International Days 2023
At the 2023 International Days the University of Bonn again celebrated together with students, doctoral candidates, postdocs, researchers and the broader public its international partnerships and world-class research, including renowned early-career researchers.
From October 19-20, 2023, a host of international projects and initiatives launched by the University of Bonn were showcased at the event. Current challenges and future opportunities in international cooperation were discussed, particularly with partners from the Global South, and students and researchers had a chance to obtain comprehensive information. International partnerships were looked at from various angles together with prominent guests from abroad while researchers from all over the world enjoyed a superb framework for networking.
WE are international: Global projects and initiatives in Bonn
The fact that the University of Bonn has a broad international network in the UN City of Bonn is reflected in its large number of diverse projects submitted in research and teaching. With their innovative concepts, they make an indispensable contribution to the University of Bonn's excellence strategy. Some of the many excellent collaborations between the University of Bonn and partners abroad are presented here.
BCDSS International Cooperations: Prof. Dr. Paulo Cruz Terra
Bild © Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies / YouTube
United Nations University Joint Master
Bild © Universität Bonn / YouTube
Center for Development Research (ZEF): Supporting Pathways to Sustainable Land Management in Africa
Bild © IDOS / YouTube
Ambassadors Workshop
As former visiting researchers of the University, our 20 Bonn University Ambassadors are united not only by their personal relationship with Bonn, but also by a desire to represent our institution abroad in the best possible manner. Ambassadors from universities in Jordan, Ghana, India, Brazil, Australia, the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom again traveled to Bonn for a joint workshop as part of the International Days. The good ties between the attending representatives and the University of Bonn were further strengthened at this year's workshop through group activities and intensive dialogue and has enabled the content to be developed from a pilot project to a long-term program.
Besuch der Bonn University Ambassadors
Bild © Universität Bonn / YouTube
Awards for junior researchers
Held every year right after the opening of the 2023/24 academic year, the International Days kicked off with the presentation of the State Awards and the DAAD Prize to exceptional early-career researchers.
The videos of each speaker are linked in the text.
The keynote speech on the value of international academic exchange by Pauline Kao, US Consul General in Düsseldorf, marked the revival of the Ambassador’s Award of the United States of America at the University of Bonn. Last awarded in 2017, it recognizes research projects on US-related topics. The winners are Leonhard Flemisch for his master’s thesis titled “Drawing Testimony: Strategies of Documentary Representation in Joe Sacco’s Comic Paying the Land“, Monique Mauel for her master's thesis “Keep Calm and Keep Bleeding: Twenty-First Century Representations of Menstruation on Screen” and Meropi Papagheorghe for her master’s thesis “A Play of Selfies: Cindy Sherman and Reluctant Autobiography on Instagram“.
Coming soon: Video recordings of all presentations!
Lena Falk received the Queen’s Prize for her master’s thesis “Queering the Binary: Genderqueer Representation in Selected Contemporary Speculative Fiction“. Endowed by the late Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, on the occasion of her visit to the University of Bonn in 1965, the Queen’s Prize is awarded for outstanding achievement in the field of English studies.
Coming soon: Video recordings of all presentations!
The “Prix de la République française” went to Julia Gaa for her master’s thesis “Das Motiv der Fürbitte in der Trobairitzlyrik. Zur Konzeption innovativer und multiperspektivischer Rollen” (“The Motif of the Intercession in Trobairitz Poetry. On the Creation of Innovative and Multi-Perspective Roles”). This award has been presented to students of the University of Bonn who display exceptional knowledge and understanding of France and its society, language, literature, culture, politics, history, institutions and/or intellectual life.
Coming soon: Video recordings of all presentations!
The “Premio Rey de España” award, which has been presented since 1992 for exceptional research in the field of Ibero-Romance philology, had four winners this year: Lena Janiel, for her bachelor's thesis “Sprachberatung durch die Fundación del Español Urgente.
