Conference: The Construction(s) of Conflict and Peace, Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies (EXCEPS), 9-10 July 2012‏

The Construction(s) of Conflict and Peace

Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies’ (EXCEPS)

9-10 July 2012

University of Exeter, UK, Streatham Campus



Conference Convenor: Professor Gareth Stansfield



The manner in which conflicts are framed is intimately linked to conflicts’ various stages, including efforts to mitigate and/or abate their violent effects, be it through military intervention, humanitarian aid and/or the creation of new political dispensations. The shared understandings that provide the bases for these frames, however, are the products of various discursive practices within governments, NGOs, academia, journalism and manifold cultural productions and (e.g., literature, visual arts, museums, etc.). These practices are contingent and messy, and often deeply contested.



The conference will investigate these practices from a multidisciplinary perspective, incorporating insights from both practitioners and academics. It seeks to uncover how the interplay of economic incentives, organizational cultures, political and social climates, and personal and collective beliefs lead to the production and privileging of particular types of knowledge vis-à-vis conflict and peace. It also seeks to explore how these processes vary across occupations, disciplines, time and space. For instance, how do donor and NGO priorities affect the production of ‘local’ knowledge within a conflict site? Are certain stakeholders accorded greater legitimacy vis-à-vis knowledge production? How does access to conflict areas and privileged informants, language and translation, as well as the processes of data collection and representation inform specific conflict interpretations and mitigation efforts? Similarly, if a conflict is located within the ’academic periphery’, how do the practices and priorities of the ‘core’ (e.g., US academia) shape knowledge production? In terms of time, how does knowledge change as conflicts transition towards peace, thus becoming ripe for ‘lesson’ extraction and exportation?



Beyond governments, NGOs, the media and academia, the conference also seeks to investigate how cultural productions create, affirm and/or challenge knowledge of peace and conflict. Specifically, how is knowledge of conflict and peace encoded through architecture and space planning, the visual arts, literature, museums, etc.? Do the different organizational cultures and intended audiences governing the production of these cultural artefacts create different types of knowledge? How are these types of knowledge incorporated and/or ignored by other knowledge producers within conflicts and peace processes?



The conference committee welcomes abstracts and panel proposals on any aspect of this theme. To submit a proposal for a paper or panel, please send an abstract of a maximum of 500 words to exceps-conference@exeter.ac.uk by 15 January 2012. Successful applicants will be notified by 15 February 2012. As a limited student travel fund will be available, please indicate in your abstract if you wish to be considered for this fund. For further information, please visit the conference website at http://centres.exeter.ac.uk/exceps/events/conference.html

Conference: Living together 'in' diversity. National societies in the multicultural age. CEU Budapest, 21-22 May 2012‏

Contemporary European societies have been recently characterized as
having entered the age of 'super-diversity'. Migratory flows in
particular have contributed to this transformation, due to the
heterogeneous ethno-cultural, and religious background of present
migrants, as well as their social status, age, and mobility patterns.
Among the effects this transformation has brought about is the increased
challenge posed to the constitutive principle of the nation-state, i.e.,
the assumption that identity (nation) and politics (state) can and
should be mutually constituent and spatially congruent. Thus,
unsurprisingly, many states have started perceiving diversity as a
'problem', potentially threatening national unity, while
anti-immigration and xenophobic attitudes have experienced a rapid
surge.
Existing scholarship has offered insightful critical analyses of this
'backlash against diversity', documenting the rise of repressive state
measures designed to limit access of new migrants to the national
territory and citizenship. Other scholars have instead moved away from
the idea of the nation-state, proposing either post-national solutions,
which decouple the cultural (nation) from the political (state), or
transnational paradigms, which implicitly discard the focus on the
nation-state as not only obsolete but also politically questionable.
Yet, despite important insights from this scholarship, social and
political life continues to remain largely structured by discourses,
resources and institutions articulated at the national scale.

AIM

It is therefore the aim of the proposed conference to explore how
'living together in diversity' is imagined, narrated, organized,
justified, and practiced within contemporary national societies. With
the stress on 'in' rather than 'with' diversity we want to move away
from reifying the dominant 'majority' society perspective, which assumes
diversity as something 'carried' solely by immigrants and something that
the 'native' society has to cope with. Some of the questions that we are
interested in are:

- What makes multicultural societies circumscribed by state borders
cohere together?

- What are the ways in which the nation becomes re-signified to
accommodate the ethno-cultural diversity of its populace?

- How do migrants position themselves in national narratives and
political structures?

- What alternative modes and models of belonging are at work within
present national societies?

- In which ways does the national continue to feature as a site of
attachment?



Although we acknowledge that these questions are inescapably normative
in character, we particularly welcome empirically-informed work. The
privileged level of analysis we are interested in is the national scale,
but papers focusing on sub-national and supra-national scales can also
be welcomed inasmuch as they can offer insights regarding how living
together in diversity works at the national scale. Regionally, the
conference will focus on Europe, but contributions discussing other
geographical contexts are also welcomed.
- Is it necessary to have some form of common identification at the
national scale to have functioning states in the first place?

DEADLINES

All potential participants are invited to submit an abstract (250-300
words) to Tatiana Matejskova (MatejskovaT@ceu.hu) by December 31st,
2011. By January 31st, 2012 participants will be informed about the
acceptance of their papers. Confirmation of participation and payment of
the conference fee will be due on February 28th, 2012. The conference
fee of 60 Euros will cover refreshments, lunches and conference
materials.


http://livingindiversity.eu

IREX/WWC Regional Policy Symposium, Transnational Crime and Corruption in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, Washington DC, 18-20 April 2011‏

2012 IREX/WWC Regional Policy Symposium:

"Transnational Crime and Corruption in Eastern Europe and Eurasia"

IREX, in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Kennan Institute (WWC), is pleased to announce its 2012 Regional Policy Symposium, "Transnational Crime and Corruption in Eastern Europe and Eurasia." The research symposium, supported by the United States Department of State (Title VIII Program), will bring American junior and senior scholars and members of the policy community together to examine and discuss transnational crime and corruption in Eastern Europe and Eurasia from multi-disciplinary perspectives. Topics may include: organized crime, corruption, human trafficking, drug trafficking, illicit trade, terrorism, cyber crime, financial crime and environmental crime, among others.

Junior scholars will be chosen based on a national competition to present their current research on the topic of the Symposium. Grants will be awarded to approximately ten junior scholars.

The Symposium is scheduled to take place April 18-20, 2012 in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and will involve two full days of reviews of current research projects, roundtable discussions, and the dissemination of research results to the policy community through a networking event.

Technical Eligibility Requirements:

      * Applicants must be US citizens

      * Applicants must either be currently enrolled in an MA, MS, MBA, JD, or Ph.D. program or have held a graduate degree for 10 years or less.

      * Applicants who hold an academic post must be pre-tenure.

Grant Provisions:

      * Round-trip airfare (provided by IREX through its travel office) and/or surface transportation from anywhere in the United States to the symposium site.

      * Meals and accommodations for the duration of the symposium.

To receive more information on the 2011 Regional Policy Symposium, please email inquiries to symposium@irex.org (or visit the program website at http://www.irex.org/project/regional-policy-symposium . [application | more] Application Deadline: December 9, 2011.

Gonda Van Steen

University of Florida

Dept. of Classics and Center for Greek Studies

125 Dauer Hall

Gainesville, FL 32611-7435

Territorial Cooperation in the EU, Barcelona, 2-4 May 2011‏

1. Call for Papers: "Territorial Cooperation in the European Union"

The University Institute of European Studies (IUEE) is inviting papers for a research workshop on "Territorial Cooperation in the European Union" that will take place in Barcelona (May 2-4, 2012).

