International Studies @ IU: REEI Calendar of Events 3/29-4/5

Moscow 1955. Stalin has been dead two years, but not even Khrushchev’s thaw can prevent Komsomol shock troops from hounding hipsters, fans of American jazz, culture and fashion. Buying their bright, colorful clothes on the black market, they must try to stay one step ahead of the drab, scissors-wielding government enforcers who look to tone them down and keep them in line. Winner of the “Nika” for Best Picture, Hipsters is a refreshingly inventive, jazz-centric take on the movie musical. (2012; 125 min) Co-feature: My Perestroika (free screening) March 31 at 8:00 pm in Woodburn 101.

Hipsters will be screened on campus on March 23, 24, 30 and 31 at 7pm at the IU Fine Arts Theater. There are off-campus screenings on Sunday, March 25 at 7pm at Bear’s Place and Thursday, March 29 at 6:30 in the Root Cellar Lounge at FARM restaurant.

2. Estonian Film: "Kinnunen"

7:15 pm, March 29

Swain East, 140

3. Russian Film: «Ночной дозор» с Алекс Хантер

5 pm, March 29

Woodburn Hall 118

7. Russian Film: “My Perestroika”

8:00 pm, March 31, Woodburn 101

8. Navruz (Celebrate the Central Asian New Year)

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm, April 1

Whittenberger Auditorium IMU

9. The Hungarian Cultural Association's Spring Picnic

12:00 pm, April 14^th

Bryan Park Henderson Street picnic shelter

The Hungarian Cultural Association's Spring Picnic will be held Saturday, April 14th at 12 noon at the Bryan Park Henderson Street picnic shelter. The Henderson shelter is near Henderson St. between Allen and Dixie streets, a 10-minute walk south of campus. There is a playground nearby. HCA will bring the basics for grilling, but if you can please bring some food to share! All food, Hungarian or otherwise, is appreciated.

TOP

Calls for Papers and Out-of-State Conferences:

1. Call for Papers: 4th Annual Yuri Lotman Days At Tallinn University

April 11, 2012

Tallinn, 8–10 June 2012

Do Texts Tell Lies?

Or: How to deal with unreliable sources

The Estonian Semiotics Repository Foundation at Tallinn University is announcing a call for papers for the annual conference, the 4th Yuri Lotman Days to be held at Tallinn University, 8–10 June 2012. The topics of our conferences are always linked to the rich scholarly legacy of Yuri Lotman. This year’s conference is inspired by Lotman’s seminal paper, “On the problem of dealing with unreliable sources”. We are going to discuss both the problem which is posed in this paper (must the researcher desist from attempts to interpret patently unreliable sources?), and a wider range of questions, which are connected with the fundamental issue in the humanities that “between” the fact and the researcher there is always a text. Thus, we intend to discuss the

following issues:

— the problems of selection and evaluation of sources in the humanities and social sciences;

— the possibilities and methods of studying apocryphal and counterfeit sources;

— the situations of “textual ambiguity” in establishing the definitive text (in literature, cinema, music, and other arts);

— the problems of textological, philological, historical and culturological interpretation of discrepancies between the sources.

The conference will include Russian-language and English-language panels. Each speaker is allotted thirty minutes (20 minutes for delivery and 10 minutes discussion). Those wishing to attend the conference and present papers are requested to apply, providing the following information:

— the title of their paper and an abstract (the abstract should not exceed 2000 characters, spaces included);

— a brief CV (name, surname, affiliation, degree, scholarly interests, up to 1000 characters, spaces included).

The applications in Russian should be sent to Mikhail Trunin: mikhailtrunin@gmail.com

The applications in English should be sent to Piret Peiker: piretpeiker@hotmail.com

The participant abstracts will be selected by the organising committee based on their merit and suitability for the conference. The applicants will be informed about the results by 25 April 2012. All conference events are free of charge, and there is no conference fee. The participants are expected to travel on their own expense and responsibility.

2. Call for Nominations: 2012 International Tracing Service Seminar

Due: April 13

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies invites applications for the 2012 International Tracing Service Seminar: Poland and Ukraine during and after World War II in the Records of the International Tracing Service Collection.

The fifth in a series of programs created to encourage the use of the recently opened archival holdings of the International Tracing Service (ITS), this year’s seminar seeks to acquaint doctoral students and faculty specializing in Poland and Ukraine with the substantial parts of the ITS collection that relate to these countries.

Applications are welcome from doctoral students and faculty in all relevant academic disciplines, including history, political science, literature, Jewish studies, psychology, sociology, geography, and others.

