Call for Papers Archive – American Research Institute of the South Caucasus

Call for Papers from 2018 and before

Entangled Encounters: Antiquity and Modernity in Armenian Studies

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2019 (All day) to Friday, March 29, 2019 (All day)
Location: CMES, 38 Kirkland, Room 102, Cambridge, MA 02138

Conference website: https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/entangledencounters
Direct link for CARAT application: https://carat.fas.harvard.edu/applicant/newApplication?applicationPurposeId=14&fundingSourceId=7167

Armenian Studies means different things to different people. This conference aims to bring scholars of diverse time periods in this field into conversation with one another for reciprocal enrichment. We welcome graduate student projects that explore the mutually constitutive relationship between ancient and modern Armenian culture. Each paper should grapple with intersecting elements of both past and present. In the spirit of collaborative cooperation, invited faculty members will also foster mentorship within the field of Armenian Studies by participating actively in panel discussion. Questions to consider might include (but are not limited to):

How can knowledge of Classical and Middle Armenian enrich the study and instruction of modern Armenian?
How might the presence (or loss) of ancient physical structures and archeological sites affect the contemporary Armenian psyche?
What happens to artifacts from the ancient Armenian world when they are taken out of their context of creation centuries later?
How are myths, symbols, characters, and stories from Armenia’s history revivified and redeployed by modern authors?
How can modern theories of economics be used to explain geopolitical shifts in the ancient Armenian kingdoms?
How might studying ancient Armenian art inform modern art criticism?
What can the challenges to and accomplishments of the contemporary Armenian Church reveal about the durability, continuity, and individuality of ancient Apostolic theology?
How do performances of traditional folk songs and dances reflect patterns of Armenian migration, resistance, and assimilation?
How does a quest to study the ancient Armenian past demand evolution in modern technology?

Abstracts should be no more than 250 words and applications should be uploaded to CARAT by December 15, 2018. Results will be announced by January 15, and completed papers must be submitted for discussant review by March 15. Limited travel funding may be available for accepted participants. Inquiries should be directed to Dr. Lisa Gulesserian (lgulesserian “at” fas. harvard. edu) and Julia Hintlian (julia_hintlian “at” mail. harvard. edu).

Visby Programme Scholarships for PhD studies and postdoctoral research

The fellowship allows applications from PhD students, postdoc or senior researchers from one of the countries included in the EU Eastern Partnership or Russia, interested in a research visit to Sweden

The scholarship provides PhD students, postdoctoral and senior researchers with an opportunity to conduct research at Swedish universities. Researchers within all academic disciplines may apply. To qualify you need to belong to one of the following categories:

PhD student – PhD students/candidates applying for one long-term visit of 6, 9 or 12 months.
Postdoctoral researcher – Postdoctoral researchers applying for one long-term visit of 6, 9 or 12 months. Holders of a PhD degree, preferably from 2014 or later.
Senior researcher – Holders of a PhD degree who do not fit into the category of postdoctoral researchers, above, applying for one long-term visit of 6 months maximum.
Sandwich model – PhD students, postdoctoral and senior researchers applying for a scholarship over several shorter visits. Maximum three research visits per year, over three years. You may apply for the total number of months as specified for each category above (minimum 6 months). Each visit must be minimum 1 month. The scholarship visit(s) must be carried out by the end of 2021.

Deadline for application: 12 December 2018.

For additional information, please visit: https://si.se/en/apply/scholarships/visby-programme-phd-postdoc/?fbclid=IwAR3PA_I0X20jBEMpH0ELAI38053NnrzTAFRCblNj8OMeaBd0hDNMBoJn_Co

The conference dedicated to the 130th Anniversary of Shalva Nutsubidze

Institute of Philosophy at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University organizes the International Conference dedicated to the 130th Anniversary of prominent Georgian philosopher translator and public figure Shalva Nutsubidze- one of the founders of TSU.

Dates : 14-15 December, 2018
Venue: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, 1 Chavchavadze Ave, Tbilisi, Georgia
Working languages: Georgian and English

Deadline for submitting applications: November 30, 2018

The conference is dedicated the Centenary of TSU.

The conference embraces all fields of Philosophy, religious, medieval and cultural studies, anthropology, philology, history, education, arts, literature, etc.

The aim of the conference is to:

* support the development of scientific- academic values and knowledge;

* provide scientific and educational activity in fields of Philosophy, medieval, religious and cultural studies, anthropology, Philology, history, education, arts, literature, etc. on a professional level;

* convoke academicians and young professionals who are interested in philosophy, theology, Medieval, religious and cultural studies, etc; issues and stimulate their scientific work;

* Strengthen links with other universities with philosophy, theology, medieval, religious and cultural studies’, etc. programs and coordinate collaboration of Georgian and foreign scientist.

Organizers: TSU Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Philosophy

For additional information, please visit: https://www.tsu.ge/en/government/administration/departments/pr/news/onpo8nEIHEdMpnCOH/

Workshop on Academic Writing and Publishing in the New Digital Environment

Organizers: Institute for Gender Studies at Tbilisi State University, Gender Studies Center at Ilia State University
Co-sponsor: American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC)
Dates: 4 June 2018
Venue: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Working Language: English

Institute for Gender Studies at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and Ilia State University invite faculty, MA and doctoral students to participate in the workshop on “Academic Writing and Publishing in the New Digital Environment” organized on June 4, 2018 in Tbilisi, Georgia. The workshop will be delivered by Professor Alisse Waterston, Presidential Scholar and Professor of Anthropology, City University of New York, with facilitators Maia Barkaia and Tamar Sabedashvili, Gender Studies Programme, TSU.

The aim of the workshop is to provide graduate students and faculty of Tbilisi State University and Ilia State University a deep understanding of the state of scholarly journal and book publishing today, and to assist participants in developing skills and strategies for writing both peer-reviewed journal articles and books, and new, public forms of digital scholarship that is in dialogue with non-academic as well as academic audiences. Toward these goals, the workshop will familiarize participants with current publishing processes and outlets. For academics today, to successfully publish requires familiarity with the larger context of contemporary scholarly publishing that has in recent years undergone enormous shift. These changes have direct impacts on scholars who seek to publish and accordingly, to advance their careers in the academy. To successfully publish also requires familiarity with diverse epistemological, methodological and compositional (writing) approaches in contemporary scholarship, as well as knowledge of topics of current debate in leading journals. Knowledge and awareness of these issues will lead to more conscious choices about the fit between a scholar’s work and the publishing venues available.

The workshop will involve identifying specific exemplary articles to be analyzed and explored for key elements, including writing style, framing a research question, and conceptual, methodological, and analytical innovation, and “workshop” (draft, share, critique, revise) participants’ own writing and peer-reviewing efforts.

The workshop will consist of four segments: (1) The state of scholarly publishing: obstacles and opportunities; (2) Writing and publishing scholarship: rationales, goals, and approaches; (3) Towards writing and publishing; (4) “Work-shopping” a written piece.

Maximum number of participants: 20

Minimum requirements for eligibility:

Represent the following social science or humanities fields: anthropology, history, sociology, political sciences, gender studies, journalism, psychology;
Be an MA or doctoral student or have PhD degrees in abovementioned field
Have English-language proficiency

Applicants must submit the following set of documents:

Application form
Statement of Interest in English. Please explain your specific interest in publishing and what you hope to get out of the workshop
Short (2 page) CV in English with the contact details of one reference.

The applications must be submitted in one combined file (MS Word or PDF) no later than May 4, 2018 via following e-mail address: genderinstitute[at]tsu.ge

In the subject line of the e-mail, please indicate: “Workshop on Academic Writing and Publishing.”

The successful applicants will be notified by May 10, 2018.

For additional details, please contact us via: genderinstitute[at]tsu.ge or m.barkaia[at]css.ge

The event is co-sponsored by American Research Institute for the South Caucasus (ARISC). ARISC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or status as a covered veteran.

CfP: VI International Scientific Conference “Space, Society, Politics”

The international Conference “East Europe as a Multi-Cultural Space” is held as a part of the research in the Humanities, and will focus on the post-soviet politics and its impact on the culture in Georgia. The conference will take place in Batumi, Georgia.

Keynote speakers: Tinatin Margalitadze, Edith Clowes, Lincoln Mitchell, Vasili Rukhadze

Proposals for panels are very welcome. They will be highlight at the conference.

The conference will feature panels in the following areas:

Politics and Governance in East Europe – which will concentrate on the political reflections on the culture – literatures, language, translation, art, films, social culture etc.

Following topics are offered but not limited to:

Language and language politics, the idea of nationality
Politics, writing, ideology:the Black Sea region.
Construction of identities in literature and translation – spanning from the classics to :the postmodern
Literature, translation and exile: writers and poets from ex-communist countries, postcolonial turn
Ethnic conflicts involving Georgia and reflection on the culture
Modern liberalism and conservatism in East Europe in the new cultural turn
Evolvement of the political thought in the post-communist space since 1991 and social and cultural development

Translation Studies will be a one of the special focal points of the conference, as it has been part of the cultural and literary studies, apart from the linguistic approaches, not much has been contributed to the specifically to the texts of the minority languages of their translation into the dominant language of the Soviet Empire. Could we hear authentic voices in the translations? Can we now?

Scientific Committee

Edith Clowes, University of Virginia

Vasili Rukhadze, Jamestown Foundation. UPenn

Marine Giorgadze BSU

Tinatin Margalitadze TSU

Marine Beridze, A. Chikobava Institute of Linguistics.

Lincoln Mitchell, Columbia University

Bela Tsipuria, Iliauni

Khatuna Beridze, BSU

Julia Trubikhina, Hunter College, CUNY

Ramaz Kurdadze, TSU

Ramaz Khalvashi, BSU

Working languages – Georgian, English, Russian

We invite 300-word abstracts for 15-20 minute presentations.

Please send an abstract in Georgian, English or Russian to the organizing committee by 1 May 2018 via following e-mail: beridze@bsu.edu.ge

For additional information, please visit: http://ssp.tsu.ge/en/venue

CfP: The Black Sea as Multi-Cultural Space – Pontus Euxinus

On October 5- 6, 2018, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University and Batumi Art State Teaching University organize an international conference “The Black Sea as Multi-Cultural Space – pontus euxinus.” The conference is held as a part of the Research in the Humanities, and will focus on the post soviet politics and its impact on the culture in Georgia. The conference will take place in Batumi, Georgia. Proposals for panels are welcome.

The conference will feature panels in the following areas:

Politics, Governance and Policy in The Black Sea region – which will concentrate on the political reflections on the culture – literatures, language, translation, art, films, social culture etc.

Following topics are welcome, but papers outside this list will be also accepted:

Ethnic conflicts involving Georgia and reflection on the culture;
Evolvement of the political thought in the post soviet space since 1991 and social and cultural development
Elites after communism; the ex soviet states / The Black Sea region
Modern liberalism and conservatism in the post soviet countries and Eastern Europe – in the new cultural paradigm
Political Impact on Writing:Cultures, Literatures and Translation
panels dedicated to discussing individual writers and poets from ex soviet countries
various themes: construction of identities in literature
translation and exile
history, literature, translation and interdisciplinary research theoretical approaches including gender studies.

Translation Studies will be a one of the special focus of the conference, as it has been part of the cultural and literary studies, apart from the linguistic approaches, not much has been contributed to the specifically to the texts of the minority languages of their translation into the dominant language of the Soviet Empire. Could we hear authentic voices in the translations? Can we now?

We invite 250-word proposals for 15-20 minute individual presentations or one-hour panel discussions with up to 4 speakers on the topic of borders, place, and translation, broadly conceived.

One-hour panel discussions with up to 4 speakers on the topic of borders, place, and translation.

Scientific Committee

Edith Clowes, University of Virginia
Vasili Rukhadze, Jamestown Foundation. UPenn
Tinatin Margalitadze
Marine Giorgadze
Khatuna Beridze
Ramaz Kurdadze
Ramaz Khalvashi

Working languages – Georgian, English, Russian

Please send an abstract of 250-300 words in English to the organizing committee through the following e-mail: beridze[at]bsu.edu.ge

Deadline: June 1, 2018

CFP: The 6th CRRC Methodological Conference – How Evidence-based Urban Policy Can Make Cities Inclusive, Just, and Livable

Tbilisi, June 22, 2018

The aim of the “6th CRRC Methodological Conference: How Evidence-based Urban Policy Can Make Cities Inclusive, Just, and Livable” is to discuss the role of empirical research in urban policies to make cities more inclusive, just, and liveable. Often urban policies fail because the authorities and the policy makers equally neglect empirical evidences. Indeed evidence-based urban policy may not and should not be considered as the single solution to acute problems contemporary cities face. However, integrating empirics into policy creation and implementation process could arm decision-makers with better tools of understanding societal, technological, and political challenges materializing in contemporary cities.

The conference will bring together local and international researchers to discuss innovative practices in empirical research and their application to the empirical study of urban issues. We invite papers that discuss various aspects of urban studies. Preference will be given to potential presenters who apply innovative approaches to studying urban issues empirically. Presenters are expected to highlight the application of quantitative and/or qualitative methods to the study of the policy making process in urban spaces, analysis of policy outcomes, or assessment of the impact of a particular policy. To achieve high quality discussion and feedback for presenters, a limited number of papers will be accepted.

Workshops: Parallel workshops will be organized during the conference which will discuss innovative methods for policy-oriented applied social science research. CRRC welcomes proposals for workshops concerning experimental and quasi-experimental research design, dealing with missing data, data visualization, and other relevant research methods and tools.

Language of the conference – English.

Submission:Applicants are required to submit an abstract online via the abstract submission form by March 18, 2018. Abstracts should be a maximum of 500 words long, and should include the following:

– Title of paper;
– Three to five keywords;
– Main author’s name, title, affiliation, address, telephone, and email address;
– Co-authors’ names and affiliations, if applicable.

To submit an application for a workshop, please send your CV and a tentative outline of the workshop to: applications “at” crrccenters. org by March 18, 2018.

Important dates:
Submission of abstracts and workshop proposals – March 18, 2018
Notification of pre-acceptance – April 6, 2018
Submission of full papers and workshop presentations – May 8, 2018
Notification of final acceptance – May 25, 2018

Financial Support: CRRC will provide up to three nights of lodging for the participants not based in Tbilisi, and lunch and dinner at the conference venue to all participants. Ground transportation will be provided for all participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The cost of airfare for participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan will not be covered. Please note that CRRC offers a limited number of scholarships covering travel and accommodation expenses to support postgraduate students and early career researchers from outside the South Caucasus, who need financial support in order to present at the conference. Scholarships will be granted based on the quality of submitted papers and available budget. Meanwhile, CRRC encourages international scholars to search for travel grants from other sources. CRRC will cover transportation and accommodation costs of workshop leaders who are not based in Tbilisi.

About the Organizer: CRRC-Georgia is a non-profit research organization, which collects, analyzes and publishes policy relevant data on social, economic and political trends in the country. CRRC-Georgia, together with CRRC-Armenia and CRRC-Azerbaijan, constitutes a network of research centers with the common goal of strengthening social science research and public policy analysis in the South Caucasus. The network has 15 years of experience providing researchers, the government, donors, NGOs, and the private sector with research methodology, data and analysis to assess critical trends and expectations in Georgia and across the region. For more information about CRRC, please visit: http://www.crrc.ge/;http://caucasusbarometer.org.

If you have any further questions, please contact:
Address: CRRC-Georgia, 1 Liziko Kavtaradze Street (former 5 Chavchavadze Avenue), 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia
Email: applications “at” crrccenters. org (Indicate Methodological Conference in the subject line)
Tel: +(995 32) 250 52 90
http://crrc.ge/en/article/call-for-proposals-the-6th-crrc-methodological-conference—how-evidence-based-urban-policy-can-make-cities-inclusive-just-and-livable/324

CFP: The Caucasus and Central Asia in Conversation: The Importance of Stories and Archives from the Soviet and Post-Soviet Periphery

The Second Annual Ralph T. Fisher Workshop at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
June 15-16, 2018
Co-Conveners: Eva Rogaar (UIUC) and Ben Bamberger (UIUC)
fisherworkshop “at” gmail. com

The Caucasus and Central Asia have often been understood through the lens of the Russian center, in terms of the categories that emerged from Moscow and St. Petersburg, and through the centralized archives and libraries that many scholars have used to study these regions. This workshop explores what can be gained—conceptually and methodologically—by centering the archives and stories from these regions. How can we transcend a history of the Caucasus and Central Asia that has defined these regions primarily in terms of their relationship with the Russian center? How do we create such histories without overemphasizing the centrality of the nation as a category of analysis? How can we write transnational and local histories that go beyond both the nation and the binary of center and periphery?

Key to these questions is the role of sources and methodology. What constitutes a peripheral archive and how does an insistence on such archives and stories upend or complicate our understandings of the Caucasus and Central Asia as regions? What peripheral stories can be found in central archives and spaces? What are the challenges involved in finding and using such stories?

For this second annual Fisher Workshop, we welcome contributions from scholars that address these larger questions within their own research to engage in discussion and work-shopping of pre-circulated papers over 2 days. Contributions are not limited thematically, but should relate to the Soviet or post-Soviet Caucasus and Central Asia. Please send a 300-500 word abstract on your paper topic and a short CV by March 1st, 2018 to fisherworkshop “at” gmail. com.

All applicants who are also interested in the University of Illinois’ Summer Research Lab (http://www.reeec.illinois.edu/srl/) are strongly encouraged to also apply to the SRL, as SRL participants are eligible to apply for travel, housing, and stipend funding, which can be used to attend the workshop and support research in the world famous Slavic, East European and Eurasian collections (https://www.library.illinois.edu/ias/spx/) at the University Library. We will also have limited funds available to defray the costs for other participants. Please note in your application if you would like to apply for travel and/or housing funding.

https://reeec.illinois.edu/programming-and-events/summer-research-laboratory/fisher-workshop-caucasus-and-central-asia/

CFP: 50th Annual ASEEES Convention
Convention Theme: Performance

Celebrating ASEEES’ 70th Anniversary  Boston, MA | December 6 – 9, 2018 [Please note that the dates are later than usual]
www.aseees.org/convention

The Proposal Submission closes on February 28, 2018: www.aseees.org/convention/cfp  ALL submissions – panel, roundtable, individual paper, lightning round presentation, and meeting request submissions – are due by Feb.28.

