- Dr. Ada Bieber
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Institut für deutsche Literatur/ Department for German Literature
Unter den Linden 6
10099 Berlin
ada.bieber@hu-berlin.de
+49 151 61056539
Ada Bieber
Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, German Literature, Faculty Member
- Ada Bieber is Senior Lecturer at Humboldt-University in Berlin, Germany, where she focuses on German and internationa... moreAda Bieber is Senior Lecturer at Humboldt-University in Berlin, Germany, where she focuses on German and international children’s literature and film of the 20th and 21st century, e.g. on children’s literature about the Holocaust, East German literature and film for youth, contemporary picturebooks as well as landscapes in children’s literature. She is the author of two monographs, and co-editor of three edited volumes. Her recents articles appeared in Children’s Literature, The Lion and the Unicorn, International Research in Children’s Literature, Colloquia Germanica and Limbus: Australian Yearbook of German Literary and Cultural Studies. Her scholarship has been recognized with the Children’s Literature Association International Honour Award twice as well as the IRSCL Research Grant.edit
Research Interests:
The article examines cinematic portrayals of child flâneurs in behind the Iron Curtain in East German cinema for youth (DEFA). While some films captured the utopia of a socialistic metropolis, later films of the 1970s and 1980s reveal... more
The article examines cinematic portrayals of child flâneurs in behind the Iron Curtain in East German cinema for youth (DEFA). While some films captured the utopia of a socialistic metropolis, later films of the 1970s and 1980s reveal youth without prospects, living under restriction, and mirroring tensions between the ideal of socialism and the reality of a failing system, such as in Heiner Carow’s Ikarus (1975) and Helmut Dzuiba’s Sabine Kleist, 7 Jahre (1982).
Research Interests:
Abstract: In the early 1970s, Angela Davis was an iconic figure in the GDR, nowhere more so than among youth. The press supported solidarity campaigns for Davis, mainly organized by the FDJ (Free German Youth). Against the backdrop of... more
Abstract: In the early 1970s, Angela Davis was an iconic figure in the GDR, nowhere more so than among youth. The press supported solidarity campaigns for Davis, mainly organized by the FDJ (Free German Youth). Against the backdrop of Davis’s imprisonment in 1970 and her trial in 1971–72, journalistic and fictional writing as well as radio plays appeared for a young audience. The article compares the ways in which Davis appears as a political figure in literature for youth, and argues that literary portraits were dominantly shaped through the ideological discourse of antifascism and the interest to inveigh against the politics of the USA. By examining texts that were originally addressed towards young audiences or reissued for them, the article gives an account of different generic texts such as Maximilian Scheer’s radio play Der Weg nach San Rafael: Für Angela Davis (1971), the youth novel Schwarze Rose aus Alabama (1972) by Werner Lehmann, and the travelogue Unterwegs zu Angela (1973) by the German-Australian writer Walter Kaufmann. Also included are narrations in magazines such as Bummi (1973) and Neues Leben (1971; 1973). The article shows that all examples served ideological images that were communicated to youth, while distract- ing from Davis’s radical call for freedom of all people.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Oldenbourg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations at Pomona College (CA), USA (09/27/2016)
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
While East German writers criticized the political system of the USA, they sympathized with the US Civil Rights Movement, and particularly with iconic figures such as Angela Davis. Many GDR young adult books participated in the phase of... more
While East German writers criticized the political system of the USA,
they sympathized with the US Civil Rights Movement, and
particularly with iconic figures such as Angela Davis. Many GDR
young adult books participated in the phase of proletarian
internationalism and helped to establish a positive representation of
the GDR by locating East German politics in a broader international
context. In this paper, I explore how writers of young adult fiction
simultaneously criticized a US society divided by class, a divided
Germany, and the political system of the GDR itself. Drawing on the
theoretical frameworks of comparative studies and imagology, I
compare the literary strategies authors such as Sigmar Schollak,
Walter Kaufmann, and Werner Lehmann used to make sophisticated
comparisons of various political systems. I argue that focusing on
representations of civil rights in GDR young adult fiction reveals a
complex picture of political education in East Germany.
they sympathized with the US Civil Rights Movement, and
particularly with iconic figures such as Angela Davis. Many GDR
young adult books participated in the phase of proletarian
internationalism and helped to establish a positive representation of
the GDR by locating East German politics in a broader international
context. In this paper, I explore how writers of young adult fiction
simultaneously criticized a US society divided by class, a divided
Germany, and the political system of the GDR itself. Drawing on the
theoretical frameworks of comparative studies and imagology, I
compare the literary strategies authors such as Sigmar Schollak,
Walter Kaufmann, and Werner Lehmann used to make sophisticated
comparisons of various political systems. I argue that focusing on
representations of civil rights in GDR young adult fiction reveals a
complex picture of political education in East Germany.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
2015 Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, in cooperation with the Teachers College, Columbia University, and Brooklyn College
Research Interests:
Networking is important, as all of us know. But how can undergraduate and graduate students, including PhD candidates, get involved in the international scientific community or build up their own research networks? Building an... more
Networking is important, as all of us know. But how can undergraduate and graduate students, including PhD candidates, get involved in the international scientific community or build up their own research networks?