This multidisciplinary workshop is intended to gather young scholars working on cross-border cooperation in the EU with special regard - but not only - to the Mediterranean countries. Papers should address cross-border, transnational and interregional territorial cooperation from different disciplines (e.g. political science, sociology, economy, geography, spatial planning and law). They should focus on cross-cutting themes (multi-level governance, institutional capacity building, policy learning and Europeanization) and/or on specific policy problems/sectors (territorial cohesion, local development, environment, urban regeneration, climate change and sustainable development, transport, energy, culture).

The two-days workshop will be an opportunity to share ongoing research on the topic and to receive feedback from a group of discussants (senior scholars from the partner institutions) working on the same field.

The programme will be divided into 4 panels:
1. The governance of cross-border cooperation: institution- and capacity-building
2. The European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation and the reform of Cohesion policy: the state of play
3. Policy networks and policy learning in cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation
4. Cross-border sustainable development strategies and policies Travel and accommodation funding is available.

http://www.euborderregions.eu/about/news/works - see http://www.euborderregions.eu/files/Call_for_Papers_Territorial_Cooperation%20May_2012.pd.pdf

Application Deadline: December 31, 2011.

Conference: International Conference "Human Security", Belgrade, Serbia, 13 December 2011

The Centre for Security Studies, Belgrade, and the Aleksanteri Institute of the University of Helsinki organise the International Conference “Human Security”, which will be held on 13 December at Aero Club, 4 Uzun Mirkova St., Belgrade.

The conference is the final part of the Aleksanteri Institute’s project “The Environment and Security in the Western Balkans: The Risks and Opportunities Through Co-operation”, supported by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (more details at: www.helsinki.fi/aleksanteri/english/projects/balkan.htm). The conference is aimed at gathering representatives of Serbian Government and its agencies, experts and academics to discuss the results of research on the role of the environment in questions of regional stability and security in the context of local, regional and international co-operation established to ease these problems. The underlying assumption of the research project is that the link between the environment and security can generate both risks and co-operation in the Western Balkans.

Conference: Milan Stojadinovic - Politics in the age of global turmoils, Belgrade, 12 December 2011‏

Institute of European Studies and the Center for Conservative Studies invite you to attend the first scientific conference about the life and political activities of former Minister of Finance, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Government of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Milan Stojadinović, titled

MILAN STOJADINOVIĆ - POLITICS IN THE AGE OF GLOBAL TURMOILS

Ten prominent Serbian scientists will present their research on specific aspects of this issue, with following open debate. The conference will be held on Monday, December 12th in the hall of the Art Center, 71 King Peterstreet (www.artcentar.rs).

Your presence and comments will be of great help.

-schedule-

10:00 – 10:30 – Introduction

Dragan Lakićević, Ph.D, IES Director

Miša Đurković, Ph.D, IES Project Coordinator

10:30 – 12:00 – 1st Session

Boško Mijatović, Ph.D – Stojadinović's economic thought and practice as a
Minister of Finance

Goran Nikolić, Ph.D – Stojadinović's Government economic policy

Bojan Dimitrijević, Ph.D – Army and national security durig the reign of
Stojadinović's Government

Miša Đurković, Ph.D - Stojadinović's foreign policy

12:00 – 12:15 - Break

12:15 – 13:30 – 2nd Session

Aleksandar Raković, Ph.D – Stojadinović's cultural policy

Veljko Đurić Mišina, Ph.D – Concordat crisis

Miroslav Svirčević, Ph.D – Stojadinović and Croatian question in Yugoslavia

13:30 – 14:00 - Cocktail

14:00 - 15:15 – 3rd Session

Ljubodrag Dimić, Ph.D – Stojadinović's exit form Mauritius

Srđa Trifković, Ph.D – Stojadinović in emigration

Momčilo Pavlović, Ph.D – Milan Stojadinović as a Rotarian

All presentations are to be within 15 minutes limit. The debate will start
after
the end of the 3rd session until the end of the conference at 16:00 hours.

________

For additional inforation please contact

milan.igrutinovic@ies.rs

Encouraging active citizenship in the post-Lisbon EU, Sofia, 11-18 December 2011‏

ENCOURAGING ACTIVE EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP IN THE POST-LISBON EU

11-18 December, 2011
Sofia, Bulgaria

The UN Youth Association along with JEF and UEF-Bulgaria have the pleasure
of inviting you to participate in the international seminar "Encouraging
Active European Citizenship in the post-Lisbon EU"

The project will meet the need to inform the new European generation how the
EU works and the rights and obligations the EU citizenship brings.


We now have the Treaty of Lisbon, which has been a great step forward.
Nonetheless, it has become clear that even with the new treaty, the EU is
not equipped with the appropriate instruments to pull itself out of a
fundamental crisis. A crisis that has not only developed from a debt problem
into a full blown economic and social disaster but also into a substantial
questioning of six decades of European Integration. Indeed, the issues that
need to be addressed go to the core of the European Project.


The project will involve governmental officials, elected representatives,
scholars, activists of civil society organizations and, most importantly,
the participants themselves in a series of debates, working groups and euro
parties.

The political, social, economic and cultural aspects that the seminar
addresses will contribute to the broader involvement of the participants in
the Future of Europe debates in their countries.

Methodology:

Panel discussions, working groups, debates, lectures, plenary sessions,
simulation games and information market will be some of the methods used to
debate these issues.

The ideas and knowledge generated during the seminar can be used by every
participant and be implemented at local level.

The rich social program, including horse ride in Vitosha mountain
(optional), parties and sightseeing trip to the Rila Monastery, one of the
most significant and picturesque monuments on the Balkans, will enable the
participants to feel the atmosphere of Bulgaria - an ever-evolving and
modern country with great cultural heritage and traditions, dating back from
Roman and Byzantine times.

Participating conditions:

Age 18-30 (no limit for the head of
the delegation)

Countries Slovenia, Greece, Austria,

Costs: 70% of travel costs and 100% of
food and lodging costs
will be covered covered by
the organisers

75 Euro participation fee/person

For more info and an application form write to: asea@scas.acad.bg

PhD Studentship at Queen Mary, University of London‏

Postgraduate Studentships 2012

The School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) offers a number of generous studentships for students entering commencing their doctoral studies in October 2012. The deadline for consideration for funded places is 31st January 2012. Candidates whose applications are received after this date may be considered for admission but not for funding.

QMUL Principal’s Studentships

The following studentships are offered:

• Politics & International Studies: in any area of politics or international studies, broadly defined, but with particular concern to the interests of members of the School's academic staff with respect to supervision – see here for more details on research interests in the School

• The Mile End Scholarship in British Political History (joint with the School of History) – see here for more details   

• The Transnational Politics of the Latin American Diaspora, focussing on Bolivia (joint with the School of Geography) – see here for more details

Queen Mary Principal’s studentships are open to UK, EU and international students. They cover tuition fees and a maintenance allowance of around £15,000 per year for up to three years. Candidates will normally be expected to have a good first degree and a Masters degree in Politics, International Relations, or a related subject.

Economic & Social Research Council: Doctoral Training Centre (London Social Science) Studentships

The School of Politics & IR is part of a prestigious ESRC-funded Doctoral Training Centre (DTC), London Social Science, with QMUL and Goldsmiths, University of London. The DTC will provide funding for up to two PhD studentships in SPIR for entry in 2012. Applications in any field where we can offer expert supervision are encouraged. A full list of research interests in SPIR is here.

Studentships cover up to four years of tuition fees and provide a standard maintenance grant of £15,590 per year. PhDs with a particular emphasis on quantitative research may receive an additional Advanced Quantitative Methods (AQM) stipend of £3,000. Successful applicants will be offered a variety of flexible models of combined PhD study and research training: either a 1 + 3 model (i.e. 1 year doing an MA or MRes in advanced research training plus 3 years of PhD) or a model where the research training is completed throughout the course of the 4 years of the studentship.

Please note that you need to complete an additional ESRC application form to be considered for funding through the DTC. Further details and guidance on how to apply are below and available here: http://www.londonsocialscience.org.uk/index.html.

Candidates must adhere to the current residential eligibility rules as laid out in the ESRC Postgraduate Funding Guide available here.

