GRK 1956: Transfer of Culture and "Cultural Identity". German-Russian Contacts in the European Context

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The IGK is founded on a wealth of experience deriving from the successful cooperation between the Faculty of Humanities at the ALU Freiburg and the RGGU Arts and Humanities Department in Moscow. It also builds on longstanding bilateral structures, which were strengthened over the past few years thanks to the fruitful cooperation between Freiburg and Moscow.In the second funding period, the IGK “Cultural Transfer and ‘Cultural Identity’ - German-Russian Contacts in the European Context” increasingly aims to transform the long tradition of national, bilateral and international research on German-Russian/Russian-German culture contact into an innovative concept of interdisciplinary and international cultural transfer research.Our goal is to develop a new central methodological debate, which integrates existing international theoretical approaches and at the same time widens the scope of research on German-Russian cultural contact, especially with regard to its repercussions on the construction of ‘cultural’ and ‘national’ identity.Our research concept foresees the development of a scientific-theoretical groundwork for the internationalization of the graduate school, which not only justifies international cooperation, but also shows that the latter is essential. The IGK places an emphasis on the importance of joint scientific metareflection on the interaction of the culture specific research traditions represented within the graduate school.In the second funding period, we aim to refine the theoretical framework for the analysis of processes of transformation and adaptation: Qualitative network analysis approaches should enhance our understanding of the interaction between mediating figures and institutions. We also put a stronger emphasis on the role of foreign cultural policy, as well as on the importance of institutions, publishing companies and processes of multilateral cultural transfers. By focusing on particular cultural areas, we seek to underline the productive value of microhistorical research.Not least because of recent political developments, the IGK 1956 acknowledges the importance of the “Third Mission” of universities and seeks to take on an active role in cultural transfer processes. Through the organisation of public programmes and activities, the IGK aims to introduce positive examples of German-Russian relations into the general public debate in order to counterbalance confrontational political discourse.