Building an International Student Research Lab in Youth Media and Culture offers students from Teachers College, Columbia University and Humboldt-University of Berlin the opportunity to work both independently and collaboratively on their own research topics. The goal is to develop individual research interests and build a scientific network in the field of children’s and youth literature and media. "Cities and Diversity" is the focus, offering a wide range of topics from within.
The workshop on June 16th will address the influence of literary and media images of cities and urbanity, as well as diversity in urban environments based on our experiences of real diverse cities. Joining us will be Rainer Burkard (Humboldt-University) who will speak on "What Is Fictionality: Two or Three Things I Know about It“ and Stranger than Fiction: Ruttmann’s “Sinfonie einer Großstadt” (1927); and Martin Kroetz (Humboldt-University), who will present Can We Read the City as a Text? Reflections on Michel Butor: "Die Stadt als Text" (2000). Students are invited to talk about their research topics and also meet the illustrator and writer Paul Hoppe (Brooklyn).
The workshop on June 18th will offer continuing space for students to speak, and there will be additional presentations by Jule Ratajczak (Humboldt-University) on: Children with Special Needs in the City; a film review of Judith Lieff´s documentary "Deaf Jam“ and a discussion of the Graphic Novel: Chen Jiang Hong: "Mao and Me" (2008); furthermore Bruce Burnside will present his PhD-research on Turkish-German youth negotiating identity in an after school center in Berlin, and Martin Kroetz (Humboldt-University) will show his writing experiment "The Desk (Der Schreibtisch): Aesthetics of Writing in the Cityscape".
Facilitating these workshops in youth media and culture are Petra Anders, Assistant Professor for German Literature at Humboldt-University, Berlin, and Ada Bieber, Assistant Professor for Children's and Youth Literature and Media at Humboldt-University, Berlin, in coordination with Richard Jochum, Associate Professor of Art and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and John Broughton, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and co-founder of the Film and Education Research Academy (FERA).
Presenters:
Bruce Burnside is a PhD Student in the Anthropology and Education Program at Teachers College and his work focuses on Turkish-German youth negotiating identity in an after school center in Berlin.
Rainer Burkard studied in Berlin, England and the US and earned his Bachelor of Arts in German Literature and History (2008), his Master’s in German Literature (2012) and recently a second B.A. in Philosophy and Art History. Currently he is applying for a Master’s of Education at Humboldt-University, Berlin. His research interest lies in the theory of fiction which he plans to test in the context of the classroom: developing a competence model of fictionality.
Martin Kroetz studies Primary School Pedagogy and German Philology at Humboldt-University. In his Bachelor Thesis (2013) he analyzed the literary qualities of narrative writings by children. For his Master of Education he currently does reseach on the interplay of textualization and aesthetic experience.
Julia Ratajczak studies at Humboldt-University Berlin and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Special Needs Education for deaf and hearing impaired people/German Sign Language and German. Next year she is applying for a Master of Education at Humboldt-University Berlin. Her research interests focuses on picture books/graphic novels and films for deaf/hearing impaired children and young adults.
These workshops are co-sponsored by the Film and Education Research Academy (FERA) and Gottesman Libraries.
Please rsvp with your details and interest via online support by Thursday, June 12th.
For additional information please contact Dr. Petra Anders, petra.anders@hu-berlin.de and/or Dr. Ada Bieber, ada.bieber@hu-berlin.de
Building an International Student Research Lab in Youth Media and Culture offers students from Teachers College, Columbia University and Humboldt-University of Berlin the opportunity to work both independently and collaboratively on their own research topics. The goal is to develop individual research interests and build a scientific network in the field of children’s and youth literature and media. "Cities and Diversity" is the focus, offering a wide range of topics from within.
The workshop on June 16th will address the influence of literary and media images of cities and urbanity, as well as diversity in urban environments based on our experiences of real diverse cities. Joining us will be Rainer Burkard (Humboldt-University) who will speak on "What Is Fictionality: Two or Three Things I Know about It“ and Stranger than Fiction: Ruttmann’s “Sinfonie einer Großstadt” (1927); and Martin Kroetz (Humboldt-University), who will present Can We Read the City as a Text? Reflections on Michel Butor: "Die Stadt als Text" (2000). Students are invited to talk about their research topics and also meet the illustrator and writer Paul Hoppe (Brooklyn).