How to Apply

For both types of studentship, apply via the standard doctoral application process, indicating in your application that you wish to be considered for funding. Applications can be made online here. Further details on how to apply are here. Hard copies of the application form are also available.

ESRC DTC applicants must also complete an additional application for funding, which is available to download from here: http://www.londonsocialscience.org.uk/index.html (under Studentships). This additional form should be emailed directly to politics-pgresearch@qmul.ac.uk - ensure you include ‘ESRC DTC Funding Application – Your Name’ in the subject line of your email. Alternatively, you can send a hard copy to the School of Politics & IR, QMUL, London, E1 4NS for the attention of ‘The Research Manager.’

Successful applicants to both funding schemes are expected to start in October 2012.

You are encouraged to visit our website to establish if your research ideas fit with our current areas of interest. In addition, you are encouraged to make informal contact with a potential supervisor to discuss your proposed topic, in advance of making your application. Two of the College studentships indicated above pertain to specific subject areas – click on the links above for more information.

Applications to both College and ESRC-funded studentships must consist of the following:
• A research proposal which should include a hypothesis, key questions to be addressed by your research, methodology and an indicative bibliography. Further advice on writing a research proposal is here. Please note that the research proposal word length for a studentship application is max. 2000 words.
• You should have a 2:1 or equivalent in your first degree and if your first language is not English you must be able to provide recent evidence that your spoken and written command of the English language is adequate for the programmes for which you have applied. You need to provide evidence of an English language test score or intend to take a test before your studies. Information about English language entry requirements can be found here.
• Transcripts from previous degrees
• 2 academic references
• A full curriculum vitae (CV)
• Supporting statement which states why you want to take the programme

Your complete application must be received in the Admissions Office no later than midnight on 31st January 2012. ESRC DTC funding forms must also be received by this date. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that academic references are also received by this date and no later than Friday 3^rd February 2012. Applications without references will be considered incomplete and will not be processed further.

Candidates whose applications are received after this date may be considered for admission but not for funding. Candidates will be interviewed for a place. Those shortlisted for funding will be passed to a selection panel for final assessment. ESRC DTC applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application from mid-March 2012.

General enquiries about making a formal application can be addressed to the Research Manager by email politics-pgresearch@qmul.ac.uk, or call +44 0207 882 5829.

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The Mile End Scholarship in British Political History (joint with the School of History)

Applications are welcome in the general field of British Politics and Professional Life in Britain in the 20th Century, with a particular focus on the relationship between the political elite and professional groups.. For example, a project may focus on the professional profile of members of Parliament, as well as patterns of cooperation and conflict between the legislature and professional groups, such as, those in medicine, or the trade union movement. Applicants are invited to contact Prof Michael Kenny and Dr Catherine Needham in SPIR, or Dr Helen McCarthy, Dr James Ellison, Dr Peter Catterall and Dr Martyn Frampton in History to discuss their ideas. Applicants are invited to contact Prof Michael Kenny and Dr Catherine Needham in SPIR, or Dr Helen McCarthy, Dr James Ellison, Dr Peter Catterall and Dr Martyn Frampton in History to discuss their ideas.

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'The transnational politics of the Latin American diaspora: the Bolivian experience'

This studentship is part of an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Schools of Geography and Politics and International Relations. The project will be co-supervised by Dr Cathy McIlwaine (Geography) and Professor James Dunkerley (Politics and International Relations) (with Dr McIlwaine as the primary supervisor). Applicants should develop their own detailed Research Proposal relating to any dimension of disapora politics among Bolivians. This might include addressing the following issues: dual citizenship, the nature of diaspora participation in formal and informal politics, the gendered and racialised dimensions of identity politics, the creation of transnational political spaces.

Candidates should discuss their research proposal with Professor James Dunkerley and/or Dr Cathy McIlwaine before submitting their application.

Please note that online applications should be submitted for the attention of the School of Geography.

Summer Research Workshops, Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Summer 2012‏

SUMMER RESEARCH WORKSHOPS FOR SCHOLARS


Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies


United States Holocaust Memorial Museum



The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies invites applications from Workshop Coordinator(s) who wish to conduct two-week research workshops at the Museum during the summer of 2012.



Established in 1999, the Center’s Summer Research Workshops provide an environment in which groups of scholars working in closely related areas of study—but with limited previous face-to-face interaction—can gather to discuss a central research question or issue; their research methodologies and findings; the major challenges facing their work; and potential future collaborative scholarly ventures.



The Center welcomes proposals from scholars in all relevant disciplines, including, though not limited to, history, political science, literature, Jewish studies, philosophy, religion, anthropology, comparative genocide studies, and law.



Workshops consist of two weeks of intensive discussion, culminating in a public presentation of the group’s results. Morning sessions typically consist of presentations by participants on their particular research projects. Afternoon sessions are predominantly dedicated to in-depth discussions of the overarching research issues, priorities, findings, and conclusions, as well as some workshop-based research using the Museum’s collections. The final public panel consists of presentations on (1) the importance of the work and the scholarly rationale for convening the workshop; (2) the issues discussed, approaches taken, and resources used by the group during the two weeks; (3) the issues and source materials identified by the group as the most significant for future work; and (4) the group’s collective results, findings, and conclusions.



Participants will have access to more than 60 million pages of Holocaust-related archival documentation; the Museum’s extensive library; oral history, film, photo, art, artifacts, and memoir collections; and Holocaust survivor database. In addition, participants have access to the digitized holdings of the International Tracing Service (ITS), which contains more than 100 million documents relating to approximately 17.5 million victims of Nazism who were subjected to arrest, deportation, murder, forced labor, slave labor, and displacement through the end of World War II and beyond. Many of these sources have not been examined by scholars, offering unprecedented opportunities to advance the field of Holocaust studies. A staff scholar from the Center with expertise relevant to the proposed topic will be assigned to each workshop. The Center will also provide meeting space and access to a computer, telephone, and photocopier.



For non-local participants, awards include (1) a stipend to offset the cost of direct travel to and from each participant’s home institution and Washington, DC; (2) lodging for the duration of the workshop; and (3) $500 toward the cost of incidental expenses, which will be distributed within two to four weeks of the workshop’s conclusion. Local participants will receive a stipend of $200 for the two weeks.



APPLICATION GUIDELINES



The Workshop Coordinator(s) assume(s) responsibility for assembling the application package, which must include:



1. An eight- to ten-page, double-spaced proposal describing your research project’s focus, significance, scope, methods, and objectives; its potential to contribute to and advance the field of Holocaust studies; the justification for assembling your proposed participants; any work you have already conducted on this project; and the rationale for convening the workshop at the Museum.

2. A list of six to ten potential workshop participants (including coordinators), roughly half of whom should be affiliated with North American institutions. Museum staff are not eligible. Geographic, disciplinary, and gender diversity is highly desirable. Only in exceptional circumstances may any one institution be represented by more than one scholar. Each group should contain a mix of doctoral candidates, junior scholars (within five years of obtaining their degrees), and tenured and senior scholars who have not had the opportunity to work closely with one another in the past.

3. A ranked list in order of preference of the following three two-week periods in which to hold the workshop: July 9 – 20, July 23 – August 3, August 6 – 17.



The proposals will be evaluated according to their (1) potential contribution to scholarship in Holocaust studies; (2) potential to stimulate work in a new direction or productive area of research; (3) relationship to larger themes or issues in Holocaust studies; (4) diversity and appropriateness of the proposed participants (e.g., institutions, countries of residence, areas of expertise, scholarly advancement, and gender); and (5) potential for new publications, collaborative research, or research endeavors directly resulting from the workshop. Applications for under six or over ten participants will not be considered. The selection committee may amend the roster of participants if the composition of the workshop is deemed insufficiently diverse.



Upon acceptance of your application, a Center scholar will work with the Workshop Coordinator(s) to finalize the dates and participants for the workshop. All participants must attend the entire workshop. Non-U.S. citizens will be responsible for obtaining any visas necessary to attend.