Rules for Participation: Please carefully review the rules for participation: www.aseees.org/convention/rules

Panelists Wanted Boards: We are anticipating a large number of proposals for the 2017 Convention. Individual paper submissions will have a MUCH LOWER chance of being accepted than panel/roundtable proposals. We STRONGLY encourage all interested participants to form, or become part of, a panel proposal. To assist in the process of forming panels, we have created the Panel/Paper Wanted Board. If you are looking for a panel to join or a paper presenter for your panel, please review the proposals on the online board. You can also indicate your willingness to volunteer as chair or discussant.

Membership Requirement: ALL individual paper and lightning round presentation submitters and panel/roundtable organizers in the US and abroad MUST be ASEEES members in order to submit a proposal. Please review the membership rules for participation. Renew your membership today: www.aseees.org/membership/individual.

With any inquiries about the convention, please contact Margaret Manges, the convention manager, at aseees.convention “at” pitt. edu If you need assistance logging into the ASEEES members site or are experiencing other technical difficulties, please contact aseees “at” pitt. edu

CFP: “Reflecting on Nation-Statehood in Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia”
Tartu Conference on Russian and East European Studies

Deadline: February 20, 2018
Conference: June 10-12, 2018

You are invited to submit proposals for panels, roundtables and papers for the Third Annual Tartu Conference on Russian and East European Studies on 10-12 June 2018, Tartu, Estonia under the theme “Reflecting on Nation-Statehood in Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia.” The Tartu Conference is a venue for academic discussion of the fundamental cultural, social, economic and political trends affecting all aspects of people’s life in Russia and Eastern Europe. Inaugurated in June 2016, this forum brings together scholars from across multiple disciplines, from the region and beyond. As in previous years, the organizers expect the number of participants to reach or exceed 200. The year 2018 marks a century since the introduction of nation-statehood as the main frame for political, cultural and economic life for the peoples of Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. While the discursive and cultural roots of nationhood go back at least another one hundred years, until the First World War the region was dominated by three multi-ethnic empires. Their collapse was a decisive moment which established popular sovereignty as the key organizing principle. Its implementation, however, took decades and, in more than one sense, is still incomplete. While remaining the principal foundation for democracy, nation-statehood continues to present a broad range of intellectual challenges until this day. Please find the full details of the Call at the conference website: https://sisu.ut.ee/tartuconference/call-papers

CFP: The Birch
Undergraduate Journal of Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies

Deadline: February 10, 2018

The Birch Journal, run by Columbia University undergraduates, is the first national undergraduate journal dedicated to Eastern European, Eurasian, and Slavic studies. The Journal invites undergraduates to submit essays concerning the culture and politics of the region, as well as literary criticism, creative works (short stories, memoirs, poems, translations), and artwork or photography, to be published both in print and online in our upcoming edition. If you are an undergraduate, anything you may have written for a class in the field of interest may be accepted for publication! Submissions are being accepted until 11:59pm on Saturday, February 10th, 2018.
http://www.thebirchonline.org/submissions/

“Divided over European Values? Normative Cleavages in the South Caucasus and the Impact of the EU – Russia – Turkey Value Discourse”

Second Annual Convention, Tbilisi (Georgia), 12 – 13 April 2018
Ilia State University and New Vision University

Following the First AESC Convention at Yeditepe University in 2017, the Second Annual Convention will take place in Tbilisi from 12 – 13 April 2018.

This topic will deal with the differentiating impact of Europeanisation in the post-Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia following the signature of Association Agreements in 2014 and the refusal by the Armenian government to sign it. We will discuss the possible internal as well as external factors for this cleavage from different disciplines. A second focus of the Convention will be value discourses between the EU, Turkey and Russia, in particular how they reverberate into the South Caucasus. Finally, we would like to discuss the role of the new EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy on developments in the wider region.

The Convention will be hosted by Ilia State University and New Vision University.

The AESC Programme Committee will accept proposals for panels (max. 3 presenters, max. 2 discussants), roundtables (max. 5 participants), individual presentations and also poster presentations. A special feature will be “junior presentations” by advanced B.A. and Master students in the panel format (max. 5 participants). Presentations from all angles of European Studies including the relevant mother disciplines are welcome. Please send a one-page abstract as well as the proposed composition of your panel / roundtable (if applicable)

by 8 February 2018 (extended)

to the Programme Committee, c/o kruessmann.thomas “at” gmail. com.

Participation in the Second AESC Annual Convention is free! Please also join us at http://aesc-online.eu. Membership in the AESC is free for citizens from the wider region.

AESC is an initiative of the Jean Monnet Network “Developing European Studies in the Caucasus” (DESCnet) under the leadership of Tartu University. For more information on DESCnet, please visit http://descnet.eu.

CFP: European and Eurasian Undergraduate Research Symposium

Deadline: January 26, 2018
Conference date: April 13, 2018

On Friday, April 13, 2018, we will sponsor the annual European and Eurasian Undergraduate Research Symposium at Pitt. Modeled after traditional academic conferences, this event will give students the opportunity to present their research papers on Europe, Russia and/or Eurasia to discussants and an audience. Please encourage your outstanding undergraduate students to apply to participate in the Symposium. Limited travel grants are available to help defray expenses for accepted participants located outside of the Pittsburgh region.

For more information, click here.

CFP: Midwest Slavic Conference

Deadline: January 16, 2018
Conference date: March 23-25

The Midwest Slavic Association and The Ohio State University Center for Slavic and East European Studies are excited to announce the Call For Papers for the 2018 Midwest Slavic Conference that will be held at Ohio State on March 23-25, 2018. We invite proposals for panels or individual papers addressing all topics related to Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Eurasia and Southeastern Europe.

The Conference will open with a keynote address by Tara Zahra (University of Chicago) on her latest book The Great Departure: Mass Migration from Eastern Europe and the Making of the Free World, on Friday, March 23rd. Two days of panels will follow the keynote address.

Building on the topic of the keynote address, this year we also invite papers or panels that focus on migration from historical or contemporary perspectives. The conference will open on Saturday morning with a plenary panel “Borders, Barriers, and Belonging: A Spotlight on Global Migration” that will feature five migration experts who will discuss mobility in five world regions. There will also be a lunchtime lecture given by Michael Biggins (University of Washington) on Slavic literary translation.

Abstracts and CVs are due on January 16 and can be submitted to csees “at” osu. edu.

The state of the art: the anthropology of art and the anthropology of the state

What is the place of art and aesthetics in the anthropology of the state? What is the place of the state in the anthropology of art? The second question seems more universal in a comparative ethnographic perspective — the state is a recognizable artistic patron across societies — while the first seems denote legacies of authoritarianism and state socialism. Existing scholarship in this field takes its cue from Benjamin’s observations about the ‘aestheticization of politics’ under fascism, as well as from the role of art, from constructivism to socialist realism, in Soviet-type societies. This line of research is contingent on the understanding of art as a specific modern cultural concept, one that isolates aesthetics as an autonomous field and re-assembles it with politics in specific locations. However, this view holds neither for contemporary art, which critiques this ‘purely aesthetic’ perspective, nor for the contemporary anthropology of art — specifically for Alfred Gell’s reconceptualizaton of art as a form of agency. How might the relationship of the anthropology of the state and the anthropology of art look like given these two advances? What, from this point of view, is the relationship between the state and political aesthetics today? In what ways might contemporary governance be approached as an art? What is contemporary political art, and what are modalities of contemporary politicized art? The panel seeks a comparative exploration of these questions that would draw on a broad range of ethnographic case studies.

Conveners:
Nikolai Ssorin Chaikov (Higher School of Economics in St Petersburg) nssorinchaikov “at” hse. ru
Michal Murawski (Queen Mary, University of London) g.m.murawski “at” gmail. com

ART, MATERIALITY AND REPRESENTATION
Conference of the Royal Anthropological Institute, co-organized with the British Museum and School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
London 1-3 June 2018
Panel PO65 The state of the art: the anthropology of art and the anthropology of the state
To propose a paper: https://nomadit.co.uk/rai/events/rai2018/conferencesuite.php/panels/6122
Deadline for paper proposals 8 January 2018

Caucasus Survey: Caucasus Barometer Research Pre-Acceptance Special Issue
Deadline extended to December 31, 2017!

The Caucasus have been contested by large powers for centuries. Today is no exception, and common opinion has it that Georgians are predominantly pro-Western, while Armenians favor Russia. Although elite preferences are clear, with Georgia signing onto DCFTA and Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Customs Union, how do the Georgian and Armenian publics see the current state of affairs? For example, has the West or Russia maintained or lost their appeal among publics in the region, and what are the correlates of appeal? How justified are the stereotypes of “pro-Western Georgia” and “pro-Russian Armenia”? Do people bring the geopolitical into their everyday interactions, and if so under what circumstances, in what theatres, and on what issues? Do people separate personal identity from geopolitical narrative? What type of variation exists within Armenia and Georgia among population sub-groups?

To answer questions such as these, Caucasus Survey is adopting a pre-registration model of article acceptance using Caucasus Barometer data for one Special Issue. The Special Issue addresses questions relating to Perceptions of the Caucasus in the World, a broad theme dealing with questions of how publics in the Caucasus view their position in the world. Article pre-acceptance is when authors write an article, prior to obtaining the data (based on the questionnaire only), submit their paper to peer review without results, and it is accepted or rejected based on the merits of the research question and research design without reference to the actual results of the analyses. The special pre-acceptance mechanism is currently accepting thematic papers only. Papers must deal in some manner with how residents of the Caucasus view their place in the world using Caucasus Barometer data.

The Caucasus Barometer, a cross-national representative survey of the population of the Southern Caucasus, is carrying out Wave 10 of the survey in Fall 2017. CRRC has already released pre-test questionnaire and will release the final Caucasus Barometer 2017 questionnaire over three months before the data itself is released in early February 2018. Only data from Armenia and Georgia will be released for this special issue. The survey has questions specifically designed for this competition and the thematic area. During this time scholars will have the opportunity to design research based on the Caucasus Barometer questionnaire and submit their design and an accompanying article to Caucasus Survey without results.

We particularly encourage young and emerging scholars to participate in this competition. Articles selected for publication come with a 500 USD reward and the opportunity to win a 1,000 USD reward the Open Science Foundation (OSF).

You can submit an article to the pre-acceptance competition before December 31, 2017.

For more information, see http://caucasusbarometer.org/en/caucasus-barometer-research-pre-acceptance-special-issue/

CFP: Linguistic and Literary Studies on the Caucasus

Date: 25-May-2018
Location: Verona, Italy
Contact Person: Daniele Artoni
Meeting Email: linglett.caucaso “at” gmail . com

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics; Historical Linguistics; Ling & Literature; Sociolinguistics

Language Family(ies): Armenian; Armenian-Romani; Daghestanian; East Caucasian; Kartvelian; Northwest Caucasian; Turkic

Meeting Description:
On Friday 25th May 2018, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and the PhD Programme in Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at the University of Verona will host the inaugural “Linguistic and Literary Studies on the Caucasus” study day. This study day aims to connect scholars interested in the Caucasus from a linguistic and/or literary perspectives.

Two separate sessions will be dedicated to Linguistics and Literary Studies respectively.

Call for Papers:
We invite to submissions on the Caucasus in either Linguistics and/or Literary Studies as oral papers or posters, with the latter being the preferred modality.

In particular, we encourage to submit papers linked to the following topics:

Linguistics:
– Caucasian languages and languages spoken in the Caucasus, diachronic and synchronic aspects
– Sociolinguistic issues
– Studies on the lexicon and contact phenomena
– Formal approaches to Caucasian languages

Literature:
– Literary traditions in the Caucasus
– Texts written in the Caucasus
– Travel literature in the Caucasus
– The Caucasus in other literatures, especially Russian and Persian literatures
– Contemporary literature in the Caucasus

English and Italian will be the working languages of the study day.

Candidates are requested to send an e-mail to linglett.caucasogmail.com, with the following information: name, surname, affiliation, current position, title of the paper,
preferred modality (oral paper or poster). The abstract with the word limit of 300 words is to be attached as a separate pdf file.

Deadline for abstract submission: 20 November 2017.

CFP: Con-CALL “Continuing the Journey: Strengthening the Central Asian Language Community”

Deadline: November 3, 2017

The Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region at Indiana University will be hosting the 3rd Conference on Central Asian Languages and Linguistics (Con-CALL-3) from March 2-4, 2018.
The main goal of ConCALL is to bring together experts across the fields to focus on research into how these specific languages are represented formally, as well as acquired by second/foreign language learners and also to present research driven teaching methods.

For more information, please see http://www.iub.edu/~concall/

CFP: International Interdisciplinary Symposium In Honor of Ilia Chavchavadze

Deadline: October 30, 2017

The event is dedicated to the 180th Anniversary of the birth of Ilia Chavchavadze – a prominent Georgian writer and a public figure later also canonized as a saint. The topics of the papers are not limited to the name of Ilia Chavchavadze alone but they can come from any field within the area study embracing the epoch and cultural space that Ilia Chavchavadze lived in (anything related to Georgia, Russia and Eurasian area of the 19th-20th cc is welcomed). The Symposium will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia on December 12-13, 2017.

For more information, visit https://sites.google.com/site/iliachavchavadze2017/home

CfP: 16th Annual Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies

University of California, Los Angeles, Friday, February 2, 2018
We enthusiastically invite graduate students and recent post-docs (Ph.D within the last two years) in fields associated with Armenian Studies (broadly defined) to present their recent research. Work in progress is encouraged. Research papers are accepted on all aspects of Armenian studies, including, but not limited to: literature, history, gender studies, sociology, anthropology, economics, and art history. We encourage comparative themes and interdisciplinary approaches. Panel submissions are also welcome.

Thanks to a generous donation, a $500 prize will be awarded for the best paper presented on an aspect of the history and culture of the Armenian community of Salmast, Iran.

Applicants should submit abstracts of no more than 250 words and their curriculum vitae by September 30, 2017. Abstracts should provide a brief description of the work, clearly outlining the theoretical perspectives and methodology to be applied in the paper.

Please note that a 20-minute time limit for presentations will be strictly enforced (roughly 8-10 pages double-spaced). Invited participants will be required to submit a draft version of their full presentation by December 10, 2017.

Priority of acceptance will be given to those who have not presented at the colloquium before. Limited travel grants will be available to assist those who would otherwise be unable to attend. Travel grant applications will be sent to all invited participants.

Those with questions may contact the Planning Committee at: agsc “at” ucla.edu

For the full call and application form, see http://nelc.ucla.edu/agsc/call-for-papers/

CFP: “The Caspian Sea in the History of Early Modern and Modern Eurasia”

April 6-8, 2018
Yale University

The Program in Iranian Studies at Yale welcomes submissions for a workshop in April 2018 to explore the dimensions of the Caspian Sea as a geographical frame for historical study. The workshop asks whether the Caspian functions as a conceptual framework for various forms of exchange in commerce, diplomacy, political culture, forces of dissent and revolutionary movements, movement of peoples, material culture, art, and literature as well as ecology, disease, navigation and maritime culture. Are there tangible historical ties in the early modern and modern periods between regions of the Caspian littoral – Iran, the South Caucasus, Dagestan, Russia, and Central Asia? In what ways do exchanges in this region connect to neighboring, more established cultural and political spheres and with broader trends of global history? Can these ties create a viable field of study beyond Middle Eastern, Eurasian, and Russian studies to underscore interregional connections? Can the Caspian be conceptualized as an alternative or as a compliment to more established frames, such as the Persianate World or Central Eurasia and the steppe? To what extent can the links within this region be separated from state-centered histories of Iran and the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union?

Papers may explore novel conceptual and theoretical approaches as well as case studies with broader historical implications. Please send proposals (synopsis and a resume) by August 15, 2017 via email to Lora LeMosy of the Yale Council for Middle Eastern Studies – lora.lemosy “at” yale. edu

CFP 1917: Revolution, Resistance and Radicalism in the Atlantic

1917: Revolution, Radicalism, and Resistance in the Atlantic World

18^th Annual International Graduate Student Conference on Transatlantic History

The University of Texas at Arlington

Date of Conference: October 19-21, 2017

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2017

Keynote Speakers: Dr. Erik S. McDuffie

Dr. Julia L. Mickenberg

The Transatlantic History Student Organization, in collaboration with Phi Alpha Theta, the Barksdale Lecture Series, the History Department, the Africa Program and the College of Liberal Arts, is sponsoring the Eighteenth Annual International Graduate Student Conference on Transatlantic History.

Transatlantic history examines the circulation and interaction of people, goods, and ideas between and within any of the four continents surrounding the Atlantic basin between the time of the first Atlantic contacts in the 1400s and the present day. Situated primarily in the fields of social and cultural history, its approaches are problem-oriented in scope, and highlighted by comparative and transnational frameworks.

We invite papers and panel submissions that are historical, geographical, anthropological, literary, sociological, and cartographic in nature—including interdisciplinary and digital humanities projects—that fall within the scope of transatlantic studies from both graduate students and young scholars. We will accept submissions for papers written in English, French, Spanish, and German.

The theme of this year’s conference is the impact of the Russian Revolutions of 1917 on the Atlantic World, examining the political, social, cultural, and economic reverberations and legacies prompted by the collapse of Russia’s ancien régime and the consolidation of Soviet/Bolshevik power. Inspiring hope and terror abroad, this conference aims to analyze the various transnational and international dimensions of the Russian Revolutions and how they shaped social and political movements in the Atlantic World, both directly and by virtue of establishing a new geopolitical context.

Topics may include but are not limited to the following:

Communist, socialist, and anarchist internationalism
Imperialism/colonialism, anti-colonial movements, and decolonization
Transatlantic solidarity struggles
Women’s and feminist movements
Radical and social movement networks
Anti-war and peace activism during World War I and World War II
Refugees and exiles
Revolutions and uprisings of 1917-1923 (Russia, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Mexico, Greece, Ireland, Egypt, etc.)
Social, political, and cultural forms of anti-communism—both left- and right-wing
Fascism and anti-fascism
Cold War studies
Effects of 1917 on Artic Exploration
Effects of 1917 revolutions on Cartographic imagery

We also seek to explore and further establish shared terminology, methodologies, and defining parameters as they pertain to the field of transatlantic history. This conference has become an interdisciplinary and intercontinental meeting place where such ideas can converge into a common conversation.

Therefore, we also welcome papers on:

Twentieth-century empires
Transatlantic networks
Making of nation-states
Transnational spaces
Transatlantic migrations
Diaspora studies
Collective memory
Identity construction
Transatlantic cuisine and consumption
Intercultural transfer and transfer studies
Transnational families
Teaching transnational history

Selected participants’ papers will be considered for publication in Traversea, the peer-reviewed, online, open-access journal in transatlantic history.

