontbay Busun, who will discuss the shift from NAFTA to USMCA and its impact on North American trade.

Free and open to the public!

Thanks to everyone who joined the NAS career forum on 6 May 2025.
3 NAS alumni discussed the value of their degree in their diverse career trajectories and answered students' questions in a Q&A. The event concluded with drinks and the opportunity to chat with our alumni. #alumni

Thanks to everyone who joined our panel on 22 April 2025!

We discussed Canada’s political landscape, Québec’s role, and the cultural impact of the upcoming election.

This event was part of our free and open "Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies" lecture series.

Join us for our next lecture with Dr. Katharina Fackler from the University of Bonn. She will explore how contemporary Indigenous literature contests extractivism and promotes sustainable, kinship-based social-ecological relations.

The event is free and open to the public!

On 6 May at 6:00 pm, join us at Rabinstraße 8, Room 7, for an exciting panel featuring alumni who completed the North American Studies Program at the University of Bonn. Tim Hartmann (Volkswagen), Sarah Arfeen (ICLEI Europe), and Monique Mauel (Amerikahaus NRW) will share how their M.A. in North American Studies shaped their careers. Whether you’re a current student or considering the program, this event is a great chance to hear how the program prepares you for the job market and diverse career paths. The panel will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Sabine N. Meyer and Dr. Katharina Fackler. After the discussion, there will be a Q&A session and a reception with drinks and snacks, offering a perfect opportunity to connect with alumni and ask questions. We're looking forward to seeing you there! The event is free and open to the public.

💡 Whether you’re a current student or considering our program, this event, with a Q&A session and reception with drinks and snacks afterward, is a great chance to hear how the program prepares you for the job market and diverse career paths. #career #alumni The event is free and open to the public.

Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies | Lecture Series of the North American Studies Program Prof. Jean Pfaelzer from University of Delaware California, a Slave State on Tuesday 29 April 2025 from 6:00 c.t. to 8:00 pm at 53111 Bonn, Rabinstraße 8 in Room 7. California was conceived in slavery, as Prof. Jean Pfaelzer argues in her book California, A Slave State (2023). Marked and marketed with "California dreamin', the state nurtured slavery in regimes that for 250 years sunder its true history from its utopian myth - that its people and land were there for the taking. Dr. Pfaelzer's lecture turns to those who were enslaved to explore how California owes its origins and sunny prosperity, and its long tradition of resistance, rebellion, and revolt to those who were held in human bondage. Prof. Jean Pfaelzer is the author of California, A Slave State (Yale UP, 2023) and Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans (2007) which was listed on the New York Times's "100 Best Books" that year. She is a commentator on labor and immigration for NPR and PBS, a former Executive Director of the National Labor Law Center, and the 2024 United Chinese Americans' "Humanitarian of the Year."

Join us for a lecture with
Prof. Pfaelzer who will explore how California's origins and its prosperity are deeply tied to the history of slavery, a history long hidden by the state's utopian myth.

This event is free and open to the public.

Join us for the „Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies,“ a Lecture Series of the North American Studies Program. Panel Discussion „We Will Never be the 51st State": Canadian Elections Amidst Growing US Hostility with Prof. Dr. Christoph Vatter from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dr. Matt Sheedy & Apl. Prof. Dr. Jasper Trautsch from North American Studies Program on Tuesday, 22 April 2025 from 6:00 c.t.-8:00 pm at 53111 Bonn, Rabinstraße 8 in Room 7. This panel takes a close look at the political and cultural framework of the upcoming Canadian federal election. Our guest Prof. Dr. Christoph Vatter will draw particular attention to Québec and its unique history and discuss how the federal Bloc Québécois Party is navigating its place amidst these unusual times. As an entry into our debate, Prof. Dr. Trautsch engages in a short 101 on Canada's electoral system. He then lays out how the race between Liberals and Conservatives has been radically altered by the resignation of Trudeau, Trump's vision of Canada as "51st US state," and Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement that the Canadian election will be held on 28 April 2025. Dr. Sheedy addresses cultural politics in Canada, including the changing identities of different political parties and social media branding of party leaders. Our guest Christoph Vatter is Professor of Intercultural Business Communication at the University Jena. Focusing his research on cultural theory and communication, he (co-) authored and co-edited publications on e. g. intercultural competence, film and memory cultures, and migration. He serves as co-editor for the Interculture Journal and as President of the Gesellschaft für Kanada- Studien e.V.

Join us for the first installment in our summer lecture series with Prof. Dr. Christoph Vatter. Explore Canada’s shifting politics, cultural identity, and its evolving ties to the US. Free and open to all! April 22, 6–8 pm, Rabinstraße 8, Room 7, Bonn.

Join us for our informal lunch session on 23 April 2025 at 12pm (c.t.) in room 02.025 at Rabinstraße 8, 53111 Bonn.

We will reflect and discuss recent developments in U.S. politics.

Please note: Participants are kindly asked to bring their own lunch. No food or drinks will be provided.

