The Diefenbaker Lectures - Hannah Eldridge

The latest in German studies research from leading scholars.

Thursday, March 26, 2026: Hannah Eldridge

Hannah Eldridge is Professor of German at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she also edits the scholarly journal Monatshefte.

The (Germanophone) Poem and the (Connected) World

I bring discussions of lyric poetry and its affordances together with thinking about race and identity, specifically through postcolonial theory and poetics. Drawing on Édouard Glissant’s conception of “Relation” as multidirectional and dynamic interconnection, I trace paths from Rainer Maria Rilke in Paris to Algeria, Sudan, and the Caribbean. In doing so, I aim to re-think the canon and the margins of German poetry as porous and open to contestation. This means both expanding definitions of “Germanness” and setting Germanophone and other language texts into relation, tracking routes of mutual strangeness and influence.

Held in conjunction with the Diefenbaker Memorial Chair of German Literary Studies, an endowed research and public engagement professorship at the University of Waterloo.

The lecture is followed by a reception - by registering, you're helping us with reception planning.

Looking for parking?

There is free parking in three lots near the Balsillie School of International Affairs:

1) Erb Lot (formerly known as Museum Lot) - located directly across from Balsillie on the corner of Father David Bauer and Erb st W.

2) Waterloo Town Square - there is parking available on the north and south sides of the Waterloo Town Square. Please visit the Uptown Waterloo Parking website for more details: https://www.waterloo.ca/parking/find-parking-in-waterloo/

3) At the rear of the Balsillie/CIGI building, directly off Father David Bauer Drive. Please park on the left side of the parking lot closest to Father David Bauer Drive. The entrance to the Balsillie is located off Erb Street West.