The workshop on June 18th will offer continuing space for students to speak, and there will be additional presentations by Jule Ratajczak (Humboldt-University) on: Children with Special Needs in the City; a film review of Judith Lieff´s documentary "Deaf Jam“ and a discussion of the Graphic Novel: Chen Jiang Hong: "Mao and Me" (2008); furthermore Bruce Burnside will present his PhD-research on Turkish-German youth negotiating identity in an after school center in Berlin, and Martin Kroetz (Humboldt-University) will show his writing experiment "The Desk (Der Schreibtisch): Aesthetics of Writing in the Cityscape".
Facilitating these workshops in youth media and culture are Petra Anders, Assistant Professor for German Literature at Humboldt-University, Berlin, and Ada Bieber, Assistant Professor for Children's and Youth Literature and Media at Humboldt-University, Berlin, in coordination with Richard Jochum, Associate Professor of Art and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and John Broughton, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and co-founder of the Film and Education Research Academy (FERA).
Presenters:
Bruce Burnside is a PhD Student in the Anthropology and Education Program at Teachers College and his work focuses on Turkish-German youth negotiating identity in an after school center in Berlin.
Rainer Burkard studied in Berlin, England and the US and earned his Bachelor of Arts in German Literature and History (2008), his Master’s in German Literature (2012) and recently a second B.A. in Philosophy and Art History. Currently he is applying for a Master’s of Education at Humboldt-University, Berlin. His research interest lies in the theory of fiction which he plans to test in the context of the classroom: developing a competence model of fictionality.
Martin Kroetz studies Primary School Pedagogy and German Philology at Humboldt-University. In his Bachelor Thesis (2013) he analyzed the literary qualities of narrative writings by children. For his Master of Education he currently does reseach on the interplay of textualization and aesthetic experience.
Julia Ratajczak studies at Humboldt-University Berlin and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Special Needs Education for deaf and hearing impaired people/German Sign Language and German. Next year she is applying for a Master of Education at Humboldt-University Berlin. Her research interests focuses on picture books/graphic novels and films for deaf/hearing impaired children and young adults.
These workshops are co-sponsored by the Film and Education Research Academy (FERA) and Gottesman Libraries.
Please rsvp with your details and interest via online support by Thursday, June 12th.
For additional information please contact Dr. Petra Anders, petra.anders@hu-berlin.de and/or Dr. Ada Bieber, ada.bieber@hu-berlin.de
Research Interests:
Famous & feminist: British youth books writer Sally Nicolls talks at the opening event of ilb youth section about the importance of youth literature and her new book "Things A Girl Can Do". Youth literature academic Ada Bieber from... more
Famous & feminist: British youth books writer Sally Nicolls talks at the opening event of ilb youth section about the importance of youth literature and her new book "Things A Girl Can Do". Youth literature academic Ada Bieber from Humboldt University moderates the powerful event on the Suffraget Movement (women's fight for the right to vote in the early 20th century).
Research Interests:
The events are part of the ilb special »Spotlight Canada« and take place as part of Canada’s Guest of Honor appearance at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2020/2021.
Interviewer: Ada Bieber
Interviewer: Ada Bieber
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Who’s Afraid of Angela Davis?: An American Icon and the Political Uses of Youth Literature in the GDR Ada Bieber
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This article draws on adaptation and genre theory to argue that the downriver narrative constitutes a distinct genre in literature for youth. This genre is characterised by a repertoire of narrative elements including alternations between... more
This article draws on adaptation and genre theory to argue that the downriver narrative constitutes a distinct genre in literature for youth. This genre is characterised by a repertoire of narrative elements including alternations between the river as a space of reflection and refuge, social interactions that occur on land, and the social and political commentary voiced by the river travellers. These patterns appear in diverse cultural and historical contexts, as exemplified by Auguste Lazar's Jan auf der Zille [Jan on the barge] (1934/1950), Richard Scrimger's Into the Ravine (2007), and David Almond's Heaven Eyes (2000). Published in Germany, Canada, and the UK, these novels deploy episodic accounts of journeying downstream to perform a range of cultural work, including articulating discourses about citizenship and nationhood, raising critical awareness about questions of difference, and promulgating Romantic models of childhood.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Art History, Art, German, Utopia, Literary studies, and 6 moreNazism, GDR Literature, Wax, DEFA Film, Child Flâneur, and movie theater