Applications must be postmarked or submitted electronically by January 27, 2012. Selections will be announced in writing by March 2, 2012.



Applications and questions regarding this program should be addressed to Krista Hegburg, Program Officer, University Programs, Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126; tel: 202.488.0459; fax: 202.479.9726; e-mail: khegburg@ushmm.org.

To learn more about past workshops, go to ushmm.org/research/center/workshops.

Third International Conference on Islam "Islam and Democracy", Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 13-14 April 2012‏

Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 11:49 PM
From: International Conference on Islam <islamconference@global.wisc.edu>

ICI'12 - Abstract Submission Deadline Extended to December 18, 2011

Following the great response to our call for papers, we are pleased to inform you that we have extended the abstract deadline for the Third International Conference on Islam to December 18, 2011, to allow participants additional time to complete their submissions.

Abstracts are currently invited for giving talks at the conference. Please submit your abstract to islamconference@global.wisc.edu by December 18, 2011 according to the abstract preparation guidelines. Please see the following updated call for papers for more information. You can also check our website at www.islamconference.org<http://www.islamconference.org> for updates.

ICI'12
The Third International Conference on Islam "Islam and Democracy"
April 13-14, 2012
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
www.islamconference.org<http://www.islamconference.org/>

Abstract submission extended deadline: December 18, 2011

Keynote Speakers:
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
John O Voll, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Theme: The theme of this year's conference will be "Islam and Democracy".

Scope: Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

* Islamic Theological Perspectives on Democracy
* Islam, Liberalism, and Pluralism
* Islam, Secularism, and the State
* Islam and Nationalism
* Muslim Women and Democracy
* Islam and Democracy in the Middle East
* Islam and Democracy in Central Asia
* Islam and Democracy in Europe
* Islam and Democracy: Turkey Model
* Arab Spring

Timeline:

* Call for Papers: October 3, 2011
* Abstract submission extended deadline: December 18, 2011
* Conference registration starts: January 1, 2012
* Publication of program: March 1, 2012
* Paper submission deadline: March 23, 2012
* Registration deadline: April 1, 2012
* Conference: April 13-14, 2012

Submissions:
If you are interested in giving a talk at the International Conference on Islam, please submit the following to islamconference@global.wisc.edu<mailto:islamconference@global.wisc.edu>:

* Your full name, institutional affiliation and contact information
* 1 page CV/Bio
* The title of your presentation and a 300-word abstract
The submissions will be peer reviewed and accepted abstracts will be published in the proceedings of the conference. The file format should be *.pdf, *.doc, or *.txt.

Registration:
Each participant must register by April 1, 2012. The registration fee is US $20 for regular participants; there is no fee for UW-Madison students with valid identification. The registration fee covers the expenses for reception and relevant materials (e.g., program, proceedings). For registration, please visit www.islamconference.org<http://www.islamconference.org/>. For all questions regarding the conference, please check www.islamconference.org<http://www.islamconference.org/> or contact islamconference@global.wisc.edu

Location:
The conference will be held at the Union South on the University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus.
For the full address and directions, check http://www.union.wisc.edu/visit-unionsouth.htm

Lodging:
You can stay at the Wisconsin Union Hotel located in Union South where the conference will be held. Here are some other suggestions for other places to stay in Madison:
http://www.cs.wisc.edu/hotels.html
For more information on the conference please check www.islamconference.org<http://www.islamconference.org/>, or send an email to: islamconference@global.wisc.edu<mailto:islamconference@global.wisc.edu>

ISA Second Sociology Forum in Buenos Aires, 1-4 August 2012‏

The Research Committee on Language and Society, RC 25, of the International
Sociological Association (ISA) is calling for papers.
In keeping with the ISA conference theme, Social Justice and Democratization, the RC
25 theme for the Second Forum of Sociology for 2012 is The Language of Justice. You
can find a detailed list of session themes at:
http://www.isa-sociology.org/buenos-aires-2012/rc/rc.php?n=RC25

RC 25 conceives of studies of language broadly and welcomes all varieties of
sociological analyses of language/representation. We encourage papers that take up
issues of study or debate that regard language, talk, signification, or other forms of
communication.

Please submit an abstract of (300 words maximum) by December 15, 2011. You
will find more details about how to submit abstracts at:
http://www.isa-sociology.org/buenos-aires-2012/guidelines-for-presenters.htm

The RC 25 program will be finalized in late January. All presenters will need to be
registered by April 10, 2012.
For more information about the Forum go to:
http://www.isa-sociology.org/buenos-aires-2012/

Memory, History and State-Building in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sarajevo‏

Memory, History and State-Building in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Critically Assessing and Re-Thinking the Teaching of Memory Politics in Bosnian University Curricula



CALL FOR APPLICATIONS




We are inviting interested scholars, university educators, faculty members and researchers in early stage of their academic career to take part in our collaborative interdisciplinary international project „Memory, History and State-Building in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Critically Assessing and Re-Thinking the Teaching of Memory Politics in Bosnian University Curricula“.

This project is being jointly implemented by the University of Zurich and the Centre for Human Rights of University of Sarajevo, with the financial support of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Development Agency, in the framework of the SCOPES scheme (Scientific co-operation between Eastern Europe and Switzerland).

The primary aim of this project is to introduce a critical approach to the use of history and memory within BiH academia and university curricula. The project is designed to strengthen educational and research capacities, to facilitate exchange of ideas and experience, as well as to provide space for critical debates on the core issues at stake.

This call is intended for researchers/faculty staff in early stage of their academic career from BiH academic and cultural institutions to participate in all phases of the project. We aim at forming a group of about 15 fully committed and interested participants who are willing to be agents of change through their own teaching and research activities in BiH universities. During the implementation of the project the aim will be to support and advance their teaching and research abilities and professional development through a collaborative international effort that offers a host of opportunities for scholars/academics in the early stage of their academic career.

Working languages of the seminar are English and Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian. This is a three year project within which the following range of activities will take place: four modular two-day workshops, with experts dealing with issues of history and memory in their research and teaching activities, that will take place in January, April, September and November 2012; a three-day international conference that will take place in June 2012; and work on a set a various publications that will include a critical assessment of existing ways of researching and teaching issues related to history and memory in Bosnian higher education, as well as the development of new approaches (December 2012 to December 2013). In addition to the aforementioned institutions we are open to collaboration with other institutions and independent researchers and academics, from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland, as well as from other countries.



Application process:



The applicants:

We are looking for junior faculty members and researchers based at the University of Sarajevo, as well as other academic institutions in BiH, who are interested in teaching and researching memory studies and developing their research and teaching skills in a challenging and collegial context. The applicants should be at an early stage of their teaching academic career, with a strong MA degree and publishing record, and preferably holding a PhD degree or enrolled in a doctoral program. We welcome applications from all disciplinary backgrounds.

It is essential that participants be committed to working as a group for an extended period of time. Each participant must have a very good command of English language in order to be able to engage with literature at an advanced level, strong interest in scholarship related to the theme of the seminar, as well as a developed interest in advancing the teaching and research process at their institutions and more widely.



Application:

The following documents must be submitted electronically and emailed as attachments to Melina Sadiković [ms@hrc.unsa.ba] AND Sylvie Ramel [sylvie.ramel@philos.uzh.ch].
A supporting statement (no longer than 500 words) in English outlining your interests in memory studies, needs and expectations from this project as well as the way in which you will aim to contribute to it;
Your academic CV with a select list of publications;
A sample of a recently published research, or work in progress (no longer than 2,000 words), that will then be discussed within the two-day modular workshops with experts.



Deadline for applications



Applications are expected no later than 20 December 2011.

The applicants will be informed about the results no later than 30 December 2011.



Please, plan for the first modular workshop to take place on 26 and 27 January 2012.



More detailed information:

Melina Sadiković [ms@hrc.unsa.ba], or Sylvie Ramel [sylvie.ramel@philos.uzh.ch].