Submission of individual paper abstracts should be approximately three hundred words in length and should be accompanied by an abbreviated (maximum one page) curriculum vita. Panel proposals (3-4 people) should include titles and abstracts of panels as a whole, as well as each individual paper. Deadline for submission is July 31, 2017. We will notify authors of accepted papers by August 15, 2017.

Paper and panel submissions should be made at https://form.jotform.us/70865303289159

Please direct all questions to Lydia Towns at lydia.towns “at” mavs. uta. edu.

The Conference Organizing Committee is composed of Lydia Towns, Jacob Jones, Stacy Swiney, Brandon Blakeslee, Charles Grand, and Dan Degges

CFP: “Transmitting Western Armenian to the Next Generation”

The Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) will hold its annual conference in Washington, DC on November 18, 2017. The conference, sponsored by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, will take place in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), at the Washington, DC Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, November 18-21, 2017.

The theme of the SAS conference will be “Transmitting Western Armenian to the Next Generation.”

The conference will be composed of two panels:
1) “Teaching Armenian in a Diasporan Context”
2) “Western Armenian in the Digital Age”

Panel 1) “Teaching Armenian in a Diasporan Context”
During the last several years teachers of Armenian, particularly in the US, have confronted the challenges in teaching the modern language. Concrete theoretical and practical problems need to be formulated and explored and innovative methodology needs to be developed. A study of the efficacy in teaching Armenian in schools and/or at the college level would also be beneficial to determine the status of Armenian in those settings and steps to be followed.

Panel 2) “Western Armenian in the Digital Age”
The presence of Western Armenian on the Internet and on the digital formats has grown over the past few years. The first applications and software have also been produced. Fact-based assessments of the quality and quantity of that work and the relation to actual needs of the “market,” including a correlation with Western Armenian teaching, are imperative. Papers on the best ways to incorporate technology into teaching Western Armenian would be beneficial.

It is important to emphasize the fact that SAS is not only interested in an exchange of ideas regarding these vital issues and the challenges facing Western Armenian, but is also interested in making concrete recommendations about these two themes.

The outcomes of these papers will be published in an edited volume either in the peer-reviewed Journal of Society for Armenian Studies (JSAS) or in a relevant press.

Abstracts of no more than 250 words along with a short bio should be submitted to Bedros Der Matossian, bdermatossian2 “at” unl.edu, by 31, July 2017. Draft papers will be required to be submitted no later than October 18, 2017.

Travel expenses and two days hotel stay in Washington, DC, will be provided to selected speakers.

A committee selected by the Society for Armenian Studies and the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will make final decisions on the papers accepted.

CFP: Legacy of the Russian Revolution

The History and Political Science Department at Chestnut Hill College will host an interdisciplinary conference on “The Legacy of the Russian Revolution,” November 16-18, 2017. Keynote speakers will be Sheila Fitzpatrick (University of Sydney, Australia, and University of Chicago, emeritus) and Wendy Goldman (Carnegie Mellon University). Proposals for individual papers or panels are invited on any issue, both regional and international, related to “The Legacy of the Russian Revolution.” Papers may relate to the immediate or long-term ramifications of the Bolshevik seizure of power – political, diplomatic, military, social, economic, technological, intellectual, cultural, etc.

Proposals should be about 250-300 words and be accompanied by a CV. Proposals from advanced graduate students will be considered. Papers will be allowed 20-25 minutes for presentation. We also seek individuals who are interested in serving as a Chair of a session. Presenters of papers and chairs of sessions are required to register for the conference.

Deadline for proposals is July 1, 2017. Send proposals to Holly Caldwell at russianrevolution “at” chc. edu or mail to Holly Caldwell at Chestnut Hill College, 9601 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118. To be placed on a mailing list for conference registration, send your name, mailing address, and email address to russianrevolution “at” chc. edu. The conference website can be found at https://www.chc.edu/russianrevolution

Call for 2017-2018 Václav Havel Journalism Fellowship

RFE/RL is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 Václav Havel Journalism Fellowship.

The purpose of the Fellowship is to support aspiring journalists from countries lacking media freedom and independence to pursue their profession in support of pluralism. It is inspired by former Czech President Václav Havel’s belief in the transformational role of journalism in challenging tyranny and oppression.

The Fellowship accepts applications from journalists in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation.

Completed applications must be submitted in English to havelfellowship[at]rferl.org by 0600 CET on May 31, 2017.

For additional information, please visit: https://pressroom.rferl.org/a/vaclav-havel-journalism-fellowship-2017-2018/28455465.html

CFP: The Fifth Eurasian Archaeology Conference: “Gods on the Grasslands, Myths in the Mountains”

October 26-28, 2017, Cornell University

How can the material traces of the past inform our understanding of the divine, the otherworldly, and the mythical? In contrast to other geographical locales, Eurasian archaeologists have long recognized the vitality of religious practices. This attention to the devotional, however, has been closely linked to conceptions of the ethnos. As the ethnos has been destabilized in contemporary archaeological thought, it is increasingly important to rethink the significance of religion in Eurasia’s past.

The Fifth Eurasian Archaeology Conference invites participants to reevaluate the role of religion and religious practices within and beyond daily life. It encourages participants to explore how religion(s) – and conceptions of a world beyond – have shaped cultural beliefs and practices throughout time and space within this vast and diverse terrain that spans from the Danube to the Gobi, from the Great Caucasus to the Tian Shan mountains.

This conference seeks to examine how religion operates as a materially inscribed social force that played a prominent role in shaping Eurasia’s past. We welcome art historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians alike to explore the beliefs, narratives, and ideologies that shaped experiences of the numinous at both individual and community scales throughout Eurasian (pre)history. We look to investigate how systems of meaning also shaped economic, political, and social orders at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The Fifth Conference on Eurasian Archaeology invites participants to explore how social ideologies, cosmologies, and world orders engendered different aspirations, motivations, obligations, and loyalties within communities of practice. The conference seeks session proposals and paper abstracts that will contribute new data, methodologies, and theories concerning the material manifestations of religion, grounded in studies that extend from prehistory to the present day and from Eastern Europe to the Far East. Paper abstracts may be submitted by May 1, 2017, via the online submission portal: http://eac.arts.cornell.edu/?page_id=203.

CfP: Civic Education and Practices of Democracy in Post-Soviet Countries

The Civic Education Lecturers Association (CELA) invites the submission of abstracts for the Third International Scientific Conference on the Civic Education and Practices of Democracy in Post-Soviet Countries to be held on July 1-2, 2017 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Submission Deadline: April 30, 2017
Open to: Educators, Researchers, Advanced Doctoral Students

For additional information, please follow the link: http://www.edu-active.com/conferences/2017/feb/12/call-abstracts-civic-education-and-practices-democ.html

CfP: International Conference on “Religion and the Legacy of the Soviet State: A 25-year Retrospective”

The aim of the conference and its future publication is to tackle these issues in a multidisciplinary manner. Contributions are not required to be written from a legal perspective. The theme itself is interdisciplinary and allows contributions from scholars from multiple backgrounds, including law, history, religious studies, and political science. A combination of theory and practice is also encouraged.
Date: June 2-4 2017 Tbilisi, Georgia
Deadline for applications: April 10, 2017
For additional information, please follow the link: http://www.edu-active.com/conferences/2017/mar/09/call-papers-religion-and-legacy-soviet-state-25-ye.html

CfP for II issue of the Online Journal of Humanities (OJH)

OJH is an academic journal peer-reviewed of the English Teachers Association of Georgia (ETAG). OJH publishes articles of scholars working in the field of Humanities. It is a professional, online publication aiming at creating an open space for the exchange of theoretical and practical ideas in different areas of Humanities at both pre and post-doctoral levels.

The journal is monolingual and publishes articles only in English.

Deadline for submitting articles for the II issue is April 2, 2017

For additional information, please follow the link: http://www.etag.ge/journal/index.htm

CfP for International Conference on “UN Based Global Approach to Migration and its Implication for Georgia’s Migration Policy”

The International Conference aims at bringing together local and international scholars and policymakers to discuss migration related research and their application to migration policy worldwide and in Georgia.

Location: Georgia, Tbilisi
Date: 10 and 11 May 2017
Venue: Tbilisi, Georgia (venue TBC)
Languages: English and Georgian

Abstracts (250 words, in MS Word format, in English (each abstract should be accompanied by author/authors contact information, and a short – 100 word – biography), must be sent to the organizers by 15 March 2017 at: enigmma[at]icmpd.org.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.enigmma.ge/news/call-for-papers-for-the-international-conference/

Call for Abstracts and Workshop Proposals:
“Policy Analysis in the South Caucasus: In Search of Methodological Innovation”

CRRC’s 5th Methodological Conference
Tbilisi, June 23-24, 2017

About the Organizer: The Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) is a network of research and research support centers in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Established in 2003, CRRC’s goal is to strengthen social science research and public policy analysis in the South Caucasus. Over the past thirteen years, CRRC has become a nexus of activity for the social science community in the South Caucasus, providing open access to data, scholarly literature, and professional training for social science researchers. For more information about CRRC, please visit: http://www.crrc.ge/; http://crrc.am/; http://crrc.az/.

About the Conference: The conference will bring together local and international researchers to discuss innovative practices in empirical research and their application to public policy analysis. We invite papers that discuss various aspects of policy analysis in the South Caucasus and innovations in empirical social science research that may lead to better policy outcomes. Presenters are expected to highlight the application of quantitative and/or qualitative methods to the study of the policy making process, analysis of policy outcomes, or assessment of the impact of a particular policy. To achieve high quality discussion and feedback for presenters, a limited number of papers will be accepted.

Language of the conference – English.

Submission:
•   Applicants are required to submit an abstract online via the abstract submission form by March 13, 2017. Abstracts should be a maximum of 500 words long, and should include the following:
▪   Title of paper;
▪   Three to five keywords;
▪   Main author’s name, title, affiliation, address, telephone, and email address;
▪   Co-authors’ names and affiliations, if applicable.

• To submit an application for a workshop, please send your CV and a tentative outline of the workshop to: applications “at” crrccenters.org by March 13, 2017.

Important dates:
Submission of abstracts and workshop proposals – March 13, 2017  
Notification of pre-acceptance – March 24, 2017
Submission of full papers and workshop presentations – May 8, 2017
Notification of final acceptance – May 25, 2017

Financial Support: CRRC will provide up to three nights of lodging for the participants not based in Tbilisi, and lunch and dinner at the conference venue to all participants. Ground transportation will be provided for all participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The cost of airfare for participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan will not be covered. Please note that CRRC offers a limited number of scholarships covering travel and accommodation expenses to support postgraduate students and early career researchers from outside the South Caucasus,who need financial support in order to present at the conference. Scholarships will be granted based on the quality of submitted papers and available budget. Meanwhile, CRRC encourages international scholars to search for travel grants from other sources. CRRC will cover transportation and accommodation costs of workshop leaders who are not based in Tbilisi.

If you have any further questions, please contact us:
Address: CRRC-Georgia, 1 Chkhikvadze street (former 5 Chavchavadze street), 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia
E-mail: applications “at” crrccenters.org
Tel: +(995 32) 250 52 90

The Fifth Eurasian Archaeology Conference: “Gods on the Grasslands, Myths in the Mountains”

October 26-28, 2017, Cornell University

We anticipate a range of sessions dealing with various aspects of the experience of the divine. Sessions could include:

Divination and Power: Practice, Politics and the Sacred

Religion Matters: The Materiality of Religious Practice

Sacred Space: Placemaking and Devotional Landscapes

Deities as Objects and Objects as Deities

We encourage participants to consider proposing sessions that draw together multiple contributions on a theme. If you are interested in proposing a session, send a 1 paragraph description and list of 4-6 potential contributors to eurasia2017@cornell.edu by March 15, 2017.

Abstracts for individual papers are due May 1, 2017 via the online submission portal at http://eac.arts.cornell.edu. The portal will open to receive submissions on April 1, 2017. Instructions on paper submissions will follow as details and updates are posted on the conference website and to this mailing list.

A small number of graduate travel fellowships are also available to support the travel of graduate students studying at universities and research institutes in Eurasia (defined expansively). Applications for support are made at the time of paper abstract submission.

Further information on fellowships will be made available in due course on our website.

CFP: Central Eurasian Studies Society Annual Conference

Deadline: February 28, 2017

For the CESS 18^th Annual Conference at the University of Washington, Seattle, we invite submissions relating to all aspects of humanities and social science scholarship. The geographic domain of Central Eurasia encompasses Central Asia, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, Inner Asia, the Black Sea region, the Volga region, and East and Central Europe. Practitioners and scholars in all fields with an interest in this region are encouraged to participate.

For more information, see http://www.centraleurasia.org/annual-conf

49^th ASEEES Annual Convention Call for Proposals

Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, Nov. 9-12, 2017 [Please note that the dates are earlier than usual]
www.aseees.org/convention
Convention Theme: Transgressions: www.aseees.org/convention/2017-theme The theme includes the centenary of the 1917 revolution.
The Proposal Submission closes on February 15: www.aseees.org/convention/cfpALL submissions- panel, roundtable, individual paper, lightning round presentation, and meetingrequest submissions – are due by Feb. 15.
Panelists Wanted Boards: We are anticipating a large number of proposals for the 2017 Convention. Individual paper submissions will have a MUCH LOWER chance of being accepted than panel/roundtable proposals. We STRONGLY encourage all interested participants to form, or become part of, a panel proposal. To assist in the process of forming panels, we have created the Panel/Paper Wanted Board: www.aseees.org/convention/paperspanels-wanted-board If you are looking for a panel to join or a paper presenter for your panel, please review the proposals on the online board. You can also indicate your willingness to volunteer as chair or discussant. You can also post your requests on the new ASEEES Commons: aseees.hcommons.org/groups/2017-convention-paper-panelist-wanted/ (See below for more information on the ASEEES Commons).
Membership Requirement: ALL individual paper and lightning round presentation submitters and panel/roundtable organizers in the US and abroad MUST be ASEEES members in order to submit a proposal. Please review the membership rules for participation. Renew your membership today: www.aseees.org/membership/individual.

With any inquiries about the convention, please contact Margaret Manges, the convention manager, at aseees.convention@pitt.edu If you need assistance logging into the ASEEES members site or are experiencing other technical difficulties, please contact aseees@pitt.edu

ASEEES Commons
We are excited to announce the launch of the new ASEEES Commons: aseees.hcommons.org This online network seeks to support collaboration and dissemination of members’ work. Users can create professional profiles, build websites, create or join groups to connect with colleagues who share their interests, and link to work deposited in CORE, the open-access repository for the humanities. Members can also browse CORE for articles, syllabi, and more. ASEEES Commons is part of the new Humanities Commons, established by theMLA. Register and get started at aseees.hcommons.org! For assistance, contact lypark@pitt.edu or newsnet@pitt.edu

1917 Website on ASEEES Commons
In recognition of the centenary of the 1917 revolution and its impact around the world, ASEEES has created a website to gather resources and information on related events. We will be adding more info to the site throughout the year. If you have resources, course syllabi and events to add, please visit: 1917resources.aseees.hcommons.org/

Webinar on ASEEES Commons
We have scheduled a webinar, “Introducing ASEEES Commons: Why and How to Use It”? on January 19, 2:00-3:00 pm ET
This webinar will teach ASEEES members how to use the Commons to increase the reach of their work; to find resources or potential collaborators; and to share materials. The webinar will focus on creating, editing and searching content. Any member interested in understanding how to make Commons and CORE work for them should attend.
For more information and to register: aseees.org/programs/webinars

More information is available at www.aseees.org

1st International Forum of the Caucasus Studies scholars

April 10-13, 2017, Institute of the Caucasus Studies of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences holds I st International forum of the Caucasus Studies scholars.

The following issues will be mainly discussed at forum:
I. Socio-economical and political situation of the Caucasus countries
II. Geopolitics of the Caucasus
III. Mutual relations of the Caucasus countries
IV. Caucasus policy of Great Powers and neighbouring countries
V. Conflicts in the Caucasus

Interested applicants should send their abstract and reports to the following e-mail adresses in Azerbaijani, Russian, or English: caucasus.forum “at” mail.ru and info “at” institutecaucasusstudies.org.

Preparation and submission of abstracts:

– Abstract should not exceed 300 words.
– Text should be written in Microsoft Word A4 size, Times New Roman 12 Font size, 1 tab space, the top and bottom margins 2 cm each, left margin 3 cm, right margin 1 cm and indents 1.15 cm.
– Author’s name, surname, scientific degree, position, the name of Instituation, email address and contact number should be written at the top right of the page with bold 12 font size and with black letters

Deadline for abstract submission February 05, 2017.

For more information please, visit http://www.science.az/news/open/4854

CFP: Midwest Slavic Conference

Deadline: January 20, 2017
Conference organizers invite proposals for panels or individual papers addressing all disciplines related to Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and Southeastern Europe. The Conference will take place April 7-9, 2017 at The Ohio State University. For more information, see the full call.

CFP: 2017 Southern Conference on Slavic Studies

55th Annual Meeting
Southern Conference on Slavic Studies
Alexandria, VA
April 6-8, 2017
Deadline For Submission Of Proposals: January 15, 2017

The Fifty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Southern Conference on Slavic Studies (SCSS) will be held at the Westin Alexandria Hotel in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, April 6-8, 2017. The meeting will be hosted by George Mason University’s program in Russian and Eurasian Studies. The SCSS is the largest of the regional Slavic and Eurasian Studies associations and its programs attract national and international scholarly participation. The purpose of SCSS is to promote scholarship, education, and in all other ways to advance scholarly interest in Russian, Soviet, and East European studies in the Southern region of the United States and nationwide. Membership in SCSS is open to all persons interested in furthering these goals.

Papers from all humanities and social science disciplines are welcome, as is a focus on countries other than Russia/USSR. We encourage participation from scholars of all Slavic, East European, and Eurasian regions. Papers can be on any time period and any topic relevant to these regions. Papers on the special theme of the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917 are especially welcome.

The program committee is accepting panel and paper proposals until January 15, 2017. Whole panel proposals (chair, three papers, discussant) are preferred, but proposals for individual papers will also be accepted. Whole panel proposals should include the titles of each individual paper as well as a title for the panel itself and identifying information (email address and brief CV with institutional affiliation) for all participants. Proposals for individual papers should include email address, brief CV with institutional affiliation, paper title, and a one-paragraph abstract to guide the program committee in the assembly of panels. If any AV equipment will be needed, the panel and paper proposals should indicate so when they are submitted. AV will be of limited availability and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Email your proposals to Emily Baran at emily.baran “at” mtsu.edu.