During the seminar, staff scholars will assist participants in exploring portions of the ITS collection relating to Poland and Ukraine. Participants will focus especially on records concerning (1) forced and slave laborers in the German war economy; (2) Nazi Germany’s expansionist and genocidal policies; and (3) the postwar experiences of displaced persons and refugees from Poland and Ukraine. Participants will also have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the Museum’s library and archival resources and to explore the ITS collection.

For more information

3. Call for Articles: History of Communism in Europe

Due: April 15

The forthcoming issue of History of Communism in Europe will focus on the topic of Communism, Nationalism and State Building in Post-War Europe.

The emergence of communism as praxis after the Second World War overlapped with the need of certain nations to reinforce their claim for statehood. This gave rise to a series of historical phenomena that reshaped post-war Europe. In this context, any research on these transformations must address a series of questions: What is the role of national ideology in postwar state formation? How do various ideologies (e.g. communism and nationalism) interact in the complex processes presupposed by state building? Is there a pattern of state formation in communist Europe in comparison with Western Europe or elsewhere? If so, which were the short and long term consequences of it within a post-conflict landscape? Which narratives of identity were employed as post-1945 Europe took shape? Which were the incumbent tensions as a Soviet bloc of socialist nations came about? Nevertheless, the main issue to be addressed remains that of the differences that appeared from 1945 onwards between the institutionalization of communist polities on the basis of national communities and the consolidation of a supposedly unitary camp of Marxist-Leninist regimes. Moreover, at the end of the day, the legacies of the second half of the twentieth century could be better explained if analyzed from the point of view of the tribulations of nationalizing nation-states (to use Rogers Brubaker’s coinage) across the East and West divide.

The next issue of History of Communism in Europe welcomes original contributions that discuss and engage such general issues apparent from the interplay of communism and nationalism in the context of state-building. Ideally, the authors should address the topics in question from a comparative viewpoint. The editors encourage young scholars, in particular, to make use of historical, cultural, and political information recently available with the gradual opening of the archives in Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, former GDR or various states of the former Yugoslavia and the USSR.

Senior scholars, junior researchers and PhD students are invited to submit their proposals on one of the following topics:

*Internationalism vs. Nationalism

*Sovietization and Empire Building in Eastern Europe

*Socialist Nations and Contemporary Theories of Nationalism

*Socialist Patriotism and Soviet Hegemony

*Nation Building in Post-war Europe

*Cultural Transfers

*Politics of Homogenization

*Narratives of Identity in Literature, Science, and the Arts

*Ethnic Minorities, Self-determination, and Socialist States

*Myths of Origins: Continuities Beyond 1945

*Communist Constitutions

*Modernity, nationalism and communism

You may submit your proposals at: office@iiccr.ro or marius.stan@iiccr.ro.

Selected authors will be notified by April 15th. The deadline for the final draft of the paper is June 1st, 2012.

4. Call for Articles: The Semiotics Of August In The 20th Century

Due: April 15

The New Literary Observer, is currently featuring the working title “The semiotics of August in the 20th century”.

This special edition is a continuation of a large-scale NLO project that aims to apply an anthropological perspective in rethinking the processes of transformation of modern societies, to formulate new interdisciplinary approaches to studying human history, and to work up a new scientific paradigm capable of stimulating the development of up-and-coming practices in the humanities

The edition will investigate the extent to which the life of the private individual has fundamentally changed as a result of the global cataclysms of the 20th century: the world wars, intellectual, social and scientific-technological revolutions and the geopolitical reshaping of the world.

The “short” 20th century, according to Eric Hobsbawm, opened in August 1914 and ended in August 1991. Upon closer inspection, we see that in the last century August constituted a deeply symbolic time (especially for Russia) – many events of profound importance, which determined abrupt turning-points in history, took place in that very month. With reference to well-known dates, we can present a basic periodicisation of the 20th century as follows:

1. August 1914 (beginning of the First World War) – August 1939 (beginning of the Second World War) 2. August 1939 – August 1945 (end of the Second World War) 3. August 1945 – August 1968 (invasion of Soviet tanks into Czechoslovakia, student unrest in Europe) 4. August 1968 – August 1991 (disintegration of unified Communist space)

While acknowledging the conditional character of such a periodicisation, we nevertheless believe it to be a useful tool to use in realising the basic aim of the investigation. Our task lies in testing the validity of the generally accepted opinion, that the beginning of the First World War marked the end of the belle epoque and a radical break with the existing value system, way of life and goal-setting of modern European society of the previous period.

Our particular interest in Augusts as the high points of social bifurcation in the 20th century was dictated by our belief that it is precisely at such moments of the collapse of civilisation that the hidden carcass of culture reveals itself, that is, the whole multiform system of customary lifestyle and values-based practices hit hardest by the change. In his attempt to re-establish the disintegrated sense of continuity, the private individual tries to reconstruct the traditional order of things, while at the same time inevitably reformulating and transforming tradition itself.