Faculty Position in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, Sabanci University, Istanbul‏

Sabanci University, Istanbul, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

FACULTY POSITION IN CONFLICT ANALYSIS AND RESOLUTION

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sabanci University, invites applications and/or nominations for a faculty position in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. The position is open as of September 2012, to mid-career candidates as well as candidates who have recently completed their PhD or are near completion (Professor, Associate Professor and/or Assistant Professor).



Further specialization in one or more of the following areas is desirable: peace psychology; scientific study of peace and conflict; dynamics of cooperation; theories of applied conflict resolution; social psychology; political psychology; self and identity; social cognition; decision making.The successful candidate must have a strong record and potential for top quality scholarly publication, as well as promise of outstanding teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.



Sabanci University is a private, department-free, innovative academic institution located in one of Europe’s largest and oldest cities, Istanbul. The university is strongly committed to interdisciplinary research and teaching both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To meet this challenge, the faculty is organized around multi-disciplinary degree programs including Conflict Analysis and Resolution (MA), Cultural Studies (BA, MA), Economics (BA, MA, PhD), European Studies (MA), History (MA, PhD), International Studies (BA), Political Science (MA, PhD), Public Policy (MA), Social and Political Sciences (BA), Turkish Studies (MA), Visual Arts & Communication Design (BA, MA). The medium of instruction is English. Faculty members are provided with excellent support, including housing facilities on its modern campus if available or a housing stipend.



Applicants are asked to complete an online application form through the university website:



http://www.sabanciuniv.edu/eng/?aday_calisanlar/akademik_is_basvurulari.html



Additionally, a curriculum vitae, a clear statement of current and planned research and teaching activities, and at least three letters of reference should be sent via email to:



Mehmet Bac, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, bac@sabanciuniv.edu

cc: Inci Ceydeli, Faculty Administrative Manager, inci@sabanciuniv.edu.

Orient-Institut Istanbul, PhD Research Grant 2012‏

Research Grant Announcement 2012

The Orient-Institut Istanbul offers a research grant for PhD students.
Grants are available to support research in the Humanities and Social
Sciences on the region, its history, culture, languages and contemporar
affairs. The award consists of a monthly stipend of € 1000 for the duration
of up to a maximum of one year.

Prospective applicants are expected to hold an M.A. degree in a Middle
East-related discipline. The proposed research project should have a
regional focus on, either, Turkey, the Balkans, the Volga or Caucasus
region as well as Central Asia. The complete application should specify
the necessity of conducting research in Istanbul, or Turkey, respectively,
and include a detailed time frame for the envisioned research.

A basic command of German and Turkish is expected of all applicants.
Participation in colloquiums at the institute is expected. Research
stays outside of Istanbul have to be coordinated with the director.

Applications must be submitted by January 15, 2012, to the:

Director of the Orient-Institut Istanbul
Prof. Dr. Raoul Motika
Susam Sokak 16-18, D. 8
34433 Cihangir – Istanbul
Turkey

We also request that applications likewise be submitted by e-mail,
please, to:
<oiist@oidmg.org>

Applications must include the following documents:

(1) Cover letter
(2) CV
(3) Outline of the proposed research
(4) Letter of recommendation written by an academic supervisor
(5) Copy of the M.A. diploma
(6) Documentation of Turkish language skills


--
Dr. Sara Nur Yıldız
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin
Orient-Institut Istanbul
Susam Sokak 16-18 D.8
Cihangir 34433 Beyoglu
Istanbul, Turkey
office: +90 (212) 293 6067/120
saranuryildiz@gmail.com

Conference: Alevi-Bektashi Communities in the Ottoman Realm, Bogazici University, 13-15 Dec 2011‏

ALEVI-BEKTASHI COMMUNITIES IN THE OTTOMAN REALM: SOURCES, PARADIGMS AND HISTORIOGRAPHY

Program:

13.12.2011 (Tuesday)

Opening: 10:30-11.00

SESSIONS

1) The Medieval/Pre-Ottoman Background

Discussant: Cemal Kafadar, Harvard University

Panelists:

11.00-11.30 Ahmet Karamustafa, Washington University in St. Louis, "Sofu, Abdal, Dede: Kaygusuz Abdal and Vernacular Islam in Medieval Anatolia"

11.30-12.00 Ayfer Karakaya-Stump, College of William and Mary, "The Vefa'iyye, the Bektashiyye, and Genealogies of ‘Heterodox Islam' in
Anatolia: Rethinking the Köprülü Paradigm"

12.00-12.30 Coffee Break

12.30-13.00 Sara Nur Yıldız, Orient-Institut Istanbul, "Historicizing Sufi Communities in Medieval Anatolia: Reconsidering the Dominant Paradigms of Syncretism,Heterodoxy and High/Low Islam"

13.00-13.30 Mark Soileau, Mardin Artuklu Üniversitesi, "The Folk Among the Wonders: Finding Alevis in Bektashi Hagiographies"

13.30-15.00 Lunch

2) The Safavids and the Early Modern Context of the Kizilbash/Alevi Movement

Discussant: Derin Terzioğlu, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi.

Panelists:

15.00-15.30 Cornell Fleischer, University of Chicago, "The Common Parlance of Messianism and Millenarianism in Islamdom in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries"

15.30-16.00 Shahzad Bashir, Stanford University, "Seeing Red: The Kizilbash as Image and Rhetoric in Persianate Literature"

16.00-16.30 Vural Genç, İstanbul Üniversitesi, "The Battle of Chaldiran in Iranian Sources"

16.30-17.00 Coffee Break

17.00-17.30 Fariba Zarinebaf, University of California Riverside, "Shah Isma‘il Safavi in Persian, European and Ottoman Myths"

17.30-18.00 Ferenc Csirkés, University of Chicago, "The Safavid and Ottoman Reception of the Poetry of Shah Isma‘il Hatayi"

14.12.2011 (Wednesday)

3) Tekkes and Dergâhs

Discussant: Gülru Necipoğlu, Harvard University

Panelists:

10.00-10.30 Cemal Kafadar, Harvard University, "Dutlug Bolsun: Amidst Stone and Soil at the Convent of Seyyid Ali Sultan (a.k.a. Kızıl Deli)"

10.30-11.00 Zeynep Yürekli-Görkay, University of Oxford, "Haji Bektash, His Shrine and the Ottomans"

11.00-11.30 Coffee Break

11.30-12.00 Mahir Polat, İstanbul Üniversitesi, "Lost or Imaginary? Looking for the Cemevi in Ottoman Architectural History"

12.00-12.30 Frances Trix, Indiana University,"Survival Strategies for Bektashi Tekkes in the Western Balkans: Ergeri (Albania), Kalkandelen (Macedonia), Gjakova (Kosova)"

12.30-14 :00 Lunch

4) Under the Shadow of Empire: Kizilbash/Alevi and Bektashi Communities' Relations with the Ottoman and Safavid States

Discussant: Ayfer Karakaya-Stump, College of William and Mary

Panelists:

14.00-14.30 Kathryn Babayan, University of Michigan, "The Waning of the Kizilbash in Iran Revisited"

14.30-15.00 İbrahim Kaya Şahin, Tulane University "Towards an Ottoman Sunnism: Perceptions of Bektashis/Alevis/Shi‘is/Safevis in Chronicles from Aşıkpaşazade to Celalzade"

15.00-15.30 Derin Terzioğlu, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, "How to Conceptualize Ottoman Sunnitization: A Historiographical Discussion"

15.30-16.00 Coffee Break

16.00-16.30 Erdal Küçükyalçın, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi, "Janissary-Bektashi Relations Revisited: Religious Symbolism in Janissary Banner-signs"

16.30-17.00 Alişan Akpınar, İstanbul Üniversitesi, "The Ottoman State's Perception of the Alevis during the Hamidian Era"

17.00-18.00 Buffet

18.30-20.00 Social Program

Dertli Divani Baba (Veli Aykut), Keynote Speaker/Performer Narrative Performance: "The Language of Alevi Hymns"


15.12.2011
(Thursday)

5) Memory, History and Construction of Identity

Discussant Arzu Öztürkmen, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi

Panelists:

10.00-10.30 Markus Dressler, İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, "Rewriting Kızılbaş Alevism and Bektashism: Conceptual and Theoretical Challenges"

10.30-11.00 Ulaş Özdemir, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi, "History Through Sacred Words: The Presence of Haji Bektash Veli in Ahl-i Haqq Lore"

11.00-11.30 Erdal Gezik, Independent Researcher, Holland, "Beyond the Limits of Writing: Construction of the Religio-Cultural Memory of Dersim Alevis"


11:30-12:00 Coffee Break


12.00-13.00 Roundtable

13.00 Closing Remarks & Visit to the Tekke of Nafi Baba (optional)

EASA 2012 - (W029) Violence and Resilience in South-Eastern Europe, Paris, 10-13 July 2012‏

Violence and Resilience in South-Eastern Europe. We invite all interested scholars in the topic to submit their paper proposal via online form on the EASA website by November 28, 2011.

