Auditory Knowledge in the Arts Conference

German Department Professor Mary Helen Dupree and the Georgetown German department hosted an interdisciplinary workshop on “Auditory Knowledge in the Arts” on September 24-26, 2015. The workshop explored how artistic practices from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century were informed by knowledge about the auditory dimension, and to what extent these artistic practices generated new knowledge or modified existing knowledge. It brought together scholars working in the fields of literary studies, cultural studies, musicology and ethnomusicology, sound studies, and the history of science.

The workshop represented a unique interdisciplinary collaboration with the Berlin-based international research network “Auditory Knowledge in Transition” (Hör-Wissen im Wandel), sponsored by the German Research Council. The conference opened on Thursday, September 24 with a keynote talk by Professor Thomas Levin (Princeton) on “Dramatic Recordings: Personal Gramophonic Inscription as Narrative Device in Fiction Film.” Panel speakers included Patrick Feaster (Indiana University), Joy Calico (Vanderbilt), and Benjamin J. Harbert (GU).