Minutes of the Section Committee Meeting – Literary and Theatrical Studies#
Goldsmith’s London February 2 2015 at 12:00#
MINUTES#
Present: Svend Erik Larsen, Lucia Boldrini, Susana Onega, César Dominguez, Marko Juvan, Vladimir Biti
Excused: Ottmar Ette
1. Tour de table
The Chair welcomed the Committee and thanked Lucia for hospitality. Members introduced themselves.
2. New AE structure in Classes with Sections, the HERCULES group, and the Knowledge Hubs:
Short info by chair and see AE website. Enclosed: letter from President.
Re Class: The Chair explained the rationale behind the organizational change: improve nomination process, open for interdisciplinary nominations, enhance membership relationship and cross-sectional activities. As interim class chair, Svend Erik sees his job to make the structure work, gather experience and present important elements to be considered by the first ordinary class chair. Such elements will be the main item on the agenda in the Committee meeting in Spring 2016. A provisional list of topics was made during the meeting: 1) relation class/sections (abandon sections? Increase their number? Harmonize the size of sections?), 2) include social media on the AE website, 3) regular column from class chairs on the website, 4) size of AE/limits to numbers of members, 5) change the annual conference to a bi- or triannual event, and have larger class events in between?
Re Hercules: The Chair described the goal and history of the AE Hercules group, discussing topical problems in European higher education. The group is sponsored by Accademia dei Lincei, Wennergreen Foundation and Volkswagenstiftung. Results are published. More visibility would be needed. Next conference “From Books to Moocs” takes places in Stockholm, April 2015. See AE website.
Re Knowledge Hubs: The AE now has four hubs with different local support and thematic frame: Wroclaw, Barcelona, Bergen and Cardiff. All hubs launch events themselves and cater AE- activities in the wider region to which they belong, but the hubs are open for all members. News are posted on the AE website where all members can subscribe to a newsletter.
3. Nominations and procedures:
All members, committee members in particular, are urged to submit proposals to the online facility via the webpage with an eye to age, gender, discipline and geographical distribution with due respect to the required level of quality. Deadline (absolute!) is April 30. All nominations will be circulated to this committee for ranking and rejection. On a meeting of sections chairs in Paris July 25 a list of accepted nominations within the class will be submitted to Board for a final decision to be made in Darmstadt.
The chair urged the Committee members to make proposals. A reminder will be circulated to all section members. If members contact candidates before nomination in order to get cv or other information, it is important to inform the candidate that nomination is not a guarantee for membership.
4. Young Academy:
All members are invited to propose or ask young talents to apply for membership. See the link at the bottom of the AE website. Short introduction by chair.
The Chair described the goal, background and composition of the Young Academy of Europe (YAE) and referred to the website via the AE website. Procedure and criteria for nominations can be found on the website. AE members are invited to propose members.
5. Film, Media and Visual Studies:
The chair has set up a working group, led by Prof. Kirsten Drotner, to establish a new section of Film, Media and Visual Studies together with Gabriela Giannachi and Patrizia Lombardo. The group will propose nominations and the section will be formally confirmed in Darmstadt. Enclosed: proposal from the chair to Board.
Kirsten Drotner is working with the group and prof. Bruce Brown, Brighton, to establish the section and the first slot of candidates.
6. New endorsement:
On behalf of a research group under the research committee Comparative History of Literatures in the European Languages within the International Association for Comparative Literature. Prof. Dirk Goettsche applies for endorsement. Enclosed: Application.
The Committee enthusiastically recommended the application. The endorsement will be made and sent by David Coates.
7. Activities:
- Humanities special issue (http://www.mdpi.com/journal/humanities/special_issues/research_value#published
- Endorsed projects: Cultural Literacy; Memory Frictions; Symmetries; Text Action Space (see AE website). Memory Frictions applies for New Initiatives Fund.
8. New activities:
Prof. Cinzia Ferrini, Philosophy section, has proposed a transversal project in the new Classes of Arts & Letters and Social Sciences on Otherness. Four (with groups behind them) have declared their interest (Susana Onega, Mads Rosendahl Thomsen, Lieven d’Hulst, Svend Erik Larsen). The Chair will send a short description to Cinzia. Enclosure: Cinzia’s proposal; my answer will be distributed at the meeting.
The Committee discussed the project on Otherness and commended the intiative from Cinzia Ferrini, although a certain skepticism was aired with regard to the overall theme and the set-up of the project. The Committee agreed that the role of AE was more to facilitate members' projects than to generate new genuine projects. The Committee welcomed that individual members support the project without the section as such endorsing it. The Chair will draft a letter to Cinzia Ferrini and ciculate for comments before sending it.
For Darmstadt I have supported the proposal sent by Mads Rosendahl Thomsen. All members are free to suggest individual proposals to the organizers. I’m a member of the programme committee. Enclosure: Proposal fra Thomsen.
Susana also wants to submit a proposal for a round table on monsters.
Other activities??
9. Other business
Future composition of Section Committee and Class Chair. Short intro by the chair.
The Chair announced that a the term of some members will expire in 2016. The same goes for his own position as Section Chair and interim Class Chair. During the next year the Committee will discuss new candidates for the posts available.
The Chair thanked the members for coming and thanked again Lucia for her hospitality. The meeting ended at 4:00 pm.
Svend Erik Larsen
Chair
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