With best wishes,

Hanna Kienzler (McGill University) hanna.kienzler@mail.mcgill.ca<mailto:hanna.kienzler@mail.mcgill.ca>
Enkelejda Sula-Raxhimi (University of Montréal) enkelejda.sula@umontreal.ca<mailto:enkelejda.sula@umontreal.ca>


Workshop abstract
In South-Eastern Europe, political and structural violence go beyond death, disease, trauma and anxiety, to include the pervasive effects of the destruction of the economic, political and social fabric of society. This workshop invites papers that explore the consequences of such violence by tracing them in individual biographies, life trajectories, collective memory and communal strategies for coping with and being resilient to violence, adversity and uncertainty. In particular, the papers should describe and analyse the situated, manifold and complex interconnections between violence, larger social forces and individual suffering and ways in which they affect individual and collective perceptions of reality, identity and expectations for the future.
Expanding on the work of other anthropologists who have tried to make sense of different forms of violence, we argue that violence is pervasive, ancient, infinitely various and a central fact of human life, but also poorly understood in general. At the same time and despite these "conceptual uncertainties", it is, among other things, "a cultural problem" which requires attention to the details of its meanings and enactments by social actors in particular contexts. Adopting Sherry Ortner's notion of "serious games", the workshop emphasizes the social aspects of violence through different case studies by arguing that it is shaped, maintained and appeased through the expression of personal and subjective experiences in connection with larger social actors such as the state, international organizations, transnational flows of finances, and the global media.

Proposal submission: http://www.nomadit.co.uk/easa/easa2012/paperproposal.php5?PanelID=1285
Call for papers: http://www.easaonline.org/conferences/easa2012/callforpapers.htm

OSI/University of Oxford is inviting applications for the scholarship program 2012-13‏

Open Society Foundations/University of Oxford Seek Applications from Students of Select Countries for the Scholarship Program 2012-13

Open Society Foundations in association with the University of Oxford is inviting applications for the scholarship program 2012-13 to provide outstanding students an opportunity to pursue one-year taught postgraduate courses of study at the University of Oxford in subjects relevant to the needs of their countries.

Funded by the OSF and the University of Oxford, these scholarships are a great opportunity to students who have potential to become leaders, decision makers and opinion formers in their home countries.

Scholarship Provision

Each award will provide for payment of academic tuition fees, college fees, a monthly stipend for living expenses sufficient for a single student, and other agreed allowances including one return economy airfare. No financial support or special provisions are provided for dependants or family members.

Eligibility Criteria

• Selected one year taught master’s courses within the University of Oxford’s Social Sciences and Humanities Divisions.
• Any scholarship awards are conditional upon you being offered a place to study at Oxford, and meeting all the conditions of that offer (e.g. obtaining the required score in English language proficiency).
• Applicants will be required to have passed an English proficiency test before being offered a scholarship. The minimum requirement for study on the eligible courses at Oxford is IELTS 7.5 (with minimum 7.0 in each component) or TOEFL – 630 (minimum Test of Written English score – 5) or Computer based TOEFL – 267 (minimum essay writing score – 5) or Internet based TOEFL – 109 or Cambridge Certificate of proficiency in English – B. Local representatives of Open Society Foundations will arrange tests for short-listed candidates after the interviews, if applicants have not already successfully taken a test in the 2 years prior to the interview.
• All applicants must have completed at least three years of BA course (in the Bologna system) or four years of university study and have obtained, or expect to obtain, the appropriate degree(s) not later than September 2012.
• Applicants must be citizens of and resident in one of the following countries during the academic year in which they apply for the award: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Georgia, and Montenegro. Applicants who are temporarily out of the country (for a total period of less than three consecutive months) may be treated as being resident.
• Applicants should be planning to return to their home country at the end of the period of study.
• Applicants should have a proven track record of success or excellence in their professional life distinguishing them from their peers and contemporaries and clear commitment to open society goals.

Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously studied in Western universities.

Please note that if you have applied, or are applying, for other grants, fellowships or scholarships with the Open Society Foundations you should alert to this in your application.  While you may apply under more than one scheme simultaneously, you can be awarded only one Open Society Foundations scholarship or grant for a given period.

Selection Process

Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview and an English language test in their home country in April 2012. Interviews will be carried out by representatives of OSF–London—in certain cases, there may also be a panel member representing the interests of the University. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of the scholarship competition in May/June 2012.

Please note that successful applicants will be invited to attend a one-month Academic Writing School organized by Open Society Scholarship Programs in Istanbul in August 2012.

Last date for submitting the applications is January 20, 2012.

For more information, visit this link.

Conference: Reducing complexity: transformation of capital cities (W129) EASA Nanterre, 2012‏

Just twenty years ago half of Europe hastily jumped from socialism towards capitalism. Reinforcing nationalism was one of the ways to overcome the transitional anxiety. The European version of cosmopolitan supra-national identity had and still has to compete with particular nationalist representations in the 'new' countries of a united Europe.
As most revolutions happen in capital cities, we seek for ethnographic accounts, that reveal the discrepancy between the imposition of the governmental symbolic order in the public space of capital cities, and creation of everyday lived spaces. Considering the symbolic power that capitals pose, the transformations of the public space in these cities can reveal the aspirations of the political elites in these countries. This panel will explore the responses to the post-1989 transformation of European capitals, as well as recent responses to the financial crisis, and constant threat of recession and economic downfall. We are interested both in the nation-state abuse of the idea of capital cities, and the production of appropriate political subjects. Following this, we will look at the resistance produced by ordinary citizens, artists, and other actors who exercise their right to create a public space that is an inclusive open democratic space.

http://www.nomadit.co.uk/easa/easa2012/panels.php5?PanelID=1360

Conference of the Society for Romanian Studies, Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, 2-4 July 2012‏

Call for Papers for the Conference of the Society for Romanian Studies (SRS)

Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, 2-4 July 2012

The SRS is an international inter-disciplinary academic organization based in North America

For information about SRS visit www.society4romanianstudies.org

The Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) is a sponsoring partner

Europeanization and Globalization: Romanians in Their Region and the World

More than two decades after the fall of communism and several years after Romania’s accession

to the European Union, Romanians, whether at home, in a growing diaspora around the world, or

by virtue of international economic and cultural networks, are continuing to find themselves

integrated into increasingly interconnected European and global institutions and practices. This

gradual process of integration into international networks and interaction with foreign powers

has been underway for centuries. States that occupied the territory of contemporary Romania and

Moldova came under the influence of more powerful neighbors, and stood at the crossroads of

both warlike and peaceful migrations. At one point most Romanian boyars spoke Greek, and in

the 19th century Romanian students often studied abroad as they are again doing today. In the

1920s and 30s, ethnic and religious diversity contributed both to Europeanization and to

domestic and international tensions. Then, the Soviet model played a major role in the imposition

of communism. The proposed focus of the 2012 SRS conference encourages historical, cultural

and contemporary inquiries into the place of Romanians and Moldovans in European and global

structures, while pondering the implications of these trends for the future.