In den vergangenen Jahren haben sich die Biowissenschaften, und hier vor allem die Neurowissenschaften, gleichsam als neue Leitdisziplin etablieren können. Das ist auch im literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlichen Betrieb nicht ohne Folgen... more
In den vergangenen Jahren haben sich die Biowissenschaften, und hier vor allem die Neurowissenschaften, gleichsam als neue Leitdisziplin etablieren können. Das ist auch im literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlichen Betrieb nicht ohne Folgen geblieben. Emotions- und Affektforschung bestimmen zunehmend die Untersuchungsgegenstände und ergänzen und erweitern so z.B. die Gedächtnisdebatte der letzten Jahrzehnte, aber auch die neuere Raumforschung und die Dingtheorie. Erkenntnis wird hier als Kognition plus Affekt gelesen, und neben Scham, Wut, Liebe und Trauer ist es die Angst, die ins Zentrum der Aufmerksamkeit rückt. Angst (oder auch Furcht) ist schon in der Antike als Gefühl mit auffälligen physiologischen Begleiterscheinung verstanden worden, ist also immer schon auf der Grenze von Körperempfinden und Psychologie angesiedelt. Sie lässt sich auf jeden Gegenstand applizieren; erscheint mal als Weltangst, Gottesfurcht, Lebensangst, als Phobie, als sich ängstigende Freiheit zum Tode bei Heidegger oder als konstante Ängstlichkeit angesichts einer bedrohlichen Moderne bei Zygmunt Bauman. Freud hatte sich schon früh mit dem Affekt Angst beschäftigt und vorgeschlagen, dass sie als Signal zu verstehen sei, als eine nachträgliche Reaktion oder abgeschwächte Wiederholung eines traumatischen Schocks, die jetzt im Nachhinein das Subjekt vor Reizüberflutung schützen soll. Durchgespielt hat Freud das Thema (Kastrations-)Angst als Gefühl des Unheimlichen am Beispiel von E.T.A. Hoffmanns Sandmann und hat so in der Verhandlung der Angst die Literatur als wegweisend ins Spiel gebracht. Dieser (literarische, filmische und/oder theoretische) Schauplatz, an dem die Angst verortet und inszeniert wird, ist Fokus des Limbus-Bandes 10 (2017).
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In den vergangenen Jahren haben sich die Biowissenschaften, und hier vor allem die Neurowissenschaften, gleichsam als neue Leitdisziplin etablieren können. Das ist auch im literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlichen Betrieb nicht ohne Folgen... more
In den vergangenen Jahren haben sich die Biowissenschaften, und hier vor allem die Neurowissenschaften, gleichsam als neue Leitdisziplin etablieren können. Das ist auch im literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlichen Betrieb nicht ohne Folgen geblieben. Emotions- und Affektforschung bestimmen zunehmend die Untersuchungsgegenstände und ergänzen und erweitern so z.B. die Gedächtnisdebatte der letzten Jahrzehnte, aber auch die neuere Raumforschung und die Dingtheorie. Erkenntnis wird hier als Kognition plus Affekt gelesen, und neben Scham, Wut, Liebe und Trauer ist es die Angst, die ins Zentrum der Aufmerksamkeit rückt. Angst (oder auch Furcht) ist schon in der Antike als Gefühl mit auffälligen physiologischen Begleiterscheinung verstanden worden, ist also immer schon auf der Grenze von Körperempfinden und Psychologie angesiedelt. Sie lässt sich auf jeden Gegenstand applizieren; erscheint mal als Weltangst, Gottesfurcht, Lebensangst, als Phobie, als sich ängstigende Freiheit zum Tode bei He...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Introduction: New Perspectives on Young Adult GDR Literature and Film Ada Bieber and Sonja E. Klocke
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Who’s Afraid of Angela Davis?: An American Icon and the Political Uses of Youth Literature in the GDR Ada Bieber
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT this publication is in progress
Research Interests:
Page 156. 155 Ada Bieber, Christina Korge-Korff, Kristiane Meves Die Wahrnehmung des Fremden und deren Wandel. Crusoe (1987) von Caleb Deschanel I. Einleitung Für das ausgehende 20. und das beginnende 21. Jahrhundert ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Art, German, Literary studies, GDR Literature, Wax, and 3 moreDEFA Film, Child Flâneur, and movie theater
This article draws on adaptation and genre theory to argue that the downriver narrative constitutes a distinct genre in literature for youth. This genre is characterised by a repertoire of narrative elements including alternations between... more
This article draws on adaptation and genre theory to argue that the downriver narrative constitutes a distinct genre in literature for youth. This genre is characterised by a repertoire of narrative elements including alternations between the river as a space of reflection and refuge, social interactions that occur on land, and the social and political commentary voiced by the river travellers. These patterns appear in diverse cultural and historical contexts, as exemplified by Auguste Lazar's Jan auf der Zille [Jan on the barge] (1934/1950), Richard Scrimger's Into the Ravine (2007), and David Almond's Heaven Eyes (2000). Published in Germany, Canada, and the UK, these novels deploy episodic accounts of journeying downstream to perform a range of cultural work, including articulating discourses about citizenship and nationhood, raising critical awareness about questions of difference, and promulgating Romantic models of childhood.