Department of German and Slavic Studies

Established in 1976 and permanently institutionalised in the form of the Centre for Canadian Studies in 1996, Canadian Studies have a long-standing tradition at Trier University. Celebrating fifty years of Canadian Studies, this conference aims to both provide an overview of Canadian Studies today and to discuss current Canadian perspectives on the world. What is Canada’s position in an increasingly polarised world? Where does it find its place between the US and Europe? How can we understand Canada through its history, literature, language and arts? What can be learned from its multicultural society and Canada’s many immigrant communities? What can we learn from its Indigenous peoples’ histories and presents, and how do they contend with and challenge both anglophone and francophone white settler cultures? How do Canadians look at their own country, but also at the world beyond? Which issues seem particularly relevant to them? Which topics do Canadian scholars find striking when looking at Germany in particular? These are just some of the questions the conference wants to raise. By combining perspectives on Canada with perspectives from Canada, the conference aims to open up a transatlantic discussion of where we stand today, in Canada, Germany, and elsewhere.

We invite contributions on and from Canada from all disciplines to consider its manifold lessons, challenges, perspectives, achievements and potentialities across time. Topics to be discussed at the conference may include, but are not limited to, political, social, historical, and environmental issues, or related to indigenous studies and questions of literary and artistic representation.

We are in particular looking forward to contributions from the University of Manitoba, one of the longest-standing international partners of Trier University. “Canada, eh?” will be our 21st partnership conference since our institutions became officially linked in 1985, and our discussions will form integral part of the celebrations. Trier University aims to cover hotel costs and food for our Winnipeg guests for the duration of the conference. 

We invite 200-400 word abstracts for 20-minute papers and a short biographical note to zks@uni-trier.de by November 1, 2025. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Convenors:
Prof. Dr. Ralf Hertel, Director of the Centre for Canadian Studies 
JProf. Dr. Nele Sawallisch, Chairperson of the Freundeskreis Zentrum für Kanada-Studien

Contact:
The Centre for Canadian Studies / Zentrum für Kanada-Studien
University of Trier, 54286 Trier, Germany
zks@uni-trier.de 
Tel: +49 651 201-2212
Website
 

Before submitting your application to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for the German Studies MA program or the Slavic Studies MA program, you will need to first contact the department via the Graduate Chair (German_Slavic@umanitoba.ca) to discuss an appropriate academic advisor for you.

You can also contact a German and Slavic Studies faculty member directly if you are specifically interested in their research.

In an email, please let us know the following:

• your area(s) of study and research interest,
• a bit about yourself, and how to best contact you,
• a brief summary of your relevant education, community and/or work experiences,
• a description of your proposed research topic.

Past German Studies and Slavic Studies theses can be found on MSpace.

View past German Studies and Slavic Studies theses on MSpace