"Monsters and Identity," Women in German Conference (24-26th October, 2024, online)

Monsters, Monstrous Bodies, and Identity Formation 

From vampires to Frankenstein’s monster to queer-coded Disney villains, “monsters” have long been associated with social and physical deviance, the grotesque, and as embodiments of deeply-rooted human fears. Philologically, the word “monster” has its roots in monstrare (to show, to display) and monere (to warn). In Monster Theory (1996), Jeffrey Cohen theorized that monsters emerge in moments of crisis, desire, or intercultural conflict. The presence of female monsters—already “othered” as woman and doubly “othered” as monster—in 19th century literature call into question the Enlightenment’s universal claim to human reason and agency. A vengeful, irrational, seductive female monster can be read as a warning against women’s emancipation in its every facet, from citizen rights (self-determination, education, employment) and freedom from discriminatory sex-guardianship to economic and even political emancipation.

This panel seeks to interrogate the role of “monsters” in German-language literary and cultural products from all time periods. Do the fearsome, female-coded figures lurking among the more well-known (male-authored) texts play similar roles in works by female and genderqueer artists and authors? How does the mechanism of villainy function as a marker of monstrous identity? How do queer-coded and/or racialized monsters reinforce or challenge traditional readings of monsters as female/feminine? While many of these texts suggest that there is something universally frightening about the female monster, which corresponds to culturally-codified anxiety regarding gender roles and sexuality, others depict more nuanced, positive, and empowered “monsters.”

• Othered bodies and the grotesque
• Queer/queered/queering bodies; trans monsters/monstrosity
• Racialized bodies 
• Monsters as embodiments of ethno-nationalist fears
• Familiar monster figures re-imagined; intertextual monsters
• Intersections of monsters and sexuality, gender, and race
• Pedagogical approaches (how to engage with literary monsters in the German language or culture classroom)

We welcome proposals for non-traditional presentation styles, creative approaches, and works in progress. The organizers will meet with accepted panelists to discuss possible formats for this virtual panel, including opportunities for pre-circulated writing, shorter papers, and audience interaction in break-out rooms.

Please submit abstracts of 250–300 words to Nat Modlin (ncmodlin@uchicago.edu), Rebecca Steele (rsteele4@uwyo.edu), and Melissa Sheedy (melissa.sheedy@wisc.edu) by February 1st, 2024.

Contact Information

Melissa Sheedy, UW-Madison
Rebecca Steele, University of Wyoming
Nat Modlin, University of Chicago

Contact Email

melissa.sheedy@wisc.edu