The Women in German Dissertation Prize comes out of the Women in German Memorial Fund. This Fund was established in memory of those of our member who have died and whose presence and participation in WiG we want to commemorate in an active way each year. In 1997 we established this Dissertation Prize in their memory. The fund is replenished by contributions from our membership and we encourage each of you to consider donating an amount – smaller or larger, depending on your circumstances – to keep it stocked. Donations can be sent to the WiG treasurer.
The terms of the WiG Dissertation Prize are as follows: Dissertations written by a WiG member that have been completed and filed in the preceding academic year are eligible, provided they are consonant with our mission statement. A dissertation can be nominated either by the candidate herself, by her dissertation director, or by another scholar familiar with her work.
The chair of the Dissertation Prize committee forwards all the eligible manuscripts she receives to a panel of three judges. The judges select the prize winner and the award is announced at the award ceremony held at the annual Women in German conference. For the 2002 constest, the judges were: Elke Frederickson (University of Maryland), Katrin Sieg (Goergetownn University), and Nancy Kaiser (University of Wisconsin). Helga W. Kraft (University of Illinois Chicago) was the committee chair.
The 2002 award for the best dissertation by a WiG member was given to Bethany Wiggin for her dissertation, "Fiction, France, and Other Voices: Crossing German Borders in Fictional Narratives, 1680-1720." She completed her dissertation at the University of Minnesota under the direction of James A. Parente Jr. in December 2002. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Excerpts from comments by evaluators:
The dissertation brings a fresh perspective to narrative fiction in the period between 1680 and 1720, productively challenging commonly held assumptions and hegemonic literary history. It is a well researched historical dissertation with a strong and productive argument. B.Wiggin shifts the terrain of analysis to center on gender norms and the disciplining of sexuality in the oft-told history of bourgeois individualism, investigating a key transitional period in the history of the novel. The research also provides a rich contribution to the history of reading, a vital segment of cultural history. The argument is original, and the readings are persuasive. Wiggins own style is a pleasure to read, sophisticated and clear.
This dissertation reflects the WIG mission statement in its feminist approach to the topic, which focuses on the intersection of gender/sexuality and class in the selected narratives. It is above all a creative and self-confident revision of the German novel around 1700 with emphasis on the “Roman gallant.” The exploration of cross-cultural connections (German/French) during that time expands the revision of the genre at hand. The dissertation is well-written, well researched.
Congratulations Bethany! We wish you well!