The Ins and Outs of Socialism: Visions and Experiences of Urban Change in the Second World

August 25-27, 2017
Center for Urban History / Lviv / Ukraine

This conference aims at bringing together scholars who study different time periods and cities where socialist projects were either launched or collapsed in the 20th century, as well as those that are still in place. The theme of transition into and out of socialism and the (un-)making of socialist cities serves as entry points into broader discussions about the specificity of urban change in the Second World and its relationship to similar currents in the global North and South. The conference examines the content of the socialist city–its “ins and outs”–from power grids and housing stocks to museums and places of worship at these points of transition.

Participants are asked to question and revisit the very concept of the “socialist city” by exploring its fabrication and deconstruction (or assembling and re-assembling in Bruno Latour’s formulation). Looking at the series of junctures that produced new forms of urbanity can help create a fresh narrative of socialist urban experiences and visions at the crucial moments of their realizations and reconceptualizations as both the future and the past of the socialist project. The conference invites proposals in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, and aims to bring into conversation scholars who focus on vastly different periods and locations of the socialist city’s past and present. We seek proposals that include but are not limited to the following points of entry or exit: late imperial Russia and the early Soviet period; the continuities and ruptures of 1939/40 and 1944/45 in the making of the “socialist bloc” and the “Soviet west”; the years of launching and leaving socialist projects in the Global South; and most recently, 1989/91 as a major divide in socialism’s “before” and “after” as a state, a geopolitical actor, and a vision of the future.

The conference will specifically examine the role of cities and their transformation during the transition periods in or out of socialism. Focusing on these turning points in the history of Second World urbanity can help us examine in more detail the key resources and materials, both symbolic and physical, and the major actors, both human and non-human, that engaged in the making and unmaking of socialism. Coming on the heels of the 25th anniversary of 1991 and in the context of the centennial of the 1917 Russian Revolutions, this conference will tap into many parallel reflections and insights about these turning points in 20th century history. We hope that bringing together a wide range of cases, both chronologically and geographically, will help generate stimulating discussions and allow participants to assess the characteristic peculiarities and ramifications of the societies and cities that embraced and later abandoned socialism all across the Second World.

Lviv is the designated city for this conference since it is one of the chief locations that features and highlights several moments of such transitions in/out of socialism.

Conference themes include but are not limited to:

rescaling to urban: chronologies, dates, and periods
trajectories of change: urbanization, de-urbanization, suburbanization
now and after: visions of change, resources for change
promises and premises: infrastructural legacies and developments
mediating change and medias of change: information, flows, communications
(de-)regulating change: rights, properties, ownerships, and responsibilities
managing change: decision-making, regulations, institutions
following change: publics, audiences, and observers
finances of change: supplies, shortages, and opportunities
speeds of change: resilience and acceleration
networking change: expertise, templates, circulations
plans for change: sketching, mapping, and master planning the urban future
construction materials of change
actors of change and changing actors
acts and sites of urban change
experiencing change: strategies and everyday practices
responding to change: individual trajectories and narratives
trans-local, regional, national, and global connections of change
(un-)fixing the change: recording, visualizing, and representing urban changes
before or behind: relating, negating, and recycling the urban past
population changes: exile, emigration, and in-migration
memorializing change in urban space: streets, monuments, and memorials
representing cities under change in art, fiction, and film
conceptualizing ‘change’: expectations, assumptions, explanations, emotions

Deadlines: Please submit a brief CV (1-2 pages) and paper proposal (paper title + 400 word abstract) no later than January 15, 2017. Your proposal should relate your topic to conference theme(s) and briefly discuss primary sources. The conference language will be English. The conference selection committee will announce its selection of papers for the conference by February 15, 2017.

Selection Committee:
Daria Bocharnikova (KU Leuven / The Center for Fine Arts BOZAR)
Sofia Dyak (Center for Urban History of East Central Europe)
Steven E. Harris (University of Mary Washington / National Air and Space Museum)
Natalia Otrishchenko (Center for Urban History of East Central Europe)
Iryna Sklokina (Center for Urban History of East Central Europe)

Funding: The organizers will provide accommodation in Lviv. A limited number of travel grants will be available.

Conveners:
Daria Bocharnikova (KU Leuven / The Center for Fine Arts BOZAR)
Sofia Dyak (Center for Urban History of East Central Europe)
Steven E. Harris (University of Mary Washington / National Air and Space Museum)

Organizations:
Center for Urban History of East Central Europe
Second World Urbanity network

Calls for Applications: Innovate Armenia: The Retreat in Hollywood, CA

The USC INSTITUTE OF ARMENIAN STUDIES invites undergraduate and graduate students to a weekend retreat in Hollywood, California, to pursue innovative, out-of-the-box, disruptive thinking about Armenians in the 21^st century. This retreat is an opportunity to engage directly with thought-leaders and change-makers. The purpose of the retreat is to create a collegial environment for critical thinkers and future leaders with a solid sense of a global Armenian identity.

University students in US and Canada (in any major) are invited to apply to participate in exploring the questions facing Armenians in the 21^st century from a perspective of a variety of disciplines.

Submit three questions of your own, together with your name, phone number, email, permanent address, university, and major by December 18, 2016.
Send to Armenian@usc.edu.

Selection decisions and location will be announced on December 21, 2016.

All Los Angeles-area expenses (lodging, food) will be covered by the Institute. A limited number of stipends are available to subsidize travel expenses.

Discussion facilitators will include distinguished names from the worlds of technology, the arts, and academia.

Call for Papers
Gender and Sexuality in Armenian Studies
Eighth Annual International Graduate Student Workshop

April 21-22, 2017

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Deadline for submission of abstracts: December 15, 2016
More information is available here.

CfP: TEMPUS-PICASA conference at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

On November 21-22, 2016 Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University will host the conference Internationalization of Teaching and Learning: Policies and Practices in the framework of the project “ Promoting Internationalization of HEIs in Eastern Neighborhood Countries through Cultural and Structural Adaptations” (PICASA), funded through TEMPUS program by Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).

The theme of the conference will provide an opportunity to explore current trends in teaching and learning:

The role of ICTs in teaching and learning on the internationalized curriculum: University policy perspectives;
Innovative approaches to curricular design and internationalization;
The impact of student and staff mobilities on enhancing learning and teaching;
Organising faculty development workshops for the internationalized curriculum;
Benefits of collaborative partnerships for enhancing internationalization;
Working with students to enhance the internationalized university;
Strategic planning of internationalization.

Paper on good practice concerning the topic are invited to participate. Please, abstracts should be sent before OCTOBER 31, 2016 at picasa.tempus[at]gmail.com

CFP: Trajectories Of October 1917 : Origins, Reverberations And Models Of Revolution, 19-21 October 2017

Contact: trajoc1917@gmail.com

Deadline: 15 October 2016.

Organisateurs/Organisers : École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) et Labex Tepsis (Transformation de l’État, politisation des sociétés, Institution du social)

Call for papers: Interested persons are kindly requested to send their presentation proposals to trajoc1917 “at” gmail.com by 15 October 2016.

Partenaires/Partners : Centre d’études des mondes russe, caucasien et centre-européen (Cercec, EHESS/CNRS, Paris), Centre d’histoire de SciencesPo (Paris), Université Paris-Diderot, Bibliothèque universitaire des langues et civilisations (GIP BULAC, Paris), Bibliothèque de documentation internationale contemporaine (BDIC, Nanterre), Fondation maison des sciences de l’homme (FMSH, Paris), Université de Strasbourg, Centre Marc Bloch (Berlin), Centre d’études franco-russe (CEFR, Moscou)

Description and Aim
Around the overarching theme of October 1917, we are seeking to foster dialogue between historians of 1917 who can make new contributions to the interpretation and analysis of that revolutionary movement in the Russian Empire, and scholars working on other areas and on later periods who also deal with 1917 in their analysis and interpretation of revolutionary movements. To bring all of this research together, we are holding a conference, from 19 to 21 October 2017, in which scholars from various disciplines and specialists of different areas are invited to participate. The conference will not address October 1917 per se, but its long-term influence and impact, from a global perspective. We proposed to structure the presentations and debates around the following themes. While the first theme will look specifically at Russia, the other five concern the world (even if, ultimately, only some areas will be covered):
o 1917, a Russian revolution? This theme is concerned with the contrast between the “universalism” of the October Revolution and the aspects that anchor it to the imperial, political and social history of Russia. This is the only theme that will deal specifically with October itself. It will encompass the revisions of 1917 in historiography.
o The revolutionary concept and ethos after 1917: How was the idea of revolution configured after October 1917? This theme is concerned with the concept of revolution and the transformations introduced by October, and with the revolutionary practices that followed 1917 in different places and periods. It deals not only with revolution as a political and social rupture, but also with phenomena associated with revolution, such as revolutionary fervour, revolutionary mythologies, the new revolutionary ethos and the new models of subjectification, etc.
o The impact of 1917 on categories and practices in the social sciences: This theme will explore the social science categories that emerged with and were reinforced by 1917 – radicalism, violence, collapse, social explosion, the implosion of state and society, new forms of authority and hierarchy, an antagonistic representation of the social space, different strands of Marxism, etc. – and investigate the way in which these different categories have been reused and transformed by other revolutions or political and social upheavals, whether in positive or negative reference to 1917. What links can we observe between revolutionary episodes and the formation of social thought, before and after October 1917? While the forms in 1917 will be studied, we will also take an interest in the forms that were which the social sciences existed after suppressed.
o The slipstream effect of 1917: How have political landscapes and horizons of expectation been structured by revolution, through movements complementary to, inspired by or antagonistic to 1917, including fascism, anti-Communism, anti-colonialism, traditionalism, radicalism and democracy? This theme will look at other political movements induced –by attraction or repulsion – by October 1917. For example, what did the development of fascism and anti- colonialism owe to October 1917, or was revolution only one element among several in the practical and theoretical construction of those movements?
o Political practices after October 1917: This theme covers the enormous political impact of October 1917, particularly in Europe: its organisation, the type of political engagement (the Bolshevik Party and the Bolshevik activist) and the mode of seizing power and the far-reaching debates this triggered. To what extent can the October Revolution be considered a “toolkit” for revolutionary movements around the world? What practical influence did the October revolution have on the form of other movements that demanded political or social rupture (anti-colonial movements, movements contesting a social order, etc.)?
o The exhaustion of the October model: As Berlinguer, the leader of the Italian Communist Party, famously said, “the thrust of the October Revolution has been exhausted”. This theme deals with the disappearance of the revolutionary reference. We shall discuss how emancipatory practices and thought have been defined by criticism of that failure, how the disappearance of the 1917 model is perceived in contemporary societies struggling with democratic, liberal or other models ushered in by velvet revolutions or other movements of emancipation and contestation of the established political order.
Call for papers: Interested persons are kindly requested to send their presentation proposals to trajoc1917 “at” gmail.com by 15 October 2016. Each proposal should contain the following:
A one-page abstract, indicating the theme your paper addresses;
A one-page CV, including the institution of affiliation, a career outline, research areas and key publications;
Funding requests (for travel and/or accommodation expenses and their estimated cost);
A written undertaking to submit your paper by 1 September and your permission for it to be published on a website, access to which will be restricted to registered conference attendees (without citation rights).
A limited number of proposals will be selected after review by the Scientific board. Selection will be made both in terms of the relevance of the proposal and of the consistency of the sessions. The responses to the proposals will be sent by December 15 , 2016.
Practical organisation: The conference will be structured to encourage debate, by alternating between three types of presentation: one or two overview papers; sessions consisting of four full-length papers and a discussion; and roundtables. Papers must be received at least six weeks before the conference to allow for pre-circulation. Accepted papers will be published on a dedicated website.
For more information, please click here.

CfP Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture (ASEC), March 10-11, 2017

March 10-11, 2017, Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)

Deadline for submission: October 31, 2016

The Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture, Inc. (ASEC) announces its seventh biennial conference to be held at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, March 10-11, 2017 (with a pre-conference reception on March 9). The theme is “Eastern Christianity, Reformations, and Revolutions,” in honor of the five-hundredth anniversary of the Protestant Reformation and the one-hundredth anniversary of the Russian Revolution, and is conceptualized to embrace any discipline, topic, period or region related to Eastern Christian groups.

The theme’s intent is broadly conceived to address the impact of either the Reformation or the Russian Revolution on any form of Eastern Christianity, including their extended repercussions and legacy to the present day and globally, as well as the impact of other reform movements and revolutions. Papers are also welcome that do not explicitly address these topics. Scholars from all disciplines are invited to participate.

Panel proposals of three participants and chair/discussant are preferred, but individual papers are also encouraged. Send paper and panel proposals with abstracts of 100-200 words for each paper, and a brief one-page curriculum vitae for each participant to Eugene Clay (Eugene.Clay@asu.edu). Proposals must be received by October 31, 2016.

Limited funding is available to provide graduate students with assistance for travel expenses.

For more information on the conference and its venue, contact Scott Kenworthy (kenwors@miamioh.edu).

The 2017 Annual Soyuz Symposium: Call for Papers. Embracing Confusion and Questioning Clarity: on Matters of Method in Postsocialist Studies

Russian and East European Institute
Indiana University Bloomington
March 3-4, 2017

Soyuz Research Network for Postsocialist Cultural Studies invites presentation proposals for the 2017 symposium hosted by the Russian and East European Institute at Indiana University Bloomington. We are seeking research papers and visual presentations (including, but not limited to documentary and ethnographic films) that engage with the issues of methodology in the postsocialist world broadly defined, encompassing East-Central Europe and the Former Soviet Union, as well as Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Our goal is to foster conversations about knowledge production in the field of postsocialist studies that spans generations of researchers: from graduate students and junior scholars to senior professionals. The 2017 Soyuz Symposium theme Embracing Confusion and Questioning Clarity is inspired by the immense and somewhat untapped potential that postsocialist studies have to offer to methodological conversations in social sciences. In our view, a more vibrant scholarly exchange will aid current compartmentalization of much scholarship into global North and South and produce new analytical categories. Recent resurgence of Cold War ideologies in Europe has ushered a renewed interest in this region on the part of policy makers, funding organizations, and academic programs, and we want to invite scholars of postsocialism to provide their critical commentary on the issues that have accompanied these geopolitical shifts.
Embracing Confusion and Questioning Clarity theme encourages presenters to consider questions they have faced and discoveries they have made on a journey from conceiving a research idea to their interpretation of findings. In what ways have postsocialist transformations and the scholarly analyses that followed posed a challenge to long-standing social scientific categories, methods and theories? What portable analytical categories and methodological insights have postsocialist studies yielded? How have our methodological frameworks and research questions changed in the last decades? Which conversations, interpretive frames, and collaborative processes were beneficial and which were not? What sorts of creative responses have scholars of postsocialism generated to navigate confusing times? And how do insights gleaned by earlier generations of researchers translate, travel and land in the world nearly thirty years removed from the iconic fall of the Berlin Wall?
Invited themes include, but are not limited to the following: creating knowledge about a space; methodologies of data collection and analysis; fieldwork events; analysis of state narratives and discourses; interpretation of contested histories; conducting policy-relevant research; writing in social sciences, and others. As always, at Soyuz, other topics of research on postsocialism that are not directly related to this theme are also welcome. We will invite selected papers for publication as a special issue in one of the relevant journals. Partial funding might be available for graduate students, please indicate if you’d like to be considered in your materials.
Abstracts of up to 250 words should be sent to Soyuz board at bazyma01″at”luther.edu by October 15, 2016.
Please include your full name, affiliation, and paper title. Write “Soyuz 2017” in the subject line of your email. Papers will be selected and notifications made by December 1, 2016.
The Soyuz Research Network for Postsocialist Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary forum for exchanging work based on field research in postsocialist countries, ranging from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Soyuz is an interest group in the American Anthropological Association (AAA) and an official unit of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). The Soyuz symposium has met annually since 1991 and offers an opportunity for scholars to interact in a more personal setting. More information on the Soyuz Research Network can be found at the website.

End of Transition – Shifting Focus A Quarter Century After the Soviet Collapse: Call for Conference Papers and Announcement of Research Support

Since the Soviet collapse, the Republic of Armenia – like all Soviet successor states – has undergone its own unique political, social, and economic transition process. The paradigm of transitology presupposes a fairly linear trajectory from authoritarianism to democratization and closer ties with Europe. Yet Armenia’s has been a decidedly nonlinear path toward democracy, a market economy, and most recently, to regional integration within the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. Post-Soviet scholarship has paid relatively scant attention to the case of Armenia.
To understand these political, economic, and social processes of the past twenty-five years, and to fill the gap in scholarship, the USC Institute of Armenian Studies will be hosting a two-part conference in April of 2017, in Los Angeles and in Yerevan. The conference will encourage papers that investigate the transitional and post-transitional processes both within Armenia, as well as in the region.
“On the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, the Institute is pleased to be able to support this area of study. Political, social, economic and regional policies of the last 25 years will be understood with solid scholarship,” said Salpi Ghazarian, director of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies.
The USC Institute of Armenian Studies will be accepting proposals from all fields, in particular, those that cover the following:
Demographics: fertility, mortality, and migration
Patterns of social inequality
Family, gender, and sexuality
Regionalisms of Armenia
Social policy: Education, healthcare, pensions, social security and housing
Formal and informal political institutions and economy
Rurality: changing agricultural systems, climate change, local economies and depopulation
Foreign policy
Bottom-up cultural production, social shifts, social movements, and political contention
Armenia-Diaspora relations
Regional (South Caucasus) and global integration
Comparative analyses with political, social, and economic issues in other post-Soviet states
Call for Conference Papers
Scholars and practitioners (activists, diplomats, journalists, writers) are invited to submit proposals for participation in this landmark event. Participants will include not only experts on Armenia but on other post-Soviet regions, not just political scientists but people from other scholarly and practical fields.

Proposals for conference papers will be accepted until October 14, 2016. Please address them to conference.armenian@usc.edu. They should be no more than 500 words, and must include:
Short abstract that outlines methodology, main assumptions, and conclusions of the paper
Author/participant name(s) and contact information
Institutional affiliation (if any)
One paragraph biographical statement for each participant (not a CV)
The Conference working language is English. Proposals and presentations must be in English.
Selection will be completed by December 1, 2016.