We propose to analyse how, in the midst of the elemental process of the normalisation of life at key moments in the world cataclysms of the 20th century, the private individual gave meaning to and recreated his existence in the totality of personal and social ties. For instance, we will examine modifications in:

- relationships between friends, lovers, family members, professionals and partners;

- everyday practices, lifestyle, habitat;

- the selection of beliefs, ethical values and behavioural models;

- the boundaries between the public and private sphere;

- individual and collective memory;

- forms of social stratification and mobility;

- individual and collective identity:

- intellectual and artistic reflection (scientific discoveries and the concept of the human being, the value of human life, the boundaries between nature and culture, etc.) .

From the point of view of the anthropological approach, each of the above-mentioned historical periods and overall:

- in which spheres of the private individual's life did the most radical changes take place?

- where did the customary framework for existence remain unchanged despite global catastrophes and revolutionary discoveries?

- what is the correlation between “loss” and “gains”?

- what are the differences in the new life experience of people living in “open” and “closed” societies?

- how traditionally do the documents from this period being used by the researchers reflect the depth and essence of the changes?

New Literary Observer

Publishing House

Tel./fax: (495) 229 91 03

e-mail: info@nlo.magazine.ru

5. Call for Papers: Socialist Realist Art: Production, Consumption, Aesthetics

Due: April 20

Stockholm, 19-20 October 2012

Socialist Realist Art: Production, Consumption, Aesthetics is an International Conference, sponsored by the Center for Baltic and East European Studies, Södertörn University, Stockholm, in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art, Stockholm.

Since the early 1990s, there has been a striking growth of interest in the legacy of Soviet Socialist Realist art, which has reshaped our understanding of it in fundamental ways. A substantial body of research has demonstrated that the method of Socialist Realism was a highly creative and diversified cultural arena that was both heterogeneous in its pictorial strategies and often conflicted and ambivalent in its representations of the social and political messages of the day. Yet the label 'totalitarian' continues to influence the ways in which Soviet art is interpreted and contextualised, limiting our understanding of Socialist Realism and obstructing its integration into a broader narrative of twentieth-century art.

In the proposed conference we seek to examine the interests and influences which contributed to the development of Socialist Realism as a diverse and contested field of art from the 1930s

to the 1980s. Participants will be invited to focus on aspects of Socialist Realist fine art production, evaluation and consumption in order to consider the ways in which artistic conventions of pictorial representation were established, adapted and transformed to reflect the changing nature of the Soviet project. This approach will facilitate a shift away from the tendency to draw conclusions about Socialist Realism based on a limited number of canonical works of art and acclaimed artists, and will encourage a reappraisal of the diversity and originality of creative output in its formal, stylistic and geographical variations.

Proposed topics may include (but should not be restricted to) the following:

· How did Socialist Realist art develop over time and according to changing sociopolitical contexts? On what basis should specific periods can be identified, for example “Stalinist” or “post-Stalinist” art?

· What were the variations in Socialist Realist art beyond Moscow and Leningrad: across the different parts of the RSRSR and the other SSRs? How did the centre-periphery relationship function in the Soviet art world?

· Who were the audiences for Socialist Realist art and how was fine art consumed in the Soviet Union?

· What was the role of the art critic in the definition of artistic merit? How was value and significance ascribed to works of art in the absence of an art market?

· What was the role of the state in the definition of Socialist Realist art and how was the interface between artists and art world authorities managed?

· What was the status of minor genres within the canon of Socialist Realist art (e.g. landscape, still life, personal portraiture) and what new and hybrid genres emerged?

· How did artists seek to manipulate the development of Socialist Realism according to their own aesthetic preferences and agendas?

· How did Socialist Realist art in the USSR relate to broader international narratives of Realism in the visual arts of the twentieth century?

· How did Soviet Socialist Realism relate to the art sponsored by other authoritarian regimes, in the inter-war period and after? Is “totalitarian art” a viable concept?

· How did the ideas and methods of Socialist Realist art relate to developments in other fields of cultural production in the USSR and vice versa? Was Socialist Realism a uniform canon, or did it vary across the fields of art, literature, music, film, architecture and so on?

Proposals for Papers

We invite proposals dealing with these or related themes. Proposals should include your name, institutional affiliation, email address, proposed paper title, 150-word abstract and

short curriculum vitae. Post-graduate students are encouraged to apply. Successful applicants will be asked to submit a conference paper of around 3000 words for pre-circulation before

the conference.

