15 March 2024

Monja Stahlberger (2024)

The Institute is delighted to announce that the winner of this year’s Sylvia Naish Competition is Monja Stahlberger. Entitled ‘Across Language Borders: Writing Integration and Belonging in Kindertransport Diaries’, the lecture will be given on Thursday, 2 May 2024 at the University of London Senate House.

In her lecture, Stahlberger will explore the intricacies of exile experience and evolving notions of belonging in the diaries of Kindertransportees, and how the ways in which language is used contributes to our understanding of the experience of exile and the multifaceted nature of linguistic identity in unfamiliar environments. 

Stahlberger studied Media Culture at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and holds an MA in Literature and Culture from the University of Birmingham. She is currently completing her doctorate at the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies (ILCS) at the University of London. 

The lecture series was launched in memory of Sylvia Naish, an accomplished linguist and translator, and benefactor of the Institute of Germanic Studies, of which the ILCS is the successor. The annual competition is open to research students registered for higher degrees at a University in the UK. Read more about the competition

Attendance at the lecture is open to anyone interested. Advance online registration is essential: https://ilcs.sas.ac.uk/events/. Booking closes at midnight on 1 May.