Announcement of Research Support:
The Institute also welcomes proposals for research grants that will address any aspect of the above topics. Grants will cover new and ongoing research such as dissertation research or postdoctoral research by junior and senior scholars and will be awarded in amounts of $2000 to $6,000.
Grant application deadline: October 14, 2016
Applications, in English, should consist of ONE MS Word or PDF document. They should include:
A proposal of no more than 1000 words which outlines the rationale and plan of research, presents a clear research question, reviews previous research and theory that form the basis of the study, describes the research methodology, and summarizes what the research aims to uncover.
A detailed one-page budget indicating the items for which the applicant is seeking funding.
A CV of no more than four pages.
Please send to research.armenian”at”usc.edu.
What the grant covers
Grants are available for direct research expenses, such as the cost of hiring a research assistant or transcriber, computer software packages not typically provided by a college or university, and transportation, including travel to the region.
Expectations of grant recipients
Grant recipients are expected to complete and submit a final report summary by May 19, 2017. The report will describe (a) the background of the study, (b) the research methods used, (c) the findings, (d) how the funds were used.
Grant recipients are expected to mention the financial support of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies in any presentations or publications resulting from the research.
The actual performance period, or dates during which the research is conducted, is at the discretion of the recipient provided that it falls between November 10, 2016 and May 19, 2017.
Awards will be announced on November 1, 2016.
For information, please contact armenian “at” usc.edu

CfP: „Recent Migratory Processes and Europe: Challenges and Opportunities“

The Secretariat of the State Commission on Migration Issues of Georgia, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Center for Interdisciplinary Programmes and Research Development in cooperation with the EU-funded ENIGMMA („Enhancing Georgia’s Migration Management“) project implemented in Georgia by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development invites interested scholars to apply for an international conference “Recent Migratory Processes and Europe: Challenges and Opportunities”. This conference will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the last week of September, 2016. The conference is designed to address challenges and opportunities of recent migratory processes to and from the EU, and in doing so, foster academic exchange and evidence-based policy making in the field. A two-day conference is envisaged as a unique opportunity for international and local scholars to come together to share their research findings to foster our understanding of migration from a broader inter-regional perspective.

Selected topics for the conference would include:

• Migration and Demographic Prospects in Europe/EU;
• Economy and Migration in Europe/EU: Pluses and Minuses;
• Migrants’ Integration: Evidence from Europe/EU;
• Migration and Security Challenges in Europe/EU;
• Migration and future of the Europe/EU;
• Migration and Development: further strategies for Europe/EU.

Deadline: July 15, 2016

For information related to application and funding procedures, please, consult the Call for Papers document.

CfP for Summer School on “Oral History: Recording Georgia’s Past and Training Scholars for the Future”

Organizers: Center for Social Sciences, Ilia State University, American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC)

Dates: 12-18 September, 2016
Venue: Dedoplistskaro, Ilia State University
Working Language: English

The Center for Social Sciences (CSS), Ilia State University (ISU), and the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) invite motivated junior scholars interested in the methodology of oral history to participate in the summer school “Recording Georgia’s Past and Training Scholars for the Future” organized on September 12-18, 2016 in Dedoplistskaro, Georgia.

Today, oral history research is one of the important methods used in historiography that helps in recording and documenting the memories of eyewitnesses, preserving the unique and authentic evidence of the past that otherwise will be lost. The importance of oral history is accepted in many academic fields – anthropology, history, sociology, political science, and gender studies are among the most notable. Like any research method, it demands scrupulous attention, rules, cross checking, and careful interpretation. Oral history is a collaborative process in which both the participant and the researcher can discover new depths, new memories, and new perspectives. Oral history is of particular importance for societies where written history is scarce, or where it has been distorted by censorship, ideological pressures, or officially imposed narratives. Therefore, the current summer school intends to create a cadre of Georgian scholars in multiple disciplines who will be knowledgeable about and willing to apply the methods of oral history in their research. Within the project, 12 junior scholars interested in oral history will be trained in various methodologies, such as narrative analysis, critical discourse analysis, sociolinguistic approaches, participant observation, etc.

The Oral History Summer School is the first step in training the junior scholars who will participate in a three-year project on documenting the memories of the eyewitnesses of Georgia’s recent history of 1972-2003.

The summer school involves scholars from Georgia, US, Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands, etc. The academic supervisors of the project are Professor Stephen Jones from Mount Holyoke College, USA and ARISC Vice-President, Dr. Lika Tsuladze from the Center for Social Sciences and Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, and Dr. Oliver Reisner, Ilia State University.

Interested applicants should submit the following set of documents:

CV in English with the contact details of two references;
Letter of Motivation in English (maximum 500 words), describing their interest in participating in the summer school;

Copy of Master’s or PhD diploma, or a certificate confirming their student status.

The applicants will be selected based on the following criteria:

The applicants should be Master’s or PhD students at the time of application, or hold Master’s and/or PhD Degrees (in the case of PhD, the degree should be awarded within the last 7 years);
The applicants should represent fields in the Social Sciences and Humanities;
The applicants should have good proficiency in the English language;

Experience of working with qualitative research methods is a must.

The applications should be submitted in one combined file (MS Word or PDF) no later than July 10, 2016 via the following e-mail address: oralhistory@css.ge. In the subject line of the e-mail, please indicate: “Summer School: Georgia’s Oral History.” The successful applicants will be notified by July 20, 2016.

CfP: International conference: “European Values and Identity: Multiple Dimensions of Europeanization”

Organizers: Center for Social Sciences, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia Proeuropa, Georgian Community of France

Conference date: October 25-26, 2016
Conference venue: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Conference language(s): Georgian, English, and French (simultaneous translation will be provided)

The processes of Europeanization and EU integration, as mechanisms for spreading EU norms and values, are of the utmost importance in contemporary Georgia, especially after the signing of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement on June 27, 2014. The Association Agreement forms the basis for the country’s political development, access to the common European market and establishment of European values and standards, thus, it is essential to gain a proper understanding of the political, economic and cultural dimensions of Europeanization and to deepen academic discourse regarding the process.

Application deadline: July 15, 2016

For additional information, please visit: http://georgie-europe2016.tsu.ge/ or http://css.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=8&info_id=1180

CfP: II international scientific conference “Politics around Caucasus”

The Institute for Georgia’s Neighborhood Studies at TSU organizes II international scientific conference “Politics around Caucasus” on October 21, 2016.

The purpose of the conference is to study the most pressing issues of domestic and foreign policy, history, economics, religion, culture and art, language and literature of the South Caucasus countries and neighboring political actors.
Conference papers and the report should contain a novelty.
Participation in the conference is possible for all researchers interested in the study of issues of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Paper submission deadline: July 25, 2016

For additional information, please visit: https://tsu.ge/en/government/administration/departments/pr/news/3CYnptvV0Y8aaTVEC/?p=1

CfP: 4th International Conference “Tao-Klarjeti”

Ilia State University, Georgia announces a call for 4th International Conference “Tao Klarjeti” for 21-24 September, 2016.

Tao-Klarjeti is the collective name for the north-eastern historical provinces of Turkey (Tao, Klarjeti, Shavsheti, Kola, Artaani, Chrdili, etc.). Due to its strategic location, several states have had interest in this diverse region being the meeting point of different peoples and cultures for thousand years. Tao-Klatjeti is rich in historically significant political and administrative, diocesan and monastic centers, numerous churches, pre-medieval and medieval fortifications, monumental paintings and reliefs, manuscripts and gold artifacts. Large-scale or local political, social, economic, demographic and ethno-confessional processes have left their marks on daily life of the people of Tao-Klarjeti, their religion, local place names, languages and dialects. Early state formations on the territory of Tao-Klarjeti, as well as local public and religious centers of medieval times, have played a big role in history of Georgian statehood and culture. Unfortunately, in a course of centuries and decades travel to the region was restricted and there was little possibility of studying it. Today many scholars visit Tao-Klarjeti, and tourism potential has increased significantly.

The above-mentioned has generated a big scholarly and public interest to Tao-Klarjeti region. The first Interdisciplinary International conference dedicated to the site was held in 2010. The conference has become a traditional event.

Working Sections:

History / Archival study / Source study
History of art
Philology / Linguistics
Ethnology/Archaeology
Restoration/Conservation
Tourism and management of cultural legacy/Geography

Deadline for abstract submission: 30 May, 2016

For additional information, please visit: https://iliauni.edu.ge/en/siaxleebi-8/gonisdziebebi-346/4th-international-conference-tao-klarjeti.page

Call for Entries: The Third Ethnographic Film and Media Program of the Middle East and Central Eurasia of EASA

The Third Ethnographic Film and Media Program of the Middle East and Central Eurasia of EASA (European Association of Social Anthropologists), 14th EASA Biennial Conference, Anthropological Legacies and Human Futures, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy (20-23 July 2016)
We are pleased to announce the third Ethnographic Film and Media Program of the Middle East and Central Eurasia, which will be held annually in conjunction with the Anthropology of the Middle East and Central Eurasia Network of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA).
www.easaonline.org/networks/amce/index.shtml

The goal of our program is to promote original ethnographic films and visual media, not only in the area of anthropology, but also in sociology, folklore, religion, material culture and related topics. Our program encompasses all areas of the contemporary Middle East and Central Eurasia (the Russian Federation, the Caucasus, Central Asia, China), including topics on minority groups and religious themes.

Our third program will be held during the 14th EASA Biennial Conference at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy. We invite and encourage all students, anthropologists, sociologists, documentary filmmakers and media artists to participate in our program by submitting ethnographic videos, films (including online and cell phone styles, short and feature-length films) as well as interactive media (websites, hyperlinked documents, etc.).

Our main focus for this year’s program will be on “war, crises, refugees, migration and Islamophobia”. However, other topics are more than welcome.

Deadline

Films and other materials submitted for the program should be submitted online or as DVD preview copies, accompanied by a synopsis, a 10-line description and technical data, no later than 10 May 2016.

Delivery and return policies
• All entries submitted must have received their first public screening on or after 1 January 2016.
• All participants must cover all costs related to the delivery of preview and screening copies. We will not return the preview and screening copies.
• All entries should be sent to:

Dr. P. Khosronejad
Farzaneh Family Scholar
Associate Director for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies
School of International Studies
201 Wes Watkins Center, USA
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078
E-mail: Pedram.Khosronejad “at” okstate.edu
www.iso.okstate.edu

Call for International Conference: Anthim Iverianul and European Enlightenment:Texts and Contexts

The Institute of Philosophy at the Faculty of Humanities of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and the Anthim Iverianul Philosophy and Theology Research Center, with the support of Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation and State Agency for Religious Issues, will hold an international conference on a topic: Anthim Iverianul and European Enlightenment: Texts and Contexts. The conference will be held on June 7-8, 2016.

The conference is dedicated to the 300th death anniversary of Anthim Iverianul.

The primary objective of the conference is:
·To define the role and place of Anthim Iverianuls activities in modern culture;
·To portray Anthim Iverianul as an example of successful dialogue of cultures;
·To highlight Anthim Iverianuls version about foundation of multiculturalism;
·To discuss Anthim Iverianuls enlightenment texts in the context of various discourses (theology; canonics; patristics; philosophy; Christian ethics; morality; aesthetics; rhetoric; philology; anthropology; history; architecture);
·To define Anthim Iverianuls contribution to the development of European educational concepts in the fields of education, science, art and architecture, publishing, politics as well as social-economic spheres.

The conference aims at focusing on cultural-historical significance of Anthim Iverianuls philosophical-theological, educational, secular and ecclesiastical activities.
We especially welcome the papers and comparative research results presented in all spheres around the heritage of Anthim Iverianul.

Conference language: Georgian, Romanian and English

Deadline for applying: April 30, 2016.

For additional information, please visit: https://tsu.ge/en/government/administration/departments/pr/announcement/ZkUDI7nhaNqgnqRDu/

CfP: International conference dedicated to the 400TH anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death

Centre for Shakespeare Studies at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia and the Rustaveli National Theatre will host a three-day interdisciplinary international conference dedicated to the 400TH anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death.

The conference will explore how Shakespeare’s work influenced and inspired other works in literature, art, music. The event hopes to unite academics, teachers and students, theatre practitioners and critics, in a series of presentations, roundtable and performances. Participants from a range of disciplines – English, Drama, Education, Music, Modern Languages, Classics, History, Art and Film are encouraged to participate.

The Conference will be held at Tbilisi State University, Georgia on 12-14 May, 2016

We propose discussion of the following broad themes:

Shakespeare’s influence on literature
Shakespeare on stage and in movies
Shakespearean criticism
Shakespeare in other countries (translations, research, staging and filming)
Shakespeare in Georgia
Shakespeare and tradition
Teaching Shakespeare

Deadline: 12 April, 2016

For additional information, please visit: https://tsu.ge/en/faculties/humanities/news/_fFu41hsnB3K96qmq/?p=1

Call for Papers: Liberal-Illiberal-Internationalisms: New Paradigms for the History of the Twentieth Century

December 8-9, 2016
Vienna, Austria

Organizers: Dr. Philippa Hetherington (UCL); Prof. Peter Becker (Vienna); Prof. Glenda Sluga (Sydney); Dr. Natasha Wheatley (Sydney).

In the first decades of the twenty-first century, scholars of internationalisms are opening up new areas of historical research, probing older stories of imperial and national pasts, reconnecting state and non-state actors and institutions, and moving historical narratives past the simple identification of internationalism as communist or socialist. At the same time, new histories of ‘liberal’ internationalisms are often cordoned off from socialist and other non-liberal internationalisms, occluding the overlapping and interconnected nature of political approaches to the international in the twentieth century.

This workshop will probe the ideological complexities at the core of these twentieth century histories. It will decentre the specifically liberal and illiberal ascriptions of internationalisms, in order to ask:

Where do the boundaries between these internationalisms lie? How do we engage the normativity of these fields? What can comparisons between different internationalisms tell us about ‘the international’ as a field of political action that defied traditional political boundaries in the twentieth century? How have historians mobilised terms such as liberal and illiberal in relation to internationalism and is it possible (or necessary) to move beyond them?

Ultimately we anticipate the workshop will encourage the problematization and even breaking down of the binaries that currently frame the study of internationalisms. We are interested in a variety of approaches to the conference theme, including intellectual, social, cultural and institutional methodologies. We are inviting papers that focus on the political content of internationalisms, the intersecting histories of liberal, socialist and other non-liberal internationalisms, and the connections between the institutions and ideologies of twentieth century internationalisms. Papers that cover geographical areas beyond Europe, as well as the diversity of experiences within East and West Europe are particularly welcome.

If you are interested in presenting or participating in our workshop, with an edited volume in view, please forward an abstract of 300-600 words and a brief cv/bio to Birgit Aubrunner (birgit.aubrunner “at” univie.ac.at) and Martin King (martin.king “at” sydney.edu.au) by Thursday 31 March, 2016.
Co-organized with Institute for Austrian History, University of Vienna, Laureate Research Program in International History, University of Sydney; and School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL.

CfP: Ceres Postdoctoral Fellowship

Applications are invited for a 10-month, non-teaching postdoctoral fellowship at Georgetown University beginning Fall 2016. The postdoctoral fellow will be affiliated with the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (CERES) and play an active role, including participation in a series of workshop seminars, in the Center’s research project on “Russian Futures” that will analyze alternative scenarios for Russia’s future development. This Carnegie Corporation of New York-funded project is co-directed by Dr. Angela Stent, CERES Director and Dr. Andrew Kuchins, Senior Fellow at the Walsh School of Foreign Service. CERES will publish a report resulting from the project in 2017.

Non-tenured recipients of a PhD between 2011 and 2016 trained in political science, international relations, Russian studies and/or a related field are eligible to apply. Advanced graduate students with a Ph.D. in hand at the beginning of the fellowship will also be considered.

The position offers an annual salary of $50,000 with benefits and office space.

Deadline for applications: March 15, 2016

For additional information, please visit: https://ceres.georgetown.edu/postdocannouncement2016

Patriotic (Non) Consumption: Food, Fashion and Media

Special issues of Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New Media (digitalicons.org)
Guest-edited by Olga Gurova (University of Helsinki), Ekaterina Kalinina (Södertörn University), Jessie Labov (Ohio State University), Vlad Strukov (University of Leeds)

The economic crises of 2008-present and the recent political confrontations have shaped patterns of patriotic consumption and non-consumption (a refusal to consume particular types of products, symbols and discourses) in the countries of the Central, Eastern and Southern Europe as well as Central Asia, Caucasus and Russia, signaling their participation in the global economy as consumer societies.

We argue that these countries are consumer societies similar to the western or any other consumer societies, while possessing differences specific to this particular geographical region. These differences could be explained by historical, socio-cultural and political reasons, which often define the frames of patriotic (non) consumption. For example, the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the western countries, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, led to anti-western sanctions imposed by Russia, which resulted in ‘patriotic’ refusal to consume some western products. These especially have affected producers of food, fashion and media in the region. For instance, Ukraine recently applied embargo to a wide range of Russian products as a response to Russia’s ban on Ukrainian imports, while some Baltic states have banned Russian television channels. In addition, “buy local” campaigns are typically motivated by concerns for the ecology or small business in many countries, but in Hungary and Slovakia they have developed a distinctly patriotic – and even sometimes nationalist – flavour. These are just some examples of patriotic (non) consumption and changes in consumption patterns. Hence we invite authors to contribute with empirical studies of similar processes in the countries of the region, focusing on the relationship between (non) consumption and media / digital cultures.

Additionally, we wish to examine the role of (non) consumption and patriotism / nationalism in a historical context. The relationship between consumption and ethnicity / nationalism has produced a steady stream of scholarship starting from the 1980s to the present. More recently, there has been a surge of scholarly interest in consumerism during the socialist era and how it has affected post-socialist consumption. Now we would like to explore how all of these factors have led to changes in consumption in this region during the era of social media.

We also want to study patriotic (non) consumption from a theoretical viewpoint. How can we conceptualise patriotic (non) consumption? How does non-consumption link with negative self-identification? How do Russians account for their anti-western stance and their own conspicuous consumption? Is non-consumption a new form of media rhetoric and cultural denominator that has supplanted the era of glamour? How do governments, media companies and users in the region imbue neo-liberal systems of consumption with their own nationalist agenda?
We are particularly interested in media discourses about consumption and patriotism and in how media influence patriotic (non) consumption in the region. What has been the role of media, especially digital social media, in constructing a sense of belonging and patriotism through the discourse of (non) consumption? How has digital culture impacted our understanding of (non) consumption? How do users navigate between the media rhetoric of patriotic boycotting and patriotic ‘buy-cotting’? How does patriotic consumer capitalism work in the era of accelerated globalisation and mediatisation of culture? These are some of the questions we wish to explore in our special issue.
We invite a range of submissions: 1) research articles (7-9,000 words, external peer reviews); 2) essays (4-5,000 words, internal peer reviews); 3) digital memoirs (see the journal site for more information); 4) interviews; and 5) image and video galleries documenting the developments and exploring the topic using audio-visual media.