Participants will be asked to cover their own travel expenses. We are currently exploring possibilities for support for accommodation expenses. The submission deadline for proposals is 20 April 2012. Applicants will be informed about acceptance by around 1 May 2012.

Contacts For general questions and further information, please contact Mark Bassin (mark.bassin@sh.se). Please submit proposals via email to Oliver Johnson (o.johnson@sheffield.ac.uk)

6. Call for Papers: “Representing the Past in Architecture”

Due: April 30

October 8-11, 2012, Vilnius

The conference is organised by the Herder-Institut (Marburg), the Lithuanian Institute of History (Vilnius) and the Nordost-Institut (IKGN e.V., Lüneburg).

Short Description of the Theme of the Conference:

In 2001 Lithuanian government decided to begin rebuilding the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, which was completely destroyed at the end of the 18th century. Among many things this (re-)construction indicated a search for the new/old history, for the country’s self- assertion, for the state’s representation, as well as manifested one of the ways in promoting new post-Soviet Lithuanian national identity. This example, however, was not unique: one can recall the rebuilding of the Royal Castle in Warsaw in the 1970s, or recent discussions about the restoration of the Stadtschloss in Berlin.

However, some scholars tend to argue that such resurrection of historical structures in contemporary time is more than a mere act of representation. As French philosopher Jean Baudrillard has pointed out, such objects become simulacra which not just represent, but rather simulate or imitate certain aspects of the past, and at the same time are imbued with particular contemporary meanings and connotations. Therefore, among the questions that we would like to discuss during the event are: What impact do the rebuilt structures have on the historical perception and formation of identities? How do they represent or simulate the past? What old and new connotations can be identified in the object(s)? Why were these particular structures chosen to be rebuilt? Therefore one of the main aims of the conference is to discuss such examples of (re-)constructed histories, which are expressed not only in different architectural forms, but also monuments, city planning, parks, squares, etc.

Under such general guidelines the organisers of the upcoming interdisciplinary conference cordially invite young scholars (up to the age of 35) to present and discuss their cases. Framework for the discussions will also be guided by presentations given by several keynote speakers. Even though our primary focus is on Central, Eastern and Northern Europe, yet other relevant proposals pertaining to the topic will be considered too.

Travel (only within Europe) and accommodation costs will be covered by the organisers. The language of the proceedings is English.

A short description of the proposed conference paper (1-2 pages, preferably in Word) together with your CV should be sent to: Dr. Heidi Hein-Kircher, Herder-Institut Marburg, forum@herder- institut.de. The closing deadline for applications is April 30, 2012.

7. Call for Papers: 12th Aleksanteri Conference: Competition and Good Society - the Eastern Model

Due: April 30

24th-26th October 2012, Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland

The link between competition and good society has seldom been extensively discussed on any international academic forum. Since the 1980s there has been vivid political discussion of and rivalry among the varieties of capitalist models. The ongoing Western economic crisis with

political decision-makers’ discord, a growing sense of social insecurity and global demonstrations all point out how cutting-edge this topic is. Hence, we aim to discuss competition and competitiveness not primarily in the economic context but, more importantly, in reflection to societal life. We are interested in what kind of preconditions competition creates for welfare, social justice, equality and culture, in addition to how competition affects changes on the level of mentality and ideas – subjects that have been greatly neglected.

The purpose of the 12th Aleksanteri Conference is to generate academic research and discourse on this subject. The focus of the conference is on the Eastern angle. Its aim is to discuss how people in Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, and even further in the East in Central Asia and

China understand the preconditions of a good society and what role competition plays in it as well as how competition is reflected in the semantic systems and the cultural structures of these countries. Especially the area that faced the enormous task of building a new social system after the collapse of socialism had to redefine its relation to market forces, competitiveness and social well-being. What are the experiences of this societal development after twenty years? Are

the Eastern models divergent or convergent with the varieties of Western capitalism? What are the norms, limitations and practices of competition in the diverse Eastern models? How has the understanding of competition changed after the Second World War? Can we find continuities of ideas, practices or mentalities rooted in the communist past and Cold War period that still affect these issues?

We call for contributions from a wide range of disciplines in social sciences and humanities since the aim is a fruitful interdisciplinary discourse.

Conference Schedule And Deadlines:

Proposals for panels (500 words): April 30th, 2012

Abstracts for individual papers (300 words): April 30th, 2012

Notification of acceptance: May 31st, 2012

Publication of the conference programme: June 30th, 2012

Conference: October 24-26th, 2012

Please submit your abstract and contact information through the abstract

submission form: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/32730/lomake.html or panel proposal submission form:https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/32733/lomake.html. For further assistance or more details, please see the conference website : http://www.helsinki.fi/aleksanteri/conference2012/, or contact the Conference Coordinators at fcree-aleksconf@helsinki.fi.

