Symposium: "DURCH (W)ORTE: Reisen und Schreiben im niederländisch- und deutschsprachigen Raum zwischen 1800 und 1950"

Basic data for this project

Description

The concept of travel is often associated with far-away places, the exotic and a confrontation with an ‘other'. However, travel has also taken (and still takes) place on a smaller scale, for example, in a neighbouring country that does not appear to be so ‘different' at first. Despite their national borders, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Austria constituted an area that was closely interwoven economically, politically and socially throughout the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Their network of connections is manifested in the specific travel movements that crosscut these German- and Dutch-speaking countries. The aim of this colloquium is to take a dual approach to these travel routes: On the one hand, travelling is conceptualised as a cultural practice within its historical context, and on the other hand it is considered through the textual practice of travel writing.