We will consider submissions in English and Russian (for contributions in other languages please contact the guest editors for an initial consultation).

Publication timeline:
1 March 2016 – submit an extended abstract / description of your submission (300-500 words in English); abstracts of research articles should include an outline of the contribution, methodological and theoretical underpinnings and some preliminary information on the findings
15 March 2016 – notification of acceptance
1 June 2016 – submit your contribution
Summer 2016 – peer reviews and revisions
Autumn 2016 – publication of the special issue
Please submit your abstract by e-mail: patriotic.non.consumption “@” gmail.com

Call for Abstracts: Research for Development in the South Caucasus: Discussing Methodological Innovations

CRRC’s 4th Methodological Conference
Tbilisi, June 24-25, 2016

About the Conference: This conference aims to discuss methodological approaches to studying recent political, economic and social trends in the South Caucasus, specifically focusing on innovative practices of empirical social research. It will bring together local and international participants that are committed to advancing social research practice across the South Caucasus. It will be a relatively small conference focused on constructive how-to discussions.

Possible Topics: We invite papers that explore a number of topics related to recent developments in the region and focus primarily on innovative methodological approaches to study them empirically using a wide range of methods: case studies, ethnographies, experimental surveys, as well as comparative research projects. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: Policy analysis, Migration, Employment, Social stratification, Youth, Education, Gender, and Identity.

Submission: Applicants are required to submit an abstract online via the abstract submission form by February 29, 2016. Abstracts should be a maximum of 500 words long, and should include the following:
• Title of the paper;
• Three to five keywords;
• Main author’s name, title, affiliation, address, telephone, and email address;
• Co-authors’ names and affiliations, if applicable.

Important dates:

Submission of abstracts – February 29, 2016
Notification of pre-acceptance – March 11, 2016
Submission of full papers – April 30, 2016
Notification of final acceptance – May 20, 2016

Language of the conference – English
For more information please, click here.

The 7th International Symposium on Kartvelian Studies

The year 2016 is significant for Kartvelian Studies and culture as it is the year of the anniversaries of Shota Rustaveli and the founder of Tbilisi State University, Ivane Javakhishvili. The programme of the 7th International Symposium in Kartvelian Studies will be linked to these events and its main working theme will be Georgia in a context of European Civilisation.

Papers for the symposium will be accepted from all the directions of Kartvelian Studies.

Financial supporters of the symposium are: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and the International Association for the Promotion of Georgian/Kartvelian Studies.

The symposium will be held at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University on October 17 – 22, 2016.

Applications for participation are accepted from October 1, 2015. The application should include: (1) Title of the paper; (2) Brief resume, no more than a page (400 words), Bionote of the presenter.

Working languages of the symposium: Georgian, English, Russian, German and French.

For additional information, please visit: https://tsu.ge/en/government/administration/departments/pr/news/C9ChuTOAGdfnXS1RY/?p=1

CFP: Peace & Conflict in the South Caucasus Program

This summer spend four weeks in Tbilisi, Georgia, while gaining an in-depth understanding of the sources of conflict and the potential for peace in the region. Hosted by Ilia State University and conducted in English, our Peace & Security in the South Caucasus Program examines the emergence of new political systems and leaders, cultural identities, and ongoing efforts to foster peace throughout the area. Additionally, participants receive daily instruction in their choice of Russian, Georgian, or Chechen languages geared to their individual levels (beginners included). Participants earn eight U.S. undergraduate credits upon successful completion of the program. Graduate credit is also available.

Participants live with carefully selected host families. American Councils staff provide ongoing logistical support to program participants and lead a wide range of cultural activities, including visits to historical sites, film discussions, and meetings with local think-tanks and U.S. Embassy personnel in Tbilisi.

The American Councils Study Abroad Scholarship Fund provides financial aid in the form of need-based and merit-based scholarships.

Call for Papers: 2016 ASEEES Convention

48th Annual ASEEES Convention
Washington Marriott Wardman Park
Washington, DC
November 17-20, 2016
2016 Convention Theme Global Conversations
Call for Proposals is open: Proposal Deadline: February 15, 2016 for ALL Submissions – panel, roundtable, individual paper, and meeting request submissions.Rules for Participation: Please carefully review the rules for participation. We are anticipating an exceptionally large number of proposals for the 2016 Convention. Individual paper submissions will have a MUCH LOWER chance of being accepted than panel/roundtable proposals. We STRONGLY encourage all interested participants to form, or become part of, a panel proposal. To assist in the process of forming panels, we have created the Panel/Paper Wanted Board.If you are looking for a panel to join or a paper presenter for your panel, please review the proposals on the online board. You can also indicate your willingness to volunteer as chair or discussant. You can also use the 2016 Convention Facebook group.
Membership Requirement: ALL individual paper submitters and panel/roundtable organizers in the US and abroad MUST be ASEEES members in order to submit a proposal. Please review the membership rules for participation.
With any inquiries about the convention, please contact Margaret Manges, the convention manager, at aseees.convention “at” pitt.edu. If you need assistance logging into the ASEEES members site or are experiencing other technical difficulties, please contact aseees “at” pitt.edu.

Call for Papers: Graduate Student Conference in Slavic Studies

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
April 15th – 16th, 2016
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are now inviting participants to submit abstracts for a joint meeting of the 6th annual conference of the Slavic Graduate Students’ Association (SGSA) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the 35th annual Slavic Forum of the University of Chicago. The conference will take place April 15-16, 2016, in Urbana, IL. Prof. Maria Todorova of the History Dept. at UIUC will deliver a keynote lecture. Participation is open to graduate students in all related fields, including: literature, film, linguistics, history, anthropology, cultural studies, philosophy, visual arts, musicology and area studies. We are especially interested in interdisciplinary approaches to the study of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian cultures.

The deadline for submitting abstracts is February 1, 2016. Participants will be notified by March 1.

If you would like to participate, please submit an abstract (up to 300 words) and the title of your paper to sgsa2016 “at” gmail.com.

Call for papers: “Transnational Flows in the Eurasian Space”

April 2, 2016
Elliott School of International Affairs
George Washington University
Washington, DC
The Graduate Student Mid-Atlantic Conference for Eurasian Studies (MACES) aims to provide a public platform for rising experts in the field of Eurasian studies, further multidisciplinary academic discourse on Eurasia, and connect interdisciplinary student bodies. This year’s conference theme is “Transnational Flows in the Eurasian Space”. In modern Eurasia, the movement of people, wealth, and ideas across national borders is deeply shaped by the culture, politics, and economics of the region. Through understanding these movements, the conference seeks to shed light on the dynamism of Eurasian space. Participants are invited to explore any aspect of transnational flows in the region. For the purposes of the conference, “Eurasian space” is defined as post-Soviet space, Eastern Europe, Turkey, and Mongolia.
Paper Submissions
Graduate students at accredited universities of North America are eligible to present papers at the conference. To submit a paper for consideration, please send a CV and a 150-300 word abstract to gs.maces “@” gmail.com. Please save your files with either a .doc or .docx extension. Include your name and abstract title in the subject line of the email.
The conference organizers will be accepting abstracts until the February 1, 2016 deadline. Those selected to present will be notified by February 15, 2016.
Please send questions and comments to gs.maces “at” gmail.com.

Call for papers: Anti-Communist Persecutions in the 20th century

Time: April 21-23, 2017
Place: University of Bern, Switzerland
Organizers: Christian Gerlach (University of Bern), Wendy Goldman (Carnegie Mellon University), Clemens Six (University of Groningen)

Many waves of mass violence against communists occurred in the twentieth century. They took place in both socialist and capitalist countries. They happened before, during and after the Cold War. Such persecutions came about in a variety of situations – in peacetime, wartime, civil wars and/or guerrilla wars, as a prelude to World War II, and in the aftermath of World Wars I and II. The political outcomes varied greatly, and in many countries, the impact on social life, political thought, individual behavior, and socioeconomic makeup was profound. The number of victims varied, ranging from hundreds to millions.

Although there is excellent historical scholarship of anti-communism, especially in terms of ideas and propaganda, there has been relatively little attention to many of these bloody events, and almost none, on the violence as part of a larger, connected phenomenon. In particular, there are hardly any systematic analyses dealing with more than one case of such a persecution. Scholarship on the issue is fragmented into national histories and transnational perspectives are missing, except for references to Cold War politics. The conference will try to address these shortcomings.

Persecution implies the existence of government policies of violence. But in many cases, violence transcended state action against members of a political party. Anti-communist persecutions were not only about communists; other groups came under attack as well, often including leftists in general but quite frequently also ethnic or religious minorities, women’s movements and others. Family members also suffered intensely. Moreover, non-state actors usually participated in the violence in one way or another, shaping the course of events and greatly influencing the options for action of communists and other target groups.

The organizers of this conference are seeking proposals for papers that shed new light on anti-communist mass violence. Our aim is to develop a global understanding by focusing on multiple countries and regions, including but not limited to Europe, the United States, the Soviet Union, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Contributions that cover more than one case of such persecutions and discuss common features and variations are especially welcome. Possible topics include the origins of violence, the evolution of state policies, activities by non-state actors, the range of victims, survival strategies and other responses by those under attack, social and political contexts and the long-term impact of the violence.

The language of this conference will be English.
Limited financial aid will be available to those who need help with travel expenses.
Please send us the proposal for your presentation (300 words) by 31 January 2016 to goldman”at”andrew.cmu.edu , christian.gerlach”at”hist.unibe.ch and c.six “at” rug.nl.

Call for Papers: The national in everyday life. Identity and nation-building in post-socialist spaces

The editors are currently looking for 1-2 abstracts to complete the collection below. Given the current geographical composition a focus on Russia/Moldova/Belarus or Central Asia will be particularly welcome, but the call is open to good chapters focusing on any other country of the post-Soviet and post-socialist region.

If interested send by a 300-word abstract and a short biographical information to Emilia Pawlusz and Oleksandra Seliverstova, emilia.pawlusz[at]tlu[dot]ee, alekseli[at]tlu[dot]ee

Deadline: January 31, 2016

Overview and rationale

With this work the editors intend to explore, from a variety of perspectives and disciplines, how everyday practices become a meaningful and useful site for understanding socio-political engagements in the nation-building processes. The meaning of ‘everyday’ encompasses any kind of quotidian and ‘banal’ practices. These could be related to consumption, kinship, embodiment, mobility, games, clothing, Although there is a growing body of literature on informality and everyday practices in the post-socialist context, most of them do not sufficiently connect the micro and the macro or, in other words, do not necessarily explore the way micro processes at the local and/or everyday level may come to affect macro transformations and policy making at the national or regional level.

By complementing current works on identity construction from a bottom-up perspective, the current volume will focus on how, through everyday practices, individuals establish, negotiate and embed references to concepts of citizenship, statehood and national self-definition. Developing earlier insights into the study of everyday nationalism, initiated by Michael Billig (1995) and critically updated by Skey (2009) to encompass the need to take account of globalization, the editors are seek empirically-based studies of nationhood that emerge not from the state level, but in practices of everyday life among ordinary people and serve to ‘materialize’ the nation.

Questions perspective authors might want to engage with include (but are not limited to):

How national identity could be explored through everyday acts, like consumption, leisure, food procurement and cooking, education of children, handcraft and arts, fashion, tourism, organisation of household.
What are the dispositions and habituses that reveal shared or conflicting understandings of national identity.
Perception and understanding of national belonging by ordinary people.
How national characteristics are revealed in organization of public/private space, and movement through that space.
Informal or spontaneous nation-building.
The contrast between ‘hot’ and banal forms of everyday nationalism.
The long durée effect of post-socialist transformation on nationalism.

Extended CFP: Individuals and Institutions in Europe and Eurasia

The next annual conference of the Irish Association for Russian, Central, and East European Studies will be held at Maynooth University (Ireland), from 6-8 May 2016.

Scholars from all disciplines and at any stage of their careers are invited to submit a paper or panel proposal related to this year’s conference theme ‘Individuals and Institutions in Europe and Eurasia’.

By choosing the topic of individuals and institutions, we are in a sense re-opening the time-honored dilemma of structure against agency. The conference organizers wish to explore the nature of and the relationship between these two socio-historical agents in the region. Some possible lines of enquiry are: how successful were imperial and national institutions such as armies, schools, and political bodies in forging a sense of imperial and national loyalty throughout the region? How successful were/have been new leaders in moving away from failed institutional projects of the past, such as empire, dictatorship, communism, and fascism? What is the relationship between Russia, Central and East Europe and international institutions of the past and present-day, such as the League of Nations, the Comintern, the Little and Balkan Ententes, the Warsaw Treaty Organization, NATO, and the EU? Have such bodies inhibited sovereignty, or have they helped to protect and promote international stability and national sovereignty? Institution building has often taken place in the context of war and its aftermath (e.g., the Soviet state and the ‘successor states’ of Austria-Hungary after the First World War and the Russian Civil War, Axis-affiliated states during 1939-1941, the Eastern Bloc satellites after the Second World War, and the post-socialist democracies after the Cold War). Is this a defining feature of the region? What are the implications of repeated and often unsuccessful attempts to create new institutions and institutional cultures?

We are also interested in the position and role of individuals as they shape and are shaped by their institutional affiliations. What impact do forced and voluntary associations to armies, schools, political parties and other institutions have on individuals? How have attitudes towards international organizations of the interwar, Cold War, and post-1989-91 period evolved, and why? How have people coped with repeated institutional overhauls within their own lifetimes?

Please send paper or panel proposals of no more than 300 words along with a short biographical statement (200 words) and enquires tojohnpaul.newman “at” nuim.ie. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 29 January.
For more information, please click here.

Call for Papers: Undergraduate Research Symposium

University of Pittsburgh
April 1st, 2016
On Friday, April 1, 2016, the Center for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pittsburgh will be sponsoring the annual “Europe: East and West” Undergraduate Research Symposium at Pitt. Modeled after traditional academic conferences, this event will give students the opportunity to present their research papers on Western and Eastern Europe, including Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, to discussants and an audience. Please encourage your outstanding undergraduate students to apply to participate in the Symposium. Limited travel grants are available to help defray travel expenses to Pittsburgh for accepted participants.

Abstracts must be submitted by January 19, 2016.

For more information, please click here.

Call for Papers: Midwest Slavic Conference 2016

The Ohio State University
April 8th-10th, 2016
The Midwest Slavic Association and the Center for Slavic and East European Studies invite proposals for panels or individual papers addressing all disciplines related to Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. The conference will open with a keynote address by Dr. Serhii Plokhii (Harvard University) on Ukraine’s current crisis in historical perspective on Friday, April 8th, followed by two days of panels.

Abstract and C.V. Deadline: January 15

Please send your abstracts/proposals and CVs in PDF format to csees “at” osu.edu

For more information, please click here.

Call for Papers: Ninth Annual OSU/IU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Conference
April 22-23, 2016

9th annual collaborative conference between The Ohio State University Folklore Student Association and the Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Associations at Indiana University will take place on the campus of Ohio State April 22-23, 2016. This conference aims to create a space for graduate and undergraduate students to share their research in folklore, ethnomusicology, anthropology, cultural studies, material culture, literary studies, performance studies, and related disciplines connected to the study of academic and vernacular interpretations of everyday life.

The conference will have three opportunities for participation: 20-minute paper presentations, a poster session, and roundtables. We will be accepting 250-word abstracts for all presentation formats. We encourage pre-organized panels and roundtables (with a stated topic and a list of presenters.) Submissions from diverse areas of study are welcome, but we ask that presenters articulate the connection of their topics to the study of folklore or ethnomusicology (ethnography, artistic expression, traditional narratives and materials, groups, genre, the everyday, community, identity, etc.) in their abstracts.
The deadline to submit abstracts is on January 15th.
To submit abstracts, please email osuiu2016conference “at” gmail.com.

Call for Applications: Course Development Stipends for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia

Center for Slavic and East European Studies

Through funding from the U.S. Department of Education, six Title VI National Resource Centers plan to award stipends to faculty at community colleges and minority-serving institutions to develop and incorporate greater content about Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia into the curricula of the institutions at which they teach. These National Resource Centers (NRCs) receive grants under the Higher Education Act to train specialists in the study of the countries of this region and to work with other postsecondary institutions to expand Russian, East European, and Eurasian content in the classroom. Faculty at community colleges and minority-serving institutions throughout the U.S. are invited to apply for a course development stipend. Awards will be from $1,000-$3,000. All full-time, regular part-time, and adjunct faculty are encouraged to apply. Applicants can propose to redesign an existing course or to develop a new course including at least 25% content on Russia, Eastern Europe, and/or Eurasia.

Funds will be made available to awardees in the form of a stipend and/or for purchase of curriculum materials, research related travel (including conference attendance), or consultation with a faculty member from a participating NRC. Awardees can also access the library of one participating NRC during the funding period.

To be eligible as a minority-serving institution, applicant institutions are those listed by the U.S. Department of Education as eligible for Title III and Title V for FY2015. Please click here to view.

The application deadline is January 8, 2016. Please submit applications to Eileen Kunkler.

For more information, please click here.

Call for Applications: Funded Fellowships at the Davis Center, Harvard University

The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies invites applications for postdoctoral and regional fellowships. The 2016-2017 Davis Center Fellows Program will be coordinated by Professors Rawi Abdelal (Harvard Business School) and Justin Weir (Slavic Languages and Literatures). The theme of the program is “Ideas, Ideologies, and Power: Eurasia Past and Present.” The Davis Center encourages prospective fellows to interpret the theme broadly and welcomes all applications.
DEADLINE: The application deadline is January 7, 2016. All materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received at the Davis Center by this date.
In 2016-2017 the Center will award two types of fellowships: Postdoctoral and Regional.

Postdoctoral Fellowships
For junior scholars who will have completed the Ph.D. or equivalent by September 2016, but no earlier than September 2011 (less than five years ago).
Stipend of up to $40,000 for 9 months or $53,333 for 12 months.
Up to $5,000 in additional research funding.
Eligible for employee benefits (including subsidized health insurance).
Shared office space and borrowing privileges at Harvard libraries provided.
Citizens of all countries may apply.

