Summer School in Heidelberg

Dear Colleagues,
the Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" at Heidelberg University welcomes applications for its Summer School 2011 from graduate students in humanities and social sciences with an interest in transcultural studies. It will take place from July 24 to 29 in Heidelberg, Germany.

This year's Summer School "Cultures of Consumption in Asia and Europe" will explore the meaning and significance of consumption in the past and present as a crucial link between Europe and Asia. Although "consumer society" has become a prominent term for the description of the ways of life connected with a globalized modernity, the particular mode of experience and of interaction with things to which it points is neither exclusively modern nor exclusively occidental.

Referring to the recent innovative insights from cultural and economic history, social sciences and anthropology, together with the expertise of foremost scholars working on both European and Asian themes, the aim of the programme is to gain a truly transcultural grasp of respective cultures of consumption. The programme is designed to provide stimulating opportunity to get new inspiration for graduate work, exchange ideas on the topics of one's research and actively engage with an international group of peers as well as renowned scholars.

The confirmed speakers include Joanna Elfving-Hwang (Frankfurt), Sheldon Garon (Princeton), Manpreet Janeja (Cambridge), Robert Hellyer (Wake Forest), Angus Lockyer (SOAS London), Seoungsook Moon (Vassar College), Francoise Sabban (EHESS Paris), and from the University of Heidelberg Rudolf G. Wagner, Christiane Brosius, Harald Fuess, Katja Patzel-Mattern, David Mervart and Mio Wakita. In addition to the academic programme, a range of excursions and leisure activities in and around the city of Heidelberg is on offer, including a guided city tour, visit of the German Packaging Museum and a beer tasting event.

Prospective participants should send their application together with a letter of motivation by May 31, 2011 to the address summerschool@asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de.

For detailed schedule and session topics of Summer School 2011 see http://www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de/en/summerschool/

Kind regards Prof. Dr. Harald Fuess, Chair of Cultural Economic History Peter Baumgardt, Student Assistant

-- The Cluster of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" is an interdisciplinary network of researchers at Heidelberg University. About 200 scholars examine the processes of cultural exchange between Asia and Europe from a global perspective. www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de