Iva Drozdek

2013-2014

Iva Drozdek, PhD Candidate in Literature and Cultural Identity, University of Osijek, Croatia

My name is Iva Drozdek and I’m 31. I was born in Osijek, Croatia, but spent my childhood in Germany and Belgium since the Homeland War raged in former Yugoslavia. I have a degree in English and German language and literature. I’m a Ph.D. Student of Literature and Cultural Identity, and am very interested in everything that has to do with influencing and forming people/attitude/nations. Furthermore I really enjoy intermedial research such as movie adaptations of novels and of course the academically unrecognized texts in songlyrics. Currently I’m working on my thesis Song lyrics of the 20th century in which I will analyse and categorize the most popular songlyrics of the past century in English, German and Croatian. My goal is to present the academic audience with the importance and cultural influence of song lyrics, as well as their change in topics throughout the century. What I am mostly looking forward to during my fellowship in Edmonton is not only having the opportunity to fully engage in my research but also to have people surrounding me who enjoy analysing texts/people. That is always very inspiring. The possibilities at the University of Alberta are (for the lack of a better word) mindblowing and there are so many lectures I would like to attend or at least to get a glimpse of. Since I’ve experienced life as a refugee I fully understand the need to have contact with one’s origins, although one lives happily in another country. Being part of the With Institute gives me the opportunity to help people here connect with their Croatian ancestry.

Katarina Žeravica

2011-2012

Teaching assistant at Drama Department, Academy of Arts in Osijek, University of Osijek, Croatia
PhD candidate in Literature and Cultural Identity Studies, Faculty of Philosophy in Osijek, University of Osijek, Croatia
MA, English Language and Literature, German Language and Literature, Faculty of Philosophy in Osijek, University of Osijek, Croatia 

As an academic at the Drama Department I get a chance to work with students of acting and puppetry, theatre makers/practitioners and other academics. I also take part in various projects concerning theatre which I find very rewarding, exciting and challenging. On the other hand, being involved in different projects leaves me with little time to work on my PhD research which focuses on the plays of the Swiss playwright and novelist Max Frisch, looking particularly at the use of irony and satire in Frisch’s fiction.

The Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies provides me with valuable time to work on my PhD dissertation. I also got to meet other research fellows from Central Europe and through the exchange of our experiences we are building a firm basis for lifelong friendships and future collaborations. Being a research fellow at the Wirth Institute enables me to apply for various conferences in North America and to establish international contacts with people from my discipline/field of research. Another benefit of this fellowship is the access to the local university library where I can find and get all the materials and literature I need for my PhD dissertation. Moreover, through the interlibrary loan I can order whatever item I need from libraries worldwide.

It is also important to mention that one of my responsibilities is to be a liaison between the Wirth Institute and the local Croatian community, to keep them informed about different events organized by the Wirth Institute which may be of their interest etc. In doing so, I have a chance to meet interesting and friendly people of Croatian descent and to learn more about their life in Edmonton.

I can say that it was a challenge to apply for this fellowship and having been given this opportunity to do my PhD work here I also got a chance to learn more about places and people of different cultural, social and historical background. Living in a world that is in many ways different from the one I come from has contributed to my personal growth and has helped me shape new attitudes towards life and enrich my experience on a personal and professional level.