"Current Issues in North American and Cultural Studies" | Lecture Series | Summer Term 2025 Tuesday, 22 April 2025 | 6:00 c.t.-8:00 pm | Rabinstraße 8 | 53111 Bonn | Room 7 Prof. Dr. Christoph Vatter | Friedrich Schiller University Jena Dr. Matt Sheedy and Apl. Prof. Dr. Jasper Trautsch | North American Studies Program “We Will Never be the 51st State”: Canadian Elections Amidst Growing US Hostility Tuesday, 29 April 2025 | 6:00 c.t.-8:00 pm | Rabinstraße 8 | 53111 Bonn | Room 7 Prof. Jean Pfaelzer | University of Delaware California, a Slave State Tuesday, 13 May 2025 | 6:00 c.t.-8:00 pm | Rabinstraße 8 | 53111 Bonn | Room 7 Dr. Katharina Fackler | North American Studies Program Making Kin: Contesting Extractivism in Contemporary Indigenous Literature Tuesday, 27 May 2025 | 6:00 c.t.-8:00 pm | Rabinstraße 8 | 53111 Bonn | Room 7 | Dr. Sine Kontbay Busun | North American Studies Program From NAFTA to USMCA: Economic Integration in North America Tuesday, 3 June 2025 | 6:00 c.t.-8:00 pm | Rabinstraße 8 | 53111 Bonn | Room 7 | Dr. Sarah Pyke | University of Münster Getting it Past the Adults: Children’s Books and Queer Kinship in Mid-Twentieth Century America Tuesday, 1 July 2025 | 6:00 c.t.-8:00 pm | Rabinstraße 8 | 53111 Bonn | Room 7 | Prof. Robert Nichols | University of California, Santa Cruz Red Power Partisans: Native American Activism and the “New Indian Wars”

Welcome back to the University for the summer term 2025 and to this term's lecture series!

Just out: The Handbook of American Poetry, edited by Sabine Sielke and published by De Gruyter in January 2025! 📖

The editor's introduction is now available on our website! www.nas.uni-bonn.de/en/news-1-1/...

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our annual Martin Luther King Lecture on January 20, 2025. This year, we were honored to welcome Nadja Klopprogge for her talk on "Intimate Constellations as Sites of Multidirectional Memory: Relating African American and German History."

This is the poster for the student conference in the context of Prof. Sielke‘s seminar “Swimming Studies”: Waters, Winds, and Waves of Knowing that takes place on Thursday, 30 January 2025 and Friday, 31 January 2025 at Rabinstraße 8, 53111 Bonn in Room 2.025. All talks last 30 minutes each. The conference starts on Thursday at 4:15 pm. 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm Ruiyu Wang: "Floating to Freedom? The Mississippi River in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" 4:45 pm – 5:15 pm Hannes Hoppe: "Becoming a Being – Flowing and Stagnant Waters in Saul Bellow’s Henderson the Rain King" 5:15 pm – 5:45 pm Sabrina Debrard: "Fish Out of Water: The Transformation of Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate" 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm Jessica Jijon Vaca: "Drowning and Rising in Leslie Marmon Silko's Almanac of the Dead and Kim Thúy's Ru" 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm Shiqi Chen: "Images of Liquidity in Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water" 7:00 pm – 7:30 pm Jinglei Chen: "Reclaiming Nature and Acts of Liberation: Eco-Feminist Perspectives on Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water Friday | 31 January 2025 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm Ruben Hockemeyer: ""Whalecore": Remediations of Water in Mastodon's Progressive Metal Album Leviathan" 4:45 pm – 5:15 pm Jana Maria Volkmer: "‘I’ll build a boat for when the river gets high’: Shapes of Water in Noah Kahan's Music" 5:15 pm – 5:45 pm Lilian Zwanzig: "Redefining Heroism in Young Woman and the Sea" 5:45 pm – 6:15 pm Rachel Ejsmont: "Pride and Peril: Taking on the World’s Most Challenging Swims" The conference ends at 6:15 pm on Friday.

Join us at the "Swimming Studies: Waters, Winds, and Waves of Knowing" student conference on January 30 & 31!

Thank you for your advice, we will consider doing so for our upcoming posts.

Join us for this semester's last installment of our Lecture Series! We are welcoming @maditaoeming.bsky.social on "America’s War on Porn: Anti-Pornography on 28 January 2025 at 6 pm (c.t).

The event is free and open to the public! We are looking forward to seeing you.

Oh, that would have been wonderful! Dr. Lichterfeld delivered a very insightful and intriguing lecture and we were happy many attendees engaged in the discussion afterwards.

Thank you to everyone who joined last week's lecture with Dr. Imke Lichterfeld on "‘My consciousness flowing’: Outdoor
Swimming and the Immediacy of Water in Roger Deakin’s Waterlog and Victoria Whiteworth’s Swimming with Seals" and participated in an engaging discussion! 🌊🏊‍♀️

Join us tonight at 6 pm (c.t) for our MLK Lecture with Jun.-Prof. Dr. Klopprogge's lecture on "Intimate Constellations as Sites of Multidirectional Memory: Relating African American and German History".

The event is free and open to the public! We are looking forward to seeing you.

Join us tonight at 6 pm (c.t) for Dr. Imke Lichterfeld's lecture on "‘My consciousness flowing’: Outdoor Swimming and the Immediacy of Water in Roger Deakin’s Waterlog and Victoria Whiteworth’s Swimming with Seals"

The event is free and open to the public! We are looking forward to seeing you.