Solidarity. Interactions in Literature November 15.-16. 2027, deadline for abstracts 5th February 2027

Solidarity is one of the central concepts in society’s self-reflexion. It is called for in political debates, invoked in times of crisis, and understood as a prerequisite for human coexistence. At the same time, solidarity is not a static or abstract concept, but rather arises from relationships: between individuals and communities, between majorities and minorities, between the past and the present, between religion and nation, between agreement and disagreement, and between different cultural and linguistic spheres. European-Jewish literatures offer a multifaceted field for examining solidarity in its historical, cultural, and aesthetic dimensions.

Literature does not only bring these relationships to light—it also fosters, explores, transforms, and questions them. Literature brings different voices together and examines the possibilities of coexistence as well as experiences of exclusion and failure.

Literary texts open up spaces for encounter and understanding, bring conflicts and ambivalences to light, and reflect on the conditions of community, belonging, and responsibility. As Sasha Marianna Salzmann and Ofer Waldman put it in Gleichzeit: Letters Between Israel and Europe (2024): “To write is to act. Literature helps shape the world; it is an essential part of the narrative of what it means to be human.” (137)

The programmatic editorial of the first issue of the journal “Ost und West” from 1901 calls to revitalize the “tools of Jewish solidarity” in a way that fosters community, thereby strengthening cultural self-understanding. Solidarity appears here as a cultural practice, a social project, and a literary task all at once. Moreover, it is not a given condition, but rather an ongoing mission.

Although solidarity has been the subject of intensive discussion in philosophy, sociology, and history, it has so far been explored relatively rarely as a category of analysis in literary studies. Nevertheless, solidarity—as a literary motif, aesthetic device, or cultural practice—is narrated, negotiated, demanded, rejected, and reimagined in texts. In this context, theoretical approaches to interactions—such as those of Hermann Cohen, Karl Mannheim, and Leo Löwenthal—open up productive perspectives on literature as a space of reciprocal relationships, cultural negotiation processes, and social interaction.

The conference focuses on the multifaceted dimensions of solidarity in European-Jewish literature from the 19th century to the present. The conference will explore how solidarity is created, portrayed, reflected upon, or even problematized in literature. Particular attention will be given to the interrelationships between texts, authors, characters, communities, and cultural contexts, as well as to the literary devices through which solidarity emerges, becomes visible, or fails.

Possible research questions include:

How is solidarity—as an idea, motif, or ethical category—depicted and explored in literature?

What notions of community, belonging, and cohesion do literary texts develop?

What interrelationships constitute belonging—and which ones exclude it?

How are the ambivalences, limits, and failures of solidarity depicted and reflected upon?

What significance does solidarity take on in times of social, political, or cultural crises?

What role do vulnerability, responsibility, and care play in literary conceptions of solidarity?

How are encounters, confrontations, and understanding staged in literature?

What forms of solidarity emerge in the context of emancipation, diaspora, exile, migration, or persecution?

To what extent can writing itself be understood as an act of solidarity or a cultural practice?

How do aesthetic, political, and religious actions relate to one another in literary conceptualizations of solidarity?

What role do journals, networks, translations, or other forms of literary collaboration play in the emergence and expression of solidarity?

What changes in the concept of solidarity can be observed?

What theoretical and methodological approaches open up new perspectives on solidarity as a category in literary studies?

The conference takes a broad view of the concept of solidarity. We welcome contributions on various linguistic areas, regions, and periods of European-Jewish literature, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives from literary studies, cultural studies, and related disciplines.

We are working to secure adequate funding (for accomodation and travel), but at the same time request that travel expenses be covered by the respective institutions. In exceptional cases (e.g., if the participant is not affiliated with any institution), we hope to provide funding (please include a note to this effect in your abstract).

Please submit an abstract, including a brief biographical note (500 words total), by February 5, 2027, to: olaf.terpitz@uni-graz.at.

Notification of acceptance will be sent in mid-March 2027.

The conference will take place on November 15–16, 2027, at the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Graz.