Reading to Live: From Symbolic Act to the Activity of Form

Dr. Jensen Suther
Elevhjem Building L166
@ 5:30 pm CST

Drawing on the account of a “bio-aesthetics,” I develop in my recent book, True Materialism, I will show that Jameson's provocative idea of the symbolic act fails to live up to its own promise: instead of grasping artistic and literary works as coded representations of class struggle, Marxist criticism must understand narrative not primarily as representation but as an essential dimension of the self-reproduction of animals like us.

Virtual Lecture: “German Americans and the Founding of the United States”

Emily Sneff
@ 6:00 pm CST
https://uwmadison.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1UOtwOHvSIOb93RMGB1i5g

This lecture will examine the roles of military leaders, early officeholders, and supporters on the home front, including members of the Muhlenberg family (Peter, Frederick, and Catherine); Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben; Michael Hillegas; Mary Ludwig Hays—better remembered as Molly Pitcher—and other men and women whose influence can still be felt today.

Language and Place: Poetry in Yiddish and Pennsylvania Dutch

Josh Brown (UW–Eau Claire), Matt Johnson (UW–Madison), Mark Louden (UW–Madison), Sunny Yudkoff (UW–Madison)
UW–Madison Memorial Union, Old Madison Room, 800 Langdon Street
@ 4:00 pm CST

This event will showcase poetic works in Yiddish and Pennsylvania Dutch that deal with the concept of place.

GNS+ Book Talk – The Not-Quite Child

Dr. Liina-Ly Roos, Dr. Ida Moen Johnson, and Dr. Mary Hennessy
Madsen Room (1312 Van Hise)
@ 12:00 pm CST

The discussion will focus on Liina-Ly Roos’s recent publication, The Not-Quite Child (University of Washington Press, 2025). The event will take the form of a conversation among three of our wonderful GNS colleagues: Dr. Liina-Ly Roos, Dr. …

Presentations, Exhibit, Reception: “Early Anabaptist Documents at the Max Kade Institute”

University Club, 432 East Campus Mall, Room 313
@ 4:00 pm CST - 6:00 pm CST
https://mki.wisc.edu/event/presentation-exhibit-reception-early-anabaptist-documents-at-the-max-kade-institute/

Join us at the Max Kade Institute to celebrate the recent acquisition of a collection of books, some of them quite rare, published by and about Anabaptists. Donated by J. Denny Weaver, these mostly German- …

Madison Polish Film Festival ‘25

Marquee Cinema at Union South
@ 3:00 pm CST

Join us for the 2025 Madison Polish Film Festival at the Marquee Cinema at Union South!

Scandinavian Day at UW-Madison

Scandinavian Day at UW-Madison Celebrating 150 Years of Scandinavian Studies November 14th, 2025 For more information and registration, please go to: 150th Anniversary Celebration Join us for a day of seminars, tours, and performances celebrating …