8. Call for Papers: International Symposium “Media and Value Priorities of Society”

Due: April 31

10-14 September 2012, Sunny Beach Resort, Bulgaria

The Symposium is organized by Science and Education Foundation (Bulgaria), Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov, Moscow State University (Russia) and Faculty of Journalism, Saint Petersburg State University (Russia). All materials and articles of the Symposium will be published in journal “International Scientific Publications: Media and value priorities of society” (www.science-journals.eu).

Click here for additional information regarding organization and schedule of the symposium.

9. Call for Papers: International Conference: World War II, Nazi Crimes, and the

Holocaust in the USSR

Due: May 15

December 7-9, 2012 Moscow, Russia

The National Research University Higher School of Economics; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies; the Blavatnik Family Foundation;

the Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs and the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto; the German Historical Institute

Moscow; the Centre franco-russe de recherche en sciences humaines et sociales de Moscou; Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History; and Georgetown University's Center for

Russian and Eurasian Studies and Department of History, with the support of the Centre d'études des mondes russe, caucasien, et centre-européen at the École des hautes études

en sciences sociales, invite applications for a conference on World War II and the Holocaust in the Soviet Union.

In the past decade, three related fields, each interdisciplinary in its own right, have developed exponentially but sometimes in isolation: the study of wartime Stalinism, the study of the Nazi

occupation of Soviet territories, and the study of the Holocaust in the East. This conference will bring together the latest research conducted in all humanities and social science disciplines in order to foster new analytical perspectives and cross-fertilization in these and other key areas. The conference seeks to highlight new research in such areas as evacuation, refugees, and displaced persons; atrocities, mass killing, and mass graves; forced and slave labor; the dynamics of complicity, collaboration, and various forms of resistance; everyday life on the front and under occupation; understudied victims; occupier perspectives on the War and the Holocaust, including such acts as the starvation of Soviet POWs, and their contributions to the history of National Socialism; new perspectives on the Soviet wartime experience and the impact

of war on the Soviet system; the study of the Soviet home front; Soviet-German interactions and entanglements, both in specific locales and in systemic terms; the cultural politics of representation and commemoration in the aftermath; gender; and communities and identities forged around the unprecedented experiences of war on the Eastern Front in World War II.

The conference is intended to be interdisciplinary. Proposals for new,original, and previously unpublished papers are welcome from scholars in all relevant academic disciplines, including from doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy. Applicants interested in presenting a paper should be currently researching or completing projects exploring the topics and issues listed above, broadly understood. Successful applicants will be required to submit a copy of their presentation in advance of the conference for circulation among commentators, other panelists, and conference participants. The conference will be conducted in English and Russian. Simultaneous translation will be provided.

The deadline for receipt of proposals is May 15, 2012. Participants will be selected and notified no later than June 1, 2012. To propose a paper for this conference, please send: (1) a cover letter addressing your specific interests in the study of World War II and the Holocaust in the Soviet Union; (2) your curriculum vitae; and (3) an abstract of no more than 500 words of your proposed paper to Krista Hegburg, Program Officer, Center for Advanced Holocaust

Studies, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, at khegburg@ushmm.org, and to Dr. Galina Zelenina, Senior ReseaHistory and Sociology of World War II, the Higher School of Economics,

Moscow, at gzelenina@hse.ru.

Submissions must include the speaker's name, institutional affiliation, current position, contact address and email. Proposals may be in either Russian or English, but Russian-language proposals should include an English abstract or summary. Applicants may apply individually or suggest a panel. Applicants who are accepted may submit their full-length papers in either English or Russian. For applicants whose papers are accepted and indicate that they need

financial support, the conference organizers will provide lodging for the duration of the conference and a stipend to help defray transportation costs.

A limited number of junior scholar travel stipends will be available to partially defray costs for graduate students and junior scholars from post-Soviet states to attend the conference. Applicants must be advanced graduate students or recent Ph.D. recipients no more than three years beyond conferral of their degree, and must reside in one of the countries that formerly comprised the Soviet Union. Scholars enrolled in graduate programs or teaching at universities outside of these countries are not eligible for junior scholar travel stipends.

To apply for a post-Soviet junior scholar travel stipend, please submit: (1) a curriculum vitae that indicates your current academic affiliation; (2) a statement of interest of not more than 750 words addressing your specific interest in attending the conference, background in the area of study, and how attendance will benefit the candidate's research, teaching, or future publications; and (3) a supporting letter from an academic advisor, department chair, or dean that addresses the candidate's qualifications and research as well as his/her potential as a scholar to Krista Hegburg, Program Officer, Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, at khegburg@ushmm.org.