Keynote Speakers:

· Dr. Tom Gallagher, Professor of the Study of Ethnic Conflict and Peace in the

Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford, UK

· Dr. Bogdan Murgescu, Professor in the Faculty of History, University of Bucharest,

Romania

We welcome proposals for papers, panels and round-tables coming from young and established

scholars working in history, sociology, anthropology, political science, philosophy, law,

linguistics, economics, business, religious studies, theater, literature, cinema studies, music, and

education.

Possible topics might include, but are not limited to:

· Romania and the European Union

· “Europe’s,” Russia’s, and Romania’s roles in the Republic of Moldova

· The social, political, and ideological implications of globalization in Romania and

Moldova

· Migration and diaspora within Europe, North America, etc.

· Consequences of EU accession

· Challenges to European and global integration

· Romanian writers abroad

· Romanian literature in translation

· The global reception of Romanian cinema, literature and art

· The Romanian/Jewish avant-garde in Zurich, Paris, Berlin

· Multinational enterprises in modern Romania and Moldova

· Minority cultures in Romania and Moldova (Roma, German, Hungarian, Jewish, Russian,

Ukrainian, Gagauz et al.)

· The construction of a European memory

· Romanian and Moldovan culture in the digital age

· The Romanian language mass media system in the panoply of world media models

· Journalism and political parallelism

· New and old forms of censorship and self-censorship

· Romanians’ and Moldovans’ historical encounters with “others”

· The image of the Roma/Jew/Hungarian/German among Romanians

Paper proposals should include the title of the presentation, a brief abstract of up to 500 words, a

short c.v., and the contact information of the presenter. They should be sent in a single attached

Word or PDF document by December 1, 2011, to Matthew Ciscel at CiscelM@ccsu.edu

Proposals for 2-hour panels including 3-4 papers, one chair, and 1-2 discussants should provide a

description of the panel topic, abstracts of papers, short c.v.’s and contact information for all

participants. Panel participants should be drawn from at least two different universities. 2-hour

round-tables of 3-5 participants will also be considered. The conference languages are English

and Romanian. Participants will be notified of the acceptance of their proposal by January 30,

2012.

In order to assure that the conference is accessible to scholars from across the Atlantic region and

to those from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, the conference fees will be quite modest.

For scholars from North America, the fee will be 40 USD; for those from the Eurozone and other

world regions, 40 Euros, and from Romania, Moldova, and post-Communist realms, 40

Romanian Lei. Graduate students will be exempt from this fee. SRS membership will also be

required and additional for those paying in USD and Euros, but included for those paying in Lei.

Postdoc Fellowships 2011/12 in Berlin, Zukunftsphilologie: Revisiting the Canons of Textual Scholarship‏

5 POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/13
(Location: Berlin / Closing Date: 10 January 2012)

The Berlin-based Forum Transregionale Studien invites scholars to apply for 5 postdoctoral fellowships for the research project
ZUKUNFTSPHILOLOGIE: REVISITING THE CANONS OF TEXTUAL SCHOLARSHIP

Zukunftsphilologie is a Berlin-based research project that aspires to support research in marginalized and undocumented textual practices and literary cultures with the aim of integrating texts and scholarly traditions from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East as well as from Europe itself. The project takes as its point of departure the increasingly growing concern with the global significance of philology and the potential of philology to challenge exclusivist notions of the self and the canon.

The project endeavours to promote and emphasize primary textual scholarship beyond the classical humanistic canon by a critical recuperation of philology. In an age of advanced communication, intellectual specialization and unprecedented migration of knowledge and people, the discipline of philology assumes new relevance. The project draws on the recent calls for a return to philology as particularly emphasized by Sheldon Pollock and the late Edward Said.

The title “Zukunftsphilologie” is inspired by the 1872 polemic between the classicist Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff and Friedrich Nietzsche on the method and meaning of classical studies. The project draws on recent calls for a return to philology as particularly emphasized by Sheldon Pollock in his essay “Future Philology?” and the late Edward Said’s essay “The Return to Philology”.

In order to promote historically-conscious philology, the project will encourage research in the following areas: the genealogy and transformations of philological practice, philology’s place in the system of knowledge (e.g. its relation to science, theology, and jurisprudence), philology and the university, and philology and empire. Zukunftsphilologie aims to examine the role mobility, calamities, expulsions, and natural catastrophes play in the dissemination and globalization of knowledge. How does the mobility of scholars, books, and manuscripts bring about scientific innovation (e.g. in tenth-century Baghdad, during the European Renaissance, or during the Ming dynasty)? What kind of knowledge systems are also displaced by these processes of reorganization? What transformations and translations accompany such mobilizations?

The project Zukunftsphilologie is associated with and located at the Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School for Literary Studies at Freie Universitaet Berlin. Zukunftsphilologie is directed by Angelika Neuwirth, Manan Ahmed and Islam Dayeh (all Freie Universitaet Berlin).

CANDIDATES

The fellowships are intended primarily for scholars of the major linguistic and philological traditions from Africa, Asia and Europe (for example, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, Sanskrit, Syriac, Turkish), whose research explores linguistic practices and disciplinary entanglements in intellectual and literary history, comparative linguistics, philology, religion and the history of science. The fellowships are intended for scholars who currently reside outside Berlin and who wish to carry out their research projects in the framework of the initiative Zukunftsphilologie in Berlin. Applicants should be at the postdoctoral level and should have obtained their doctorate within the last seven years. Fellows are given the opportunity to pursue research projects of their own choice, provided the topic falls within the research agenda of the project. In the overall context of the project Zukunftsphilologie, they will participate in regular working meetings of the project group as well as in lectures, conferences and summer or winter academies, organized by the project and by the Forum Transregionale Studien.

PROJECTS

Individual research projects should fall within the thematic framework of Zukunftsphilologie. Projects should have a comparative perspective, whereby the plurality of textual practices, polyphonic textuality, and the trajectories and genealogies of philological traditions since early modernity are examined.
Research projects focusing on intellectual debates, polemics, correspondences, and transregional encounters are especially welcome. In revisiting important philological debates, the goal is not to merely evaluate the argumentative worth of these debates, but to reflect on the wider cultural and political context in which these debates emerged and how they have shaped our knowledge of the past. Moreover, an examination of philological debates will shed light on marginal philological traditions and undocumented intellectual positions as well as the ways in which canonical positions were consolidated and normalized.

FELLOWSHIPS

start October 1, 2012, and will end on July 31, 2013. Shorter fellowship terms can be considered. Postdoctoral fellows will receive a monthly stipend of € 2.250 plus supplements depending on their personal situation. Organisational support regarding visa, insurances, housing, etc. will be provided. Successful applicants will be fellows of the project Zukunftsphilologie at the Forum Transregionale Studien and Associate Members of the Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School for Literary Studies. Through this association they will be integrated into the Department of Philosophy and Humanities at the Freie Universitaet Berlin and will have access to an academic milieu of literary and philological studies as well as to libraries and other research facilities.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

To apply, please send the following documents in English exclusively by e-mail as separate word or PDF files:

— a curriculum vitae
— a project description (no longer than five pages), stating what you will work on in Berlin if granted a fellowship
— a sample of scholarly work (maximum 20 pages from an article, conference paper, or dissertation chapter)
— a letter of recommendation from one academic faculty. It can be sent as a separate e-mail.