Empfehlungen zur Versprachlichung aktueller Sachverhalte und deren Berücksichtigung in ausgewählten hispanophonen Pressemedien“ (“Language Advising by the Fundación del Español Urgente. Recommendations for the Verbalization of Current Issues and the Use Thereof in Select Hispanophone Press Media"; Philipp Johannes Krüger for his master's thesis "Los siete pecaros mortales en 'La Celestina’” (“The Seven Deadly Sins in 'La Celestina’”); Kristina Lütjen for her bachelor's thesis "‘Cantamos sin miedo‘ – Zum ‚empowernden‘ Potenzial von feministischen (Protest-) Songs und Performances in Lateinamerika“Cantamos sin miedo' (“’‘Cantamos sin miedo‘ – On the Empowering Potential of Feminist (Protest) Songs and Performances in Latin America“ and Jonathan Mümken for his master's thesis "Las disculpas como acto comunicativo de cortesía: un análisis pragmático-sociolingüístico de las fórmulas de cortesía en España y Chile” (“Apologies as a Communicative Act of Courtesy: a Pragmatic-Sociolinguistic Analysis of Courtesy Expressions in Spain and Chile“).
Coming soon: Video recordings of all presentations!
The DAAD Prize of the German Academic Exchange Service is awarded to international students at the University of Bonn in recognition of exceptional academic achievement and noteworthy activism on social issues or in projects for the betterment of society or campus life. This year’s winner was Sepideh Tafazzoli, who received the €1,000 prize in recognition of her voluntary work in public relations as a member of the board of the Bonn University Shakespeare Company (BUSC e. V.) and for her play on human rights in Iran written as part of her engagement there.
Coming soon: Video recordings of all presentations!
“African-European Perspectives on Migration: Advancing the Field through Transdisciplinarity”
Speakers at this panel discussion dedicated to perspectives on migration from Africa and Europe included Professor Mary Setrana, Director of the Center for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, Professor Conrad Schetter of the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC), Ayesha Hussain of the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) and Dr. Raoul Cyril Humpert, Project Manager Cultural Education of the Goethe Institute. The discussion focused on the potential of inter- and transdisciplinary research collaborations as an avenue toward a more comprehensive understanding of migration dynamics, recognizing the need for differing regional and methodological perspectives to be integrated within future migration studies. The panelists shared their experiences in transnational cooperation and their ideas on how to leverage knowledge exchange and research cooperation to move migration studies forward. The panel discussion was organized by the Vice Rectorate for International Affairs together with Professor Mary Setrana (University of Ghana), Assistant Professor Dr. Maximilian Mayer (CASSIS), and Dr. Maria Ulrich (FIW).
Global Fair
Research and teaching collaborations with partner institutions in the so-called Global South are a core element of the University of Bonn's internationalization strategy. A number of University-internal funding lines have been allocated for the relevant regions as part of the Excellence initiative to support the establishment and further development of these collaborations on all academic career levels.
The Vice Rectorate for International Affairs invited all interested parties to attend an international fair on October 20 where various cooperation projects with partners in the Global South were introduced as well as grant opportunities for researchers and students. The fair particularly focused on the countries of Ghana, where the University of Bonn has a strategic partnership with the University of Ghana among other ties, and Brazil, where the University has successful partnerships with a number of universities.
Visitors of the Global Fair enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the University of Bonn’s existing collaborations in countries throughout the Global South and about the special opportunities and challenges that define north-south cooperation. Local and international guests from organizations like the Center for Development Research (ZEF), the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) and United Nations University (UNU-EHS) reported on exciting research projects with partners from Ghana, Brazil and other countries. Representatives of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) and the University's International Office were also provided information on funding sources for exchange and collaboration with partners in Africa and South America.
Also attending the Global Fair were delegations from the PUCRS University of Porto Allegre, Brazil and from the University of Ghana, who presented their institutions and their many cooperations with the University of Bonn. The event concluded with a keynote speech by Professor Paul Basu and William Nsuiban Gmayi on the cultural heritage of the Asante in Ghana and restitution of colonial knowledge.