Statements of interest and CVs must be submitted in English; theupporting letter may be submitted in either English or Russian. The deadline for receipt of application for the junior scholar travel stipends is June 1, 2012. Participants will be selected and notified no later than July 1, 2012.

10. Call for Papers: Decadence or Renaissance? Russian Literature since 1991

Due: May 18

24-26 September 2012, St Antony’s College, Oxford University

Keynote speakers: Mark Lipovetsky (University of Colorado, Boulder), Irina Prokhorova, head of New Literary Observer, Mikhail Shishkin, novelist

What have been the main achievements in Russian prose and poetry of the past twenty years, both inside and outside the ‘motherland’? And what have been the most interesting and innovative tendencies in literature of this period? Beyond a handful of familiar names, new Russian writers remain little-known and little-read, both within Slavic studies and among the

general public. ‘Decadence or Renaissance?’ is intended to advance knowledge and understanding of Russian literature of the post-Soviet period among scholars, publishers and translators. We especially welcome proposals for papers that map neglected aspects of Russian fiction and poetry of the last twenty years, whether individual works or writers, themes or techniques. Equally welcome are considerations of the evolution of the ‘literary process’ in the past two decades: topics may include, for example, the role of critics and publishers; the shifting status of ‘elite’ and ‘mass’ literature; and the role of the literary journals, the Internet and commercial venues in the development of new writing. We also invite papers that consider

how and to what extent Russian literature since 1991 has been represented in English translation.

We look forward to receiving your proposals. Abstracts of 300-400 words should be submitted to oliver.ready@sant.ox.ac.uk and nina.kruglikova@gmail.com by Friday, 18 May. Please send any enquiries about the conference to the same addresses. The language of the conference will be English, and papers should last no longer than 20 minutes. Pending the outcome of funding applications, we hope to be able to cover the cost of speakers’ accommodation and meals, and to offer a few travel bursaries to selected postgraduate speakers. It is hoped that the best papers to emerge from the conference will be collected in a volume of articles edited by Oliver Ready.

11. Call for Papers: Post-Atheism: Religion, Society and Culture in Post-communist Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Due: June 01

February 7-9, 2013, Tempe Arizona

The Melikian Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at Arizona State University is pleased to announce an international conference on "Post-Atheism": Religion, Society and Culture in Post-communist Eastern Europe and Eurasia, to be held on the ASU campus in Tempe, Arizona, February 7-9, 2013.

The conference is designed to address one of the most fascinating and controversial issues of the post-communist world of Eastern Europe and Eurasia-namely, the new public role of religion in society and culture. Is there separation of church and state in today's Eastern Europe,

Russia or Eurasia? Are Iranian-like theocracies a possibility in some regions? Is the forceful entry of religion into the public sphere just a fleeting fashion or a deeper phenomenon of lasting importance? How has religion been reintroduced into the Academy and public education? Is

religion being used to replace the ideological and epistemological vacuum left by the collapse of the dominant communist ideology in matters of social policy and morality? What are the relationships between a dominant religious faith tradition and minority confessions (often stigmatized as "destructive sects") in a given country?

The conference is intended to generate sustained debate and discussion on a variety of perspectives relating to all the major faith traditions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism) of the region, from Central and Southeastern Europe to Russia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, and Mongolia. We will also welcome panels/roundtables/individual

presentations dealing with non-traditional religious movements and transnational religious currents. Conference lodging will be provided, and limited funding will be available to support international travel.

While we are open to other topics, we specifically invite individual and panel proposals on the following themes:

* Religion, National Identity and Conflict: The Role of Religious Actors in Framing Ideologies of Nationalism and Transnational Globalization; Ethno-religious Conflict and Peacemaking.

* Religion and Policymaking: Clerics and Religious Institutions in the Public Arena.

* Religion as a Business: Religious Institutions as Economic Agents.

* Religion and Education: Theology vs. Religious Studies in the Academy; Religion in Public Education.

* Religion, Sexuality, and Gender: Patriarchy, Gender Equality, and LGBT Issues in Modern Religious Culture.

* Religion and Culture: Popular Culture, Literature, TV/Film, Folklore.