The application should be submitted in English and should be received by 10 January 2012, addressed to:

zukunftsphilologie@trafo-berlin.de

Forum Transregionale Studien
c/o Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin
Attn: Georges Khalil
Wallotstraße 19, D-14193 Berlin / Germany

Institutional Framework

The Forum Transregionale Studien is a new research platform of the Land of Berlin designed to promote research that connects systematic and region-specific questions in a perspective that addresses entanglements and interactions beyond national, cultural or regional frames. The Forum works in tandem with established institutions and networks engaged in transregional studies and is supported by an association of the directors of universities, research institutes and networks mainly based in Berlin. It supports four research projects: Zukunftsphilologie: Revisiting the Canons of Textual Scholarship, Rechtskulturen: Confrontations Beyond Comparison, Global Prayers: Redemption and Liberation in the City, and Europe in the Middle East—The Middle East in Europe. The Forum Transregionale Studien is funded by the Senate of Berlin.


INFORMATION

For more information on the Forum please see
— www.forum-transregionale-studien.de

For more information on Zukunftsphilologie please see
— www.zukunftsphilologie.de
— www.geisteswissenschaften.fu-berlin.de/en/friedrichschlegel/

Small Cinemas Conference, West University of Timisoara, 1-3 June 2012‏

Small Cinemas
Promotion and Reception
Timisoara, Romania, 1-3 June 2012

Organizing Institution: Center for Eastern European Film and Media Studies, West University of Timisoara, Romania, contact email: ceefms@gmail.com

Plenary Speakers: Dina Iordanova, Professor of Film Studies and Provost, St. Leonard’s College, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK; Janina Falkowska, Professor of Film Studies, University of Western Ontario, Canada.

The third annual international conference, Small Cinemas, brings together scholars and professionals from around the world to discuss the regional, national and international reception and promotion of small cinemas. We are interested in papers focusing on the status and the particularities of small cinemas’ audiences, film criticism, film scholarship, governmental support, festival participation, marketing strategies, and media outlets. The conference organizers understand the notion of “small cinemas” to be fluid and plural, including both documentary and fiction, from the cinemas of small nation-states to the small “postage stamp” films of mobile devices; from the cinemas of ethnic and religious minorities to the productions of minors and so-called “minor” authors.

Presentations are invited on any aspect of the reception and promotion of small cinemas. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

· The theorizing of styles, genres, new waves, and auteurship of small cinemas

· Journals, scholarly studies, collections, blogs

· Films in schools

· Stars and glamour

· Racial, ethnic, universal informed reception

· Internet, television and print media promotion

· Communal, regional, national, supra-national promotion

· Distribution, transmission, diffusion

· DVD sales and rental

· Dubbing and subtitling

· Co-productions, exports, imports

· Public and private financing

· Globalization and miniaturization

· Festivals

300-word abstracts and a short bio should be sent to Constantin Parvulescu, ceefms@gmail.com. Submission deadline: 1 February 2012.

Transforming Gender Orders - Intersections of Care, Family and Migration, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, 18-20 January 2012‏

Transforming Gender Orders: Intersections of Care, Family and Migration
18-20 January 2012, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main

Deadline for the registration 9 January 2012
URL: www.cgc.uni-frankfurt.de/genderorders

This international conference takes up the controversies about the
transformation of gender relations in the course of globalization
processes. It is organized in four panels covering three main areas:
care, family, and migration. These provide the background against which
the questions of whether gender relations and orders are shifting, how
they are shifting and in what direction will be debated.

Programme

Wednesday, 18 January 2012. 18.00-20.00

Opening Keynote Lecture: Prof. Dr. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo
Intersections of Care, Family and Migration – transformations of gender
relations (University of Southern California)

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Panel I: Changes in the Welfare State – Changes in Care Regimes

10.00-12.00

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger (University of Hamburg)
The role of migrants’ care work in different types of gender arrangement

Prof. Dr. Fiona Williams (University of Leeds)
Intersectionality and geo-politics in the analysis of migrant care and
domestic labour in Europe

Prof. Dr. Sonya Michel (Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars, Washington, D.C.)
State Compliance and Complicity? A Liberal Care Regime and
Anti-Immigration Forces in the United States

Chair: Prof. Dr. Sigrid Roßteutscher (CGC)
Discussant: Dr. Nicola Piper (University of Freiburg)

13.30-15.30

Prof. Dr. Sarah van Walsum (VU Amsterdam)
Exploring the dynamic between labour migration law and the labour rights
of domestic workers. A comparative perspective

Prof. Dr. Lise Widding Isaksen (University of Bergen, Norway)
Nordic Care- and Gender Regimes: Between Old Dependencies and New
“Independencies”?

Prof. Dr. Eleonore Kofman (Middlesex University, London)
Caring Professions, Welfare and Immigration Regimes in Europe

Chair: Prof. Dr. Ute Sacksofsky (CGC);
Discussant: Prof. Dr. Kirsten Scheiwe (Uni. Hildesheim)

Panel II: The Role of Women in Maintaining and Reproducing Repressive
Gender Orders

16.00-18.00
Prof. Dr. Anna C. Korteweg (University of Toronto)
Representations of Mothers in Media Reporting on Honour Killing:
Racialization and the Reinforcement of the Dominant Gender Order

Dr. Alice Szczepanikova (Goethe University, Frankfurt)
When Gender Order Comes under Strain: Chechen Refugee Women in Europe

Prof. Dr. Mirjana Morokvasic-Müller (Université Paris Ouest – Nanterre
la Défense)
Relying on Gender Order and Challenging it from Within

Chair: Prof. Dr. Uta Ruppert (CGC)
Discussant: Prof. Dr. Ilse Lenz (Ruhr University, Bochum)

18.30 Dinner reception for all Participants

Friday, 20 January 2012

Panel III: The Role of Men in the Transnational Division of Domestic Work

9.00 -11.00
Dr. Rosie Cox (Birkbeck College, University of London)
Gender identity/national identity: Narratives of home repairs and being
a ‘good Kiwi bloke’

Dr. Majella Kilkey (University of Sheffield)
Gender Orders in a Divided Europe: Towards an international division of
male domestic work

Dr. Francesca Scrinzi (University of Glasgow and CNRS, Paris) & Dr.
Ester Gallo (University of Edinburgh)
Men of the Home - Interrogating Masculinity in the International
Division of Care

Chair: Prof. Dr. Heather Hofmeister (Goethe University Frankfurt)
Discussant: Prof. Dr. Sabine Hess (University of Göttingen)

Panel IV: Change and Continuity in Intra-family Relations in the
Migration Process: Transnational Motherhood and the Families Left Behind

11.15-13.15

Prof. Dr. Helma Lutz & Dr. Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck (Goethe University,
Frankfurt)
The Care Curtain of Europe. The Global Care Chain Concept from a
European Perspective

Prof. Dr. Oded Stark (Universities of Klagenfurt, Bonn, Vienna and Warsaw)
Gender differentiation in care giving within the family, and migration
outcomes: a hypothesis

Dr. Bartłomiej Walczak (University of Warsaw)
Parental Roles in the Transnational Family: Transformation or Hibernation?

Chair: Prof. Dr. Susanne Opfermann (CGC)\
Discussant: Prof. Dr. Ursula Apitzsch (CGC, Frankfurt)

14.15-15.45

Dr. Cinzia Solari (University of Massachusetts, Boston)
Between “Europe” and “Africa”: Building the New Ukraine on the Shoulders
of Migrant Women

Dr. Kyoko Shinozaki (Goethe University, Frankfurt)
In the Absence of Mothers: Fathers' On-Site Parenting in the Global Care
Chains and their Dependent Migration from the Philippines to Germany

Chair: Prof. Dr. Kira Kosnick (CGC)
Discussant: Dr. Dobrochna Kalwa (Jagiellonian University, Cracow)

Final remarks: 15.45-16.00

Contact and Registration
transforminggenderorders@gmail.com
www.cgc.uni-frankfurt.de/genderorders

Deadline for the registration: January 9, 2012

Conference organisers

Prof. Helma Lutz
Dr. Alice Szczepanikova
Dr. Ewa Palenga-Möllenbeck
Women and Gender Studies
Goethe-Universität
Fachbereich Gesellschaftswissenschaften
Institut für Gesellschafts- und Politikanalyse
Robert-Mayer-Str. 5
60054 Frankfurt am Main