GRK 2291: Contemporary/Literature. History, theory, and praxeology

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The Research Training Group explores the constitutive dimensions of the concept of 'contemporary literature' with regard to the relationship between ‘the contemporary’ or ‘the present' and 'literature' in historical, theoretical and praxeological perspectives. Instead of presupposing concepts such as ‘the present' or 'contemporary literature', the Research Training Group inquires into the historically and culturally variable conditions of their conceptualization and their practical-procedural production. The premise for this is a historicizing, theoretically reflected and comparative perspective on 'the present/contemporaneity' as well as its methodological anchoring with a view to the practices, processes, actors and institutions involved in the production of 'contemporary literature'. After the first phase focused on the historicization of 'the present' and 'contemporary literature' as well as on practice-theoretical reflection, the second phase will - on the basis of the theoretical and methodological premises developed - focus on the complex modes of appearance and reflection of the relationship between 'the present' or ‘contemporaneity’ and 'literature': The aim is to investigate types, levels and practices of literary references to the present in a systematic and historical-comparative dimension as well as with regard to their respective technical and medial conditions. This research focus also sharpens the view on the implications for the history and theory of science. Since the first programmatic claims were raised at the end of the 18th century that literature should relate to the present, the question of how ‘the present’ emerges in literature not only concerns matters of literary criticism and political publicity, but also the (self-)observation and (self-)positioning of philology and literary studies. Against this background, the second phase of the Research Training Group focuses on questions relating to the history of science and the interplay of literary criticism, literary studies and the public sphere, and it promotes the methodological reflection and further development of historically, theoretically and praxeologically informed research of contemporary literature. The qualification and supervision program of the Research Training Group continues to involve doctoral and post-doctoral students in relevant debates in literary and cultural studies and promotes their research in an ambitious research environment; furthermore, it facilitates contacts and cooperation with professional practitioners in those fields in which "contemporary literature" is produced.