Please send us a brief (250-word limit) abstract of your individual paper/panel proposal and a one-page bio or CV. Contact: Alexei Lalo, Research Administrator, ASU Melikian Center

(alalo@asu.edu). Stephen Batalden, Director, ASU Melikian Center (stephen.batalden@asu.edu)

12. Call for Papers: Perspectives on the “Great” War (Rückblick auf den Ersten Weltkrieg)

Due: September 1, 2012

August 1-4, 2014, Queen Mary, University of London

The key-note speakers will be:

- Professor Elza Adamowicz (London)

- Professor Christopher Clark (Cambridge)

- Professor Jonathan Steinberg (Pennsylvania)

- Professor Sam Williamson (Sewanee History Project)

Broad Topics:

Political and military history; colonial history; social and cultural history; religious history; medical science and technology; historiography; discourse analysis; legacy, memory and

21st-century cultural reflexes. Within these areas, the following perspectives have presented themselves for debate:

- the perspectives of Germany and Austria, Great Britain, the U.S.A, Ireland, the Middle East and India, Australia and New Zealand, the African colonies of both Germany and Britain; the

Balkan, Polish and Russian perspectives and the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese perspectives

- the Jewish perspective

- confessional perspectives

- the perspectives of occupied territories

- gendered perspectives

- the perspectives of artists, including Otto Dix, A.Y. Jackson

- the perspectives of various authors, including Bertha von Suttner, Alfred Döblin, Ernst Jünger, Robert Musil

- the Nazi perspective

Within the above broad topics and perspectives, papers on the following specific themes have been offered: British cinema, tourism, advertising, art, literature, memory, occupation, resistance, espionage and collaboration

Abstracts: Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words, including references. It will be of great assistance to the organisers if proposals are as concise as possible (i.e. fitting onto one sheet of A4 paper). A conference web-site will be set up very shortly and we will send a link to all those colleagues on our mailing list. We also hope to organize an H-Net (or similar) presence very soon. Our university will be able to provide some funding, but cannot promise to fund the entire event or pay speakers' expenses. We may therefore have to charge a fee to cover our internal

expenses, but we will keep this as small as possible. We will charge a reduced fee for students.

Once we have drawn up a provisional programme we will be able to apply for additional funding from the usual suspects. In the past we have received funding from the German Embassy, the Austrian Cultural Forum and Queen Mary's School of Languages, Linguistics and Film. Any further ideas as to whom we may approach (or, indeed, generous offers of support!) will

be welcomed. At our last conference we were awarded a grant just one week before the conference took place and we were therefore able to pay for all meals, so there is always hope that we will find generous sponsors if we keep trying.

We cannot promise to publish all conference papers, but we intend at the very least to produce one collection of refereed articles. We will compare this with those from other publishers over

the following months. Further desiderata, Someone to speak on digital resources; for more German and French colleagues to hear about the event; offers of collaboration from interested institutions. Please continue to address all inquiries to Prof. Felicity Rash f.j.rash@qmul.ac.uk

or Dr Falco Pfalzgraf f.pfalzgraf@qmul.ac.uk.

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Funding, Grants, and Scholarships:

1. SWSEEL: The Summer Language Workshop at Indiana University

SWSEEL is still accepting applications for intensive language study in summer 2012!

The priority deadline has passed, but we encourage applications for admissions and FLAS and Title VIII funding. Late submissions of FLAS and Title VIII applications will be considered after the first round of applications has been reviewed and pending availability of funds.

Classes carry 6-10 credits. All students pay in-state tuition. Tuition is waived for graduate students in BCS 1, Czech, Hungarian and Romanian.

Russian Level 1 and all levels of Arabic begin May 29. All other courses begin June 4. Classes end July 27. 4 and 5-week options are available for Russian (ending on June 29).

See http://www.indiana.edu/~swseel/ for more information and to apply.

Questions? Please contact Marianne Davis (swseel@indiana.edu or 812-855-2889).

2. Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellowships in Central European Studies

Due: March 30

The Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellowships in Central European Studies enable each year two outstanding scholars to conduct research on important issues related to Central Europe at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C. The third pair of Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellows will be appointed for a nine (9) month period from October 2012-June 2013.

For 2012-13, the Center is particularly interested in receiving applications that deal with any of the following:

The impact of sovereign debt crisis and the economic crisis on the countries of central and eastern Europe

· The future of the western Balkans

· Energy security issues

· 'Frozen' or 'festering' conflicts in central and eastern Europe

· The role of central and eastern European countries in transatlantic approaches to common challenges.

For details, please see the call for applications (PDF).

3. George Washington University Visiting Fellowship on Russia’s Global Engagement

Due: April 15

The Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs (http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/) a competition for one Post-Doctoral Scientist position for the academic year 2012-13.

The Post-Doctoral Scientist will spend approximately 50 percent of time on his/her own research and the other 50 percent serving as Russian-language editor for the website of the Program on New Approaches to Research and Security in Eurasia (PONARS Eurasia, http://www.ponarseurasia.org). The Russian-language website will include translations of PONARS Eurasia material, so as to make this material more widely accessible to the Russian-speaking community, and a Russian-language blog. Responsibilities will include supervising and ensuring the quality of translations of PONARS Eurasia material on the website (separate translators will do the actual translation) and soliciting regular entries (at least 2 posts a week) for the blog from PONARS Eurasia members and other qualified experts on important global issues concerning Russia and Eurasia, as well as reaching out to other Russian-language media outlets. The Post-Doctoral Scientist is expected to be in residence at IERES for the entire period of the fellowship and contribute actively to IERES’s lively intellectual community through participation in the institute’s seminars, talks, and other events.