Regional Fellowships
For advanced scholars who have completed a Ph.D. or equivalent by September 2009, or policymakers, journalists, and other specialists.
Stipend of up to $47,000.
Scholars may apply to be in residence for one full academic year (9 months) or one semester (4.5 months).
Medical insurance subsidized.
Shared office space and borrowing privileges at Harvard libraries provided.
Citizens of Eastern Europe and states of the former Soviet Union may apply.

Within this program, the faculty coordinators are particularly interested in discovering and cultivating the connections among the scholarly literatures in the humanities and social sciences that explore Russia, the Soviet and post-Soviet space, and other nations and regional orders. They hope to trace the ideational and ideological lineage of contemporary debates about the character of the post-Soviet region-sometimes called Eurasia. Recognizing that Eurasia is a term freighted with meaning, they are interested in how the past informs present practice, as well as how contemporary events invite a re-narrating of the past.
The Fellows Program Committee is interested in applications from scholars currently working on the 2016-2017 theme or equally, those working on unrelated themes, but who are interested in exploring the theme. (Note that scholars whose work does not address the selected theme are encouraged to apply for fellowships at the Davis Center, and their applications will receive full consideration.)
For complete position descriptions, application procedures, and to submit an application, please visit: http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/research/individual-research/fellows-program/how-apply. Email dcpdoc “at” fas.harvard.edu with any additional questions.

CFP: 1st Eurasia-Latin America International Conference

Latin American Project at Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) and Eurasia Department (IRI) at the National University of La Plata (Argentina) invite panel and paper proposals about the relationships between Eurasia and Latin America and comparative approaches between these regions in the economic and political realm for the First Eurasia-Latin America International Conference to be held in Istanbul on 26-27 March 2016.

Conference Themes
– A new multipolar world: BRICS & Near-BRICS Emerging Powers
– Eurasia-Latin America Interregional Relations: Diplomacy, Trade and Culture
– Historical Perspectives of Eurasia-Latin America Relations
– Turkey, Iran & Russian Foreign Policy towards Latin America
– Brazil, Mexico, Argentina & Colombia in the Eurasian Space
– New trends in Caucasus-Latin America relations
– Novel Horizons: Central Asia and Latin America
– China-Latin America: an emerging strategic association
– Comparing Regional Organizations in Eurasia and Latin America
– Democracy, Autocracy and Populism
– Comparative Challenges in Economic Development

To submit a panel or an abstract proposal, please send an email to info@elaic2016.com including:
Paper/panel title
Short abstract (400 words) and keywords
Author name(s) and institutional affiliations
Author e-mail address and short biographical information

Deadline for submissions: 15 December, 2015
The conference is open also to attendees and we would encourage participation from civil society, private sector, national authorities and the media.

For additional information, please visit: www.elaic2016.com

Call for Applications – UCIS Postdoctoral Fellowships

University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh is offering two postdoctoral fellowships – one in the arts and humanities, and one in the social sciences and professional disciplines – to begin in September 2016 for scholars whose work focuses on Russia, Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet regions of Eurasia.

Applications must be submitted by December 10, 2015.

For more information, please click here.

CFP – 14th International Postgraduate Conference on Central and Eastern Europe London, SSEES UCL | 20-21 February 2016

“Transnationalism(S) – Contexts, Patterns and Connections in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union”

Thinking beyond “the national” is here to stay. Though recent events in Central and Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space have brought the continued relevance of borders into stark relief, we are more than ever in need of a toolkit that makes sense of processes, events and patterns occurring and recurring beyond the nation-state. At the same time, when dealing with the already-ambiguous and contested limits of “Central Europe”, “Eastern Europe”, “the Balkans”, or “the Caucasus”, thinking transnationally may also transform previous notions of “region”. As such, the overarching aim of our conference is to debate both the concrete and the theoretical issues that stem from de-centring and re-contextualising both the nation-state, and other sub-ordinate and super-ordinate levels of analysis.

SSEES looks forward to submissions that are cross-cultural, cross-national, and multi-disciplinary: historical, cultural, political, economic, social, linguistic and beyond. We are particularly interested in papers addressing the conference theme but also welcome other research dealing with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, South-East Europe and the former Soviet Union, as well as papers exploring the relationships between these regions and actors outside them. Topics can include but are not limited to the following areas:

research methodologies and (inter)disciplinary challenges in a transnational context;
networks of knowledge, ideologies and in uence: regional versus transnational;
migration: global issues, transnational patterns, national responses;
making sense of “ows”: what gets transferred – ideas, objects, people, and how going beyond/across borders transforms their interrelationships;
institutions and economies: inter-, supra- or trans-national?
recontextualising “nationalism” in light of the transnational turn;
cosmopolitanism and the transnational: ideals and practices of global citizenship;
aesthetics of transnationalism: visual culture and cultural critique;
the politics and linguistics of CEE languages: national entanglements, regional and local perspectives.

The conference invites applications from postgraduate students and early career researchers from the Social Sciences and Humanities.

A 250-word abstract and an academic CV should be sent to postgraduateconference2016[at}gmail.com by 9 December 2015.

The language of the conference is English. We invite submissions of papers of no more than 20 minutes in length. Please contact us should you wish to propose a fully-formed three-speaker panel, attaching the relevant documents for all participants. Successful applicants will be noticed by 18 December 2015. Some travel expenses may be covered for non-UK applicants, but please seek alternate sources of funding beforehand. For more information on research at SSEES please visit: ucl.ac.uk/ssees/research.

CFP – International and IARCEES Conference: Individuals and Institutions in Europe and Eurasia

Annual conference of the Irish Association for Russian, Central, and East European Studies will be held at Maynooth University, from 6-8 May 2016. Scholars from all disciplines and at any stage of their careers sre invitef to submit a paper or panel proposal related to this year’s conference theme ‘Individuals and Institutions in Europe and Eurasia’.

Deadline: 9 December 2015

for additional information, please visit: https://networks.h-net.org/node/11423/discussions/90008/cfp-international-and-iarcees-conference-individuals-and

CFP: Human Rights after 1945 in the Socialist and Post-Socialist World

A collaborative conference between the German Historical Institute and 1989 after 1989, The University of Exeter will be held on 3-5 March 2016, Warsaw.

This conference seeks to explore how the socialist world can be written into the broader global narratives of the rise of human rights in the 20thcentury, and even revise these narratives. The understanding of the “socialist world” is deliberately inclusive. It entails the socialist systems of eastern Europe, Eurasia, Africa, Southern and East Asia as well as socialist and Communist parties and movements more broadly, and anti-colonial or anti-dictatorial movements in the Global South. Papers from different disciplines and from diverse perspectives, whether dealing with official discourses, state policies, right experts, or national or transnational political movements are welcome.

Deadline: 27 November 2015

For additional information, please visit: https://networks.h-net.org/node/11423/discussions/90078/cfp-human-rights-after-1945-socialist-and-post-socialist-world-3-5

CFP: Religion and Magic in Socialist and Post-socialist Contexts

Religion and magic have long played important roles within the now post-socialist and post-soviet spaces, whose sets of social performances and socio-political balance regarding religion and magic can differ greatly from Western perspectives. Although religion and magic are often thought of as being two distinct, even antagonistic forces, they often find ways to work together in post-socialist and post-soviet spaces. By taking on various examples from post-socialist and post-soviet spaces, the volume aims to bring together diverse historical and ethnographic cases ranging from analysis on orthodoxy and heterodoxy pre and post 1989, the relationship of religious and state institutions to individuals practicing alternative forms of religions, Eastern borderlands as spaces of moral ambiguity, to perspectives held by both post-socialist and post-soviet practitioners and believers. In doing so, this edited volume seeks to explore some of the ways in which magic and religion manage to function together in (and help make sense of) post-socialist and post-Soviet communities.

The volume intersects anthropology, history and cultural memory studies, and is intended to encourage inquiry into past and current magic and religious practice in socialist and post-socialist spaces, using both archived material and ethnographic studies. We are interested in particular in papers that discuss how repurposing religious and magic practices has occurred into the post 1989 transition in post-socialist and post-soviet spaces.. The papers should geographically concern: Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Baltics, the Caucasus, ex-Soviet Union, Central Asia.

Deadline: November 15, 2015

300-word abstracts and 200-word bios should be sent to siacotof[at]umail[dot]iu[dot]edu and jnyce[at]bsu[dot]edu

For additional information, please visit: https://networks.h-net.org/node/10000/discussions/94341/cfp-religion-and-magic-socialist-and-post-socialist-contexts

Rethinking Methodologies for Armenian Studies

Seventh Annual International Graduate Student Workshop

Armenian Studies Program
April 22 and 23, 2016
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Deadline for submission of abstracts: November 15, 2015

For more information, please visit.

Call for Papers: 34th Millersville University Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide

April 6–8, 2016

The organizers of the Conference invite proposals for individual papers and panels focusing on:
political, economic and cultural consequences of the Holocaust and genocide;
problems of displaced persons and survivors;
trials of Holocaust and genocide perpetrators;
racism, and state and popular anti-Semitism in post-war Europe;
commemoration and memorialization;
teaching methods of the Holocaust and genocide.
A one-page paper proposal (double-spaced) should be submitted with a one-page curriculum vitae and contact information (email, mail address, and phone number).
Panel organizers should submit a cover sheet stating the panel title, all individual paper titles, and contact information for each presenter. Panel proposals should also include individual paper proposals and a one-page CV for each participant.
Please send your materials as one document in an email attachment in .doc or .docx format with your first and last name in the title of your file. Foreign scholars should inform us if they need support letters for a U.S. visa for conference attendance.
Please email your proposal to Dr. Victoria Khiterer: victoria.khiterer@millersville.edu

The deadline for all proposals is November 15, 2015. Decisions regarding the acceptance of papers and panels will be made by December 3, 2015. The 34th Conference call for papers and other information may be found on the Conference home page, The conference is free and open to the public.

Caucasus Survey – Call for Papers: Informality and symbolic power in the Caucasus

Journal of International Association for the Study of the Caucasus, vol.3. N 1, 2015

Caucasus Survey is looking to explore modes and expression of informality in the Caucasus region from a variety of perspectives. Informality has been approached from micro and macro points of view and this special issue is intended to provide a number of accounts locating informality in the Caucasus region.

Caucasus Survey is currently looking for 1-2 articles to expand the content of this special issue. The regional focus can range from the Northern and Southern Caucasus to neighbouring areas (Iran, Turkey, Iraq), as long as they are relevant to the Caucasus region. There is no limitation to the topic but the article should provide some novel case study, embedded in informality theory (for a review see Willias, 2013), so to advance the debate on the post-Soviet region and beyond on informality.

Submission Instructions

If interested, please contact the guest editors to agree on a topic and/or submit an abstract by the 31st October 2015. Papers should be in the region of 8,000 words and use the journal’s citation style. For relevant information on style and submission procedure, please see the instructions for authors here.

Editorial information

Guest Editor: Abel Polese, Dublin City University (abel.polese “at” dcu.ie)
Guest Editor: Lela Rakhashvili, Central European University (lel.rekhviashvili “at “gmail.com)For more information, please visit: http://explore.tandfonline.com/cfp/pgas/rcau-si-cfp

Call for Papers for 21st Annual World Convention of the association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN)

The ASN Convention, the largest international and inter-disciplinary scholarly gathering of its kind, welcomes proposals on a wide range of topics related to nationalism, ethnicity, ethnic conflict and national identity in regional sections on the Balkans, Central Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, the Caucasus, and Turkey/Greece, as well as thematic sections on Nationalism and Migration/Diasporas. Disciplines represented include political science, history, anthropology, sociology, international studies, security studies, geopolitics, area studies, economics, geography, sociolinguistics, literature, psychology, and related fields.

Deadline: 29 October, 2015

For additional information, please visit: https://networks.h-net.org/node/11423/discussions/90587/asn-2016-world-convention-call-papers-deadline-reminder-29-october

Call for 7th Annual Conference in Gender Studies

Institute for Gender Studies at Tbilisi State University and Center for Social Sciences are pleased to announce 7th joint annual conference in Gender Studies: “Manifestations of Women’s Oppression and Resistance in response to them”

Conference will be conducted in the framework of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign that is observed annually from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day).

Conference will allow researchers to present their frameworks on various manifestations of women’s oppression as well as on the emerging new social movements that originated in response to oppression. The women’s issue was regarded as a personal and intimate problem for a long time. From the Feminists perspective “personal” experiences not an isolatedevent. Rather, it is caused by the oppressive system and has structural and system nature. The forms of oppression such as: exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence, often cross each other and give rise to complex forms of oppression. Social injustice gives rise to strong response and resistance in the form ofsocialmovements and personal activism. Conference aimsto demonstrate theinteractionbetweenoppression andresistance against it.

Conference Dates: 30 November- 1 December, 2015
Conference Venue: TSU I Block
Conference Language: Georgian and English (simultaneous translation provided)

Deadline for applications: October 25, 2015.

For additional information, please visit: http://css.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=8&info_id=1130

CFP: Conference on Water Management in Arid Regions of Caucasus, Central Asia and Western China (H-Water), Lingnam University, Hongkong

Lingnan University, the University of Hong Kong, and the Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient (Brill Publishers) are pleased to announce a call for papers for a conference devoted to the history of water management in the arid regions in the Middle East, Maghreb, Sahel, Caucasus, Central/Inner Asia, Mongolia, and China in the early modern and modern periods and into the present day.

Topics

Conference convenors will select papers that focus on topics as diverse as (but not limited to):

Culturally-specific traditions of water management
Relations between political regimes and water management
Interactions of peasant and pastoral populations in the management of water
Conceptualization in different legal traditions of water as a “natural resource”
Commodification of water
Rivers as borders and as the environmental and economic pivots of borderlands
International disputes over the exploitation of water resources
Development of scientific knowledge related to water management and its use by the polities ruling over the Afro-Asian arid macro-region
Water management and engineering megaprojects
Economic development projects linked to irrigation
Human-induced crisis of aquatic ecosystems
Fisheries management and regulation

Since the topic of the conference is expressly interdisciplinary, we encourage the submission of proposals for comparative panels, in order to stimulate dialogue between different disciplines. Comparative panels may focus on different geographic areas, historical periods, and/or take advantage of different disciplinary approaches.

Paper or panel proposals should be sent to waterconference[at]ln[dot]edu[dot]hk by 15 October, 2015.

For additional information, please visit: https://networks.h-net.org/node/10000/discussions/75981/cfp-conference-water-management-arid-regions-caucasus-central-asia

Call for Entries:The Second Ethnographic Film and Media Program of the Middle East and Central Eurasia of EASA (European Association of Social Anthropologists), The Department of Sociology, University of Nantes, Nantes, France, November 2015

The second Ethnographic Film and Media Program of the Middle East and Central Eurasia is announced, which will be held annually in conjunction with the Anthropology of the Middle East and Central Eurasia Network of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA).
http://www.easaonline.org/networks/amce/index.shtml

The goal of the program is to promote original ethnographic films and visual media, not only in the area of anthropology, but also in sociology, folklore, religion, material culture and related topics. The program encompasses all areas of the contemporary Middle East and Central Eurasia (the Russian Federation, the Caucasus, Central Asia, China), including topics on minority groups and religious themes.

The second program will be held with the collaboration of the Department of Sociology of the University of Nantes and Institut du Pluralisme Religieux et de l’Athéisme – IPRA/MSHG (Nantes) during November 2015 (University of Nantes, Nantes, France). We invite and encourage all students, anthropologists, sociologists, documentary filmmakers and media artists to participate in the program by submitting ethnographic videos, films (including online and cell phone styles, short and feature-length films) as well as interactive media (websites, hyperlinked documents, etc.).

Deadline

Delivery and return policies

• All entries submitted must have received their first public screening on or after 1 January 2015.
• All participants must cover all costs related to the delivery of preview and screening copies. The preview and screening copies will not be returned.

All entries should be sent to:

Dr. P. Khosronejad
Institut du Pluralisme Religieux et de l’Athéisme – IPRA
Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Ange-Guépin
5 allée Jacques Berque
BP 12105
44021 Nantes cedex 1, France
Email: pedram.khosronejad [at] univ-nantes . fr

Call for Papers- “The Armenians and the Cold War”

Dearborn, MI, 1-3 April 2016

To mark the 30th Anniversary of its founding, the Armenian Research Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn is holding a multi-disciplinary academic conference on the theme “The Armenians and the Cold War.” The conference will be held on the university’s campus in Dearborn, MI, over the weekend April 1-3, 2016.

More information is available here:

Transregional Research Junior Scholar Fellowship: InterAsian Contexts and Connections

Open for applications, next deadline is August 25^th 2015
The InterAsia Program Transregional Research Junior Scholar Fellowship (formerly known as the Postdoctoral Fellowship for Transregional Research) is aimed at supporting transregional research under the rubric InterAsian Contexts and Connections. Its purpose is to strengthen the understanding of issues and geographies that do not fit neatly into existing divisions of academia or the world and to develop new approaches, practices, and opportunities in international, regional, and area studies. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, these fellowships help junior scholars (one to five years out of the PhD) complete first books or undertake second projects. In addition to funding research, the fellowships create networks and shared resources that will support fellows well beyond the award period. The Transregional Research Junior Scholar Fellowship thus provides promising scholars important support at critical junctures in their careers.

The intellectual thrust of the project is the reconceptualization of Asia as an interlinked historical and geographic formation stretching from West Asia through Eurasia, Central Asia, and South Asia to Southeast Asia and East Asia. Proposals supported by the fellowship examine processes that connect places and peoples (such as migration, media, and resource flows) as well as those that reconfigure local and translocal contexts (such as shifting borders, urbanization, and social movements). The fellowship is intended to advance transregional research as well as to establish structures for linking scholars across disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

To date, thirty-eight fellowships have been awarded in two pilot phases: 2012–2013 and 2013–2014. Following on these successful pilot grants, the SSRC is pleased to extend the fellowship project and will fund three successive fellowship competitions in 2015, 2016, and 2017, awarding approximately twenty fellowships per competition.

Questions can be addressed to transregional “at” ssrc.org. For additional information, please visit http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/transregional-research-fellowship/

CFP: Gender and Food in the Late Soviet Period

Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at The University of Texas at Austin invites you to submit proposals for articles to appear in a new edited volume on late Soviet Women’s culture (1960s to the present).

