This workshop invites the participants to examine how one reads Kafka from a local perspective; what the differences are between reading Kafka in Munich, Prague, Jaffa, Jerusalem-Al Quds, Istanbul, or Shiraz, can Kafka’s enigmatic stories while epitomizing the spirit of Weltliteratur, afford a place for different cultures to meet, read, and discuss together, in times of great crisis?
The workshop will include a series of conversations between scholars from different disciplines and localities. At the center of each conversation will stand one or two short stories or paragraphs from Kafka’s writings and their reception among different cultures. An open discussion will follow each conversation.
The workshop is organized under the umbrella of the Guest Professorship for Arabic-Jewish Coexistence, which aspires to promote dialogue and awareness of the shared history and present of the two people.