Global Fair 2023
Bild © Universität Bonn / YouTube
Opening of the photo exhibition "The Geographer Dege's Camera"
Marking 140 years of Korean-German relations, the University of Bonn, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the German-Korean Society host in November and December 2023 an exhibition of photographic works by geographer and Bonn alumnus Professor Eckart Dege. The photos, recently displayed at the University of Seoul, were taken by Professor Dege over a period of more than 50 years during several research stays in South Korea. The opening of the exhibition was held on November 6 at the University Museum and it will continue to be on display in front of the University Museum and in the Blaue Grotte of the University Main Building until December 20, 2023.
Upcoming events
Opening of Leah's World Café
Date and time TBA
Venue: Rabinstraße 8, ground floor, 53111 Bonn
Event language: German
Organized by the Vice Rectorate for International Affairs in cooperation with Studierendenwerk Bonn e.V.
The Vice Rectorates for Diversity, International Affairs and Sustainability have plans to open “World Cafés” at various locations within the next few years. As part of its ongoing “Bonn Global Campus” lighthouse project, the Vice Rectorate for International Affairs is marking the start of this initiative by opening an international space for people to meet and enjoy art at the new home of the Faculty of Arts on Rabinstraße. The concept of Leah's World Café, developed in cooperation with the Studierendenwerk, is to create a space promoting international exchange and intercultural dialogue where University projects of an international nature will be on exhibit. Besides offering coffee and snacks, the venue will inform visitors of the story of poet and translator Leah Goldberg—a most remarkable University of Bonn alumna who is still recognized in Israel as one of the country’s most prominent literary figures.
Goldberg’s academic career began at the University of Bonn, where she studied and earned a doctorate from the Faculty of Arts in 1933. Soon thereafter, she emigrated to Palestine and became a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which today is a strategic partner of the University of Bonn. The new café concept is thus named in tribute to this outstanding scholar and writer. Stop by some time and find out more!
One of the walls of Leah's World Café will host works with a distinctly international flair, offering members of the University's international community a forum to exhibit project that communicate their own unique stories. And anyone can apply to showcase their project!
The team at the University of Bonn's Vice Rectorate for International Affairs cordially invites you to attend the official opening of this new space for diverse perspectives and conversation.
Cologne Bonn Academy in Exile Winter School
Every year, the Cologne/Bonn Academy in Exile (CBA) hosts a four-day Winter School as an opportunity for its Fellows to present their research projects and enter into intensive dialogue with their colleagues and other CBA members. Held in January 2023, the theme of the first-ever CBA Winter School was “The Future of Eastern Europe”.
Financially supported by the Universitätsgesellschaft Bonn, the second annual Winter School of the CBA will be held at the University of Bonn and University of Cologne fron January 22 to 25, 2024. This year's theme is “Research in Exile”–a perennially important issue.
The Winter School gives CBA Fellows a forum where they can contribute their valuable experiences and expertise within working groups and panel discussions, where they and their colleagues can reflect on ideas of what an Academy in Exile should ideally be and about how research in exile may develop going forward.
The second CBA Winter School will be primarily devoted to examining the social, political, cultural and academic dimensions of the current situation of academics in exile from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, and to experiences of exile in historical contexts beyond the scope of Eastern European conflicts. Questions to be investigated include: what are the living conditions individuals in academic exile encounter, and to what extent have these conditions changed in the “longue durée” of the exiled researcher? What attitudes do these individuals hold vis-a-vis other exiled communities and the greater society of their host countries? How does exile impact feelings of belonging and identity? In what ways does exile create limitations, options or opportunities for conducting research? How can one draw the line between research and political activism in exile?
The aim of the CBA Winter School 2024 will be to explore and answer these questions with a constructive and critical approach. An evaluation of existing research on the long history of scholarly inquiry and research in exile is to form the springboard for discussion of the Fellows’ own precarious exile experiences in European academia, in order to subsequently derive visions of what the ideal case could be for carrying out research research in exile.
Contact
Amanda Henson
Partners