Candidates must have native-level fluency in Russian speaking and writing; enjoy fluency in English and have a record of English-language publications; possess a Ph.D. or Kandidat Nauk (Russian candidate of sciences) degree; and have a scholarly professional background. Candidates should have a superb grasp of global issues and debates concerning Russia and Eurasia. Non- U.S. citizens are welcome to apply. The Post-Doctoral Scientist will receive a taxable stipend of $4,000/month (plus benefits) for 10 months (beginning in August or September 2012). IERES will also cover the cost of one round-trip air ticket and visa fee.

To apply, candidates should apply to Posting Number Staff - 000865 at www.gwu.jobs/postings/search. The cover letter should include a description of the research the applicant plans to conduct and their vision for the Russian-language PONARS Eurasia website (including ideas for the blog). The deadline for receipt of all application materials is April 15, 2012. This position is funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

4. Postdoctoral Position in DFG Research Training Group (“Graduiertenkolleg”) 1681 “Privacy. Forms, Functions, Transformations”

Due: June 15

The DFG Research Training Group 1681 “Privacy. Forms, Functions, Transformations” is embedded in the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Law at the University of Passau.

The Research Training Group is currently offering a Postdoctoral Position (m/f) beginning in August 2012 and limited to a period of two years. The remuneration will be based on the tariff contract for civil service employees (E 13 TV-L).

For further information please contact: Prof. Dr. Dirk Uffelmann (uffelmann@uni-passau.de)Katharina Kühn (katharina.kuehn@uni-passau.de) For more information, see below:

In its research activities, the Research Training Group focuses on the concept of ‘privacy’ because of its current societal and scientific relevance. It aims at reconstructing the concept of privacy with the overall aim of a comprehensive theory of privacy, describing its parameters and interaction with other concepts.

Duties and responsibilities: The Postdoc will fill the position of a specialist intermediary: She or

he will therefore serve as a mediating agent between the doctoral candidates and the university lecturers involved in the Research Training Group in order to effectively bring together their various perspectives and interests. The Postdoc will also provide practical assistance to the postgraduates regarding their organisational skills with respect to methodical questions and effective time management of PhD projects. Moreover, the prospective Postdoc will help organize workshops and give specialist seminars within the framework of the Research Training Group’s academic programme.

For further information please refer to our website: http://www.uni-passau.de/3420.html?&L=1.

5. Serbian Language and Cultural Workshop Scholarship

Due: May 1

Scholarships for Students of Serbian and other Slavic languages. Summer School of Serbian Language and Culture - July 14th - August 4th and August 4th - 25th, 2012, Valjevo, Serbia

More Info

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Language Tables and Coffee Hours:

1. Friday, March 30: Czech Language Table

5 pm, Bear’s Place

2. Friday, March 30: Russian Language Table

5 pm, Bear’s Place

3. Friday, March 30: Serbo-Croat Language Table

6:00 pm, Bub's (480 North Morton Street)

4. Saturday, March 31: Ukrainian Language Table

2:00 pm, Laughing Planet

Ukrainian Salo Hour every Saturday 3pm Laughing Planet

5. Monday, April 2: Hungarian Coffee Hour

5:30-6:30 pm, Pourhouse Café, 314 East Kirkwood Avenue.

Weekly coffee hours are held at 5:30 pm in the Pourhouse Café at 314 East Kirkwood Avenue just across from the Monroe County Public Library. Speakers of all levels are encouraged to come—we range from 1st year students to native speakers. It’s a great opportunity to practice (and share) your Hungarian, bring ideas for future events and have a good time.

6. Tuesday, April 3: Finnish Coffee Table

5:30pm, IMU Starbucks

7. Thursday, April 5: Estonian Language Table

5:30 pm, Pourhouse Café, 314 East Kirkwood Avenue

8. Thursday, April 5: Romanian Language Table

7:00 pm, Yogis

9. Thursday, April 5: Polish Table

6:00 pm, Runcible Spoon

The weekly Polish table is held at the Runcible Spoon, at 6pm. Please come join Professor Justyna Beinek and Polish instructor Basia Morcinek for conversations with Polish speakers of all levels.

International Studies @ IU

Friday, March 30, 2012

REEI Calendar of Events 3/29-4/5

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