Originally the volume was planned as “Women and Food,” with late Soviet women’s identity as related to food. Very quickly, however, it became clear that one cannot write about women without also writing about men and their relationship with food, as much as one cannot write about private life in the former Soviet Union without writing about public life and the government’s efforts to regulate both.

This volume will be predicated on paradigms from everyday studies as well as cultural studies encompassing both quotidian and holiday rituals and practices. However, essays from any field are welcome, including but not limited to: literary studies, children’s literature, film studies, cultural studies, history, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, food studies, art history, journalism, and social media.

Gender and food topics might be explored in published Soviet cookbooks, literary texts, art, advertisements, pop-culture, film, cartoons, women’s and other journals, on the radio and TV, as well as on the web.

Topics for exploration can include: everyday food and gender roles, holiday food and gender roles; gender, official and private foodways; gender and deficit; personal and published cookbooks or women’s journals; Soviet foodways in publications and in everyday life; gender, food and family/children; gender, food and intelligentsia; officially constructed and privately fostered gender roles as related to food and family; gender, food and consumerism; family history preservation through family food and traditions; women, food and medicine/health/nutrition; gendered space and operations of everyday life related to food and cooking, gender and production of food; food, gender, social fabric and networks; gender and food subcultures.

Please submit a 500 word proposal indicating the topic, the approach, and tentative bibliography. Please also create a 100 word abstract with a working title for submission to the publishers and a 100 word author’s biography. Indiana University Press has expressed interest in a formal proposal.

–          Please send abstracts by May 20, 2015
–          Authors are notified of acceptance by June 15
–          Authors submit full articles (6K-8K words) by end of July

Abstracts and proposals should be sent to:
Anastasia Lakhtikova alakhtik “at” illinois. edu and
Angela Brintlinger brintlinger.3 “at” osu. edu

Queries should be sent to: Anastasia Lakhtikova
For more information, please see https://sites.utexas.edu/creees/2015/04/16/cfp-women-and-food/

Call for Papers for Caucasus Social Science Review Upcoming Issue

Center for Social Sciences announces a call for paper submission for upcoming volume (Volume II, Issue II) of Caucasus Social Science Review (CSSR). Papers from scholars in all disciplines of social sciences (foreign policy and security, applied social research, higher education, development, gender studies, political science, anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, and sociology) are welcome for submission. CSSR aims to bring together established and emerging international as well as local practitioners and scholars willing to share their research findings about current changes and transformations taking place in Georgia. The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach is encouraged.

Deadline for submission of Paper Outlines (500-1,000 words) is May 31, 2015.

For additional information, please visit: http://css.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=100&info_id=1053

CFP: Theme issue: The South Caucasus

Supplementum 2016 of the journal Convivium. Exchanges and Interactions in the Arts of Medieval Europe, Byzantium, and the Mediterranean. Seminarium Kondakovianum Series Nova

Deadline: June 1^st, 2015
Convivium, theme issue, June 2016 – Call for Papers
Theme: The South Caucasus

The canon of medieval and Byzantine art and architecture, as currently shaped by a Euro-American art history, only rarely incorporates any of the rich artistic achievements of the South Caucasus. While church architecture and book illumination of medieval Armenia have attracted some scholarly attention, the monuments of Georgia, not to mention those of former early Christian Albania (now in the Republic of Azerbaidjan), remain obscure to even specialists in the field. As a whole, the South Caucasus continues to be entirely peripheral to the Euro-American discourse, and when included, the region is typically relegated to the status of a provincial off-shoot of the Byzantine Empire. The purpose of the present volume is to call attention to the medieval art and architecture of the South Caucasus which has for too long remained inaccessible, skewed by patriotic and racial approaches and, over the last two centuries, perceived and interpreted as part of the Russian and Soviet Empires. While addressing these historiographical issues, we want to propose the South Caucasus, not as a periphery, but as a region in its own right that is worthy of a central place in the current discourse. Whereas in recent years the study of Mediterranean culture has become a leading trend within medieval art history due to an increased interest in travel, transfer, and cultural and artistic encounters across borders and religious traditions, few are aware that, as a historical buffer zone between Europe and Asia, connecting those continents through the Black Sea and the Silk Road, Southern Caucasia is well appointed to offer new materials and directions to such on-going explorations. In contrast to Carl Schnaase , who in his Geschichte der bildenen Künste im Mittelalter (1843-61) found the continuous oppression of the South Caucasus by foreign powers incompatible with the creation of a proper artistic culture, it could be precisely this multi-colored history – blending Christian with Sassanid, Islamic and Mongolian traditions – that makes the region a promising area for research within a globalized art history.

We welcome papers on topics that may concentrate on but be not limited to:
–       Historiography (i.e. the discovery of the region by early European travelers; the impact of patriotism and politics; the western/Byzantine perspective: center versus periphery; the Russian perspective).
–       Specific case studies of Albanian, Armenian or Georgian monuments (architecture, manuscripts, icons, monumental decorations, etc) with attention to historiography and recent methodologies.
–       South Caucasus and medieval art history today (i.e. multiculturalism; cultural transfer, travel, and object exchange; canon and chronology; center versus periphery; South Caucasus as a region in relation to Asia, Europe and Russia).

The theme issue The South Caucasus will be edited and curated by Ivan Foletti (editor in chief of Convivium), Ass. prof. from the University of Brno and Maître Assistant of the University of Lausanne, and Prof. Erik Thunø from Rutgers University.

Convivium is a new high quality peer-reviewed academic journal which restarts and continues the glorious Seminarium Kondakovianum, the journal of the institute founded in memory of Nikodim Kondakov in 1927, which represented the desire to maintain and deepen Kondakov’s pioneering scholarly work in Byzantine and medieval studies, celebrated not only in the Russian and Czech worlds but also in western Europe. Convivium covers an extended chronological range, from the Early Christian period until the end of the Middle Ages, which in central Europe lasted well beyond the Renaissance in Italy. Equally vast is the range of subjects it treats. Whereas its central concern remains art history, that is, whatever pertains to images, monuments, the forms of visual and aesthetic experience, it also includes many disciplines tied to art history in the deepest sense: anthropology, liturgy, archaeology, historiography and, obviously, history itself. The goal is to ensure that the journal provides a 360º opening onto the field and the research methods being deployed in it.

http://www.earlymedievalstudies.com/convivium.html

Submission:
Please submit your abstract (300 words max) before June 1^st, 2015. Deadline for the essay will be January 31, 2016. Abstracts should be sent to:

Ivan Foletti (ivan.foletti “at” gmail. com)
Erik Thunø (thuno “at” rci. rutgers. edu)

Call for Papers: Politics and International Relations in Central Asia

First Manas University Central Asian Research Center (ORASAM)
Conference on Central Asia:Politics and International Relations
Date and venue: Friday June 5th, 2015, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Conference Organizers: Seyit Avcu (Ph.D., Assistant Professor of International Relations, Manas University) and Jon Mahoney (Ph.D., Associate Professor, Philosophy, Kansas State University, Fulbright Scholar 2014-15, Kyrgyz Republic)

Description: The focus will be on contemporary politics and international relations, although papers that offer an historical perspective on contemporary political problems and challenges in Central Asia will also be considered. There is no registration fee and participants will be provided with lunch and dinner. For those traveling to Bishkek, up to 10 speakers small will be provided with one night’s lodging in Bishkek. The conference organizers are especially interested in proposals that address topics such as:

– The prospects for democracy in Central Asia
– Religious freedom and state religion policies
– The status of ethnic minorities
– Border conflicts and their impact on regional politics
– The political and economic impact of the Eurasian Customs Union on Central Asia
– The influence of global powers (e.g. Russia, China, Turkey, and the U.S.) on Central Asian states
– The geopolitical significance of resource conflicts (e.g. over water resources) in Central Asia
– Terrorism and the prospects for political instability in Central Asia
– The prospect of succession crises in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan

Interested participants should submit a short proposal (approximately 150 words) including title and author information (email address and institutional affiliation) as an email attachment in either Word or PDF no later than Monday May 4th, 2015. Proposals should be submitted to both Jon Mahoney (jmahoney “at” ksu.edu) and Seyit Avcu (avcuseyit “at” hotmail.com).
A small selection of the best papers will be considered for publication in the October, 2015 edition of Manas Journal of Social Studies (MJSS).

Call for Conference “Conflicting Narratives: History and Politics in the Caucasus”

On December 9-11, 2015, the office for Eastern European History at the Department of History of the University of Zurich is organizing a conference titled „Conflicting Narratives: History and Politics in the Caucasus”.

Apart from papers dealing with more general issues of historiography and the interplay of politics, nationalism and history writing, this conference also seeks to identify and address some of the most contested issues in recent Caucasian history.

The University of Zurich is therefore launching a call for papers in order to attract historians who have done research (preferably based on archival material) on modern Caucasus history (19th and 20th centuries). The organizers welcome proposals from senior as well as younger researchers from all over the world, but especially encourage PhD students and Postdocs from the Caucasus region (North and South Caucasus) to apply.

Additional information maybe found at: http://www.hist.uzh.ch/…/perovic/events/caucasus-conference…

Application should be submitted via Email (including a one-page outline of your proposed paper, a CV and list of publications) by May 31, 2015, to Prof. Dr. Jeronim Perovic at jeronim.perovic”at”histuzh.ch.

The 3rd Annual Student Conference on American Studies “The U.S. Culture and Society”

The Institute of American Studies, Georgian Association for American Studies and American Studies Scientific Group at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University organize the 3rd annual student conference on American Studies “The U.S. Culture and Society”

The conference proposals should be focused on the U.S. culture and society; evaluate the sociocultural institutions and values that shaped the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic American society; present the different ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, religious and political contexts in which the diverse cultures manifested in the U.S.; and analyze how these cultures have affected American identity throughout the U.S. history. There will be two panels on the U.S. culture and the U.S. society during the conference.

BA, MA and PhD students from Georgian universities can participate in the conference. Eligible proposals will be evaluated by organizational committee.

Interested applicants must send the following materials to mariamikhat”at”yahoo.com no later than April 18, 2015; all materials must be in Microsoft Word format; to the attention please put “conference and your first and last name” in the subject line.

For additional information, please visit: http://americanstudiestsu.blogspot.com/

CFP and Launch Announcement: Languages of the Caucasus

The Center for East European and Russian/Eurasian Studies at the University of Chicago is pleased to announce a new linguistics journal: Languages of the Caucasus.

Applications accepted Jan. 15 to mid-Nov. 2015

An open-source, free, peer-reviewed electronic journal that will publish high-quality linguistic research on languages of the Caucasus.

Submissions are welcome beginning Jan. 15. See the journal website: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/languagesofcaucasus (The website is in near-final form now. Check back for the final version before submitting.)

The first issue (1.1) will be a memorial volume for Aleksandr Kibrik and Sandro Kodzasov, founders of an illustrious tradition of fieldwork and analysis of languages of the Caucasus and intellectual inspiration to Caucasianists and typologists everywhere.

For more information: https://ceeres.uchicago.edu/content/cfp-and-launch-announcement-languages-caucasus-applications-accepted-jan-15-mid-nov-2015

Call for Papers – The City in the Caucasus and the Black Sea Region

The journal Identity Studies in the Caucasus and the Black Sea Region (formerly Identity Studies) is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, which was founded in 2009 with the support of a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation. Its aim is to advance interdisciplinary knowledge about the formation and dissolution of political, cultural and societal identities in the contemporary world, particularly in the Caucasus and the Black Sea region. Major disciplines represented in the journal are sociology, political science, cultural studies, philosophy, anthropology and psychology.

For its upcoming issue, Identity Studies seeks for submission of papers on “The City in the Caucasus and the Black Sea Region”

Deadline for abstract submission – April 1, 2015

For additional information, please visit: http://ojs.iliauni.edu.ge/index.php/identitystudies

CFA: Citizenship and Civic Education in Post-socialist Societies

Deadline: March 30, 2015
Open to: Educators, Researchers, Advanced Doctoral Students
Date: May 23, 2015
Venue: Tbilisi, Georgia

The Civic Education Lecturers Association (CELA) invites abstracts for the 2015 International Conference on Citizenship and Civic Education in Post-socialist Societies. The main goal of the conference is to invite educators, researchers, policy-makers, and other interested individuals to explore, among others, related theoretical frameworks, educational policies, re-conceptualization of the notion of citizenship and civic values in the context of regime transformation and democratic development after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Everyone interested in the topic is encouraged to send their abstracts.

We invite abstracts for oral and/or pre-organized panel presentations on one or more of the following themes:

• Civic culture, consciousness & identity and their transformation trajectories
• Civic education methods and civic curricula (knowledge, skills, values, etc.)
• Civic education: policy-making and policy implementation
• Ways of civic engagement (e.g., from voting to community work)
• Minorities: integration or segmentation?
• Other

In order to be considered, please submit your CV and your abstract (250 – 300 words) in MS Word (.doc) format by March 30, 2015 to the following email: info “at” cela.ge

In the subject line of the email, please put “2015 CONFERENCE.”
The authors will be notified about final decisions by April 15, 2015.
Working languages will be English and Georgian.

Selected papers will be published as conference proceedings.

There is no participation fee, and the conference participants will be provided with meals on the day of the conference. However, the participants are responsible for their travel and accommodation arrangements. For more information, please contact CELA at info “at” cela.ge or visit us at http://cela.ge/en

This project has been made possible with USAID financial support and within the framework of IFES Georgia’s Strengthening Electoral Processes (SEP) Program.

CFP: Orientalism, Colonial Thinking and the Former Soviet Periphery

Centre of Oriental Studies, Vilnius University
27 August, 2015-19 August, 2015, Vilnius

Deadline: 25 March, 2015

http://geschichte-transnational.clio-online.net/termine/id=27198

The Ukrainian crisis has placed the entire post-communist world back at the very centre of global debates in the media, politics and academia. Concepts such as sovereignty of post-Soviet and post-communist states have been brought into question once again, alongside the historical development, international alignment and aspirations of state actors in the region.

In this context, a narrative of “Russian interests versus Western interests/values” seems to have gained currency in Western media and political discourses. Smaller actors of Eastern and Central Europe, Central Asia, the Baltics and the Caucasus see their perspectives ignored or put on a secondary level. This has led some scholars to suggest the existence among Western and Russian commentators of a “colonial”, “Orientalist” bias that favours the former imperial “centre” and sees formerly subaltern actors as passive entities in a greater game, giving a stereotypical and demeaning image of such countries and their people. This in turn leaves countries of the former Czarist and Soviet peripheries unable to influence the mainstream debate and to present a self-centred approach in a world in which perceptions and narratives more and more legitimize actions in international relations.

The purpose of the conference is to provide an academic framework for the discussion of these ideas and put them to the test of peer debate. The goal is to discuss the relevance of Post-Colonial Studies to Post-Communist Studies and hopefully open an innovative chapter in the academic understanding of the Post-Communist World.

Conference research questions and structure
The conference will be structured in three sections, each with distinctive but interrelated research questions.
(When submitting your proposal, please indicate the section you would be applying for)

– Section one will debate the impact of colonial and Orientalist thinking on policy-making processes about former subjects of the Russian and Soviet power, both in the international arena and in internal affairs. Examples of research questions are: how do existing prejudices in media, politics and academia contribute to consolidating the idea of post-communist countries as “passive” actors with “limited sovereignty”, “subordinated”, limited in their possibility to freely choose an international alignment, and of common people in Eastern European countries as “backward”, or “second-class Europeans”? How does this affect decisions taken at a European level concerning security crises of the post-Soviet world? What are the recurrent (and competing) images and via what tools are they routinized?
– Section two will approach the issue from a historical perspective. The purpose is to discuss whether colonial thinking and the possible understanding of Eastern Europe as a subaltern, passive entity biases Western views of history in the region. Asking whether there exists a “hierarchy of historical narratives” in the way the history of countries of the former Soviet bloc are perceived by scholars, media and politicians, the section aims to explore if and how these prejudices impact Western receptiveness of historical interpretations and discourses coming from former imperial subjects, making them less effective than competing narratives coming from Russia or the West itself, and how does this impact regional and international relations.
– Section three will be specifically dedicated to the applicability of the concept of Orientalism and Post-Colonial studies to the study of the context in which Russian/Soviet colonial thinking was first developed, i.e. the early Czarist imperial “frontier”: the North Caucasus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Central Asia, broadly understood to include the five “Stans” as well as regions that experienced significant Russian/Soviet influence at different points in their history, such as Mongolia and Xinjiang. To what extent, in what forms, and why do Orientalist stereotypes still bias our understanding of the Asian part of the former Czarist and Soviet sphere, and what is the impact of this on political and academic agendas?

Academic fields
The conference is organized along a distinctively multi-disciplinary line, with the purpose of opening a new field for interdisciplinary research and dialogue. The main areas expected to contribute to the conference are: Post-Colonial Studies and Subaltern Studies; Post-Soviet/Post-communist Studies; Oriental Studies; Central Asian Studies; Ukrainian Studies and Slavonic Studies in general; Baltic Studies; History of Eastern and Central Europe; International relations and Security Studies; Media Studies; International Law.

Confirmed keynote speakers so far include:
Dr. Andreas Umland, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Prof. Alexander J. Motyl, Rutgers University
Mykola Ryabchuk, Ukrainian Centre for Cultural Studies
Dr. John Heathershaw, Exeter University
Dr. Nick Megoran, Newcastle University
Conference fee

Deadlines:
Individual abstract proposals should be submitted by March 25th.
Panel proposals (inclusive of abstracts) should be submitted by April 10th.

Submission of paper/panel proposals:
Proposals are to be submitted via email to: fabio.belafatti@oc.vu.lt in .pdf or .doc format using the subject line “Paper/panel proposal – Orientalism 2015”

Abstract proposals should include:
Name of candidate;
Institutional affiliation;
A link to or a short academic bio (Max. 100 words);
Email address;
Which of the three thematic sections the paper is eligible for;
Title of the proposed paper;
Abstract of the proposed paper (between 200-250 words)

Panel proposals should include:
Title of the panel;
A panel description (between 180 and 300 words);
Which of the three thematic sections the panel is eligible for;
Name of the panel convenor;
Name of the panel members (at least three + convenor);
Institutional affiliation of the panel members and convenor;
A link to or a short academic bio (Max. 100 words) of each panel member and convenor;
Email addresses of the panel members and convenor;
Titles of the papers proposed within the panel (at least three + convenor);
Abstracts of the proposed papers (between 200-250 words)
Information

No conference fee will be applied to presenters.
Non-presenters can register upon payment of a EUR 20 fee

Language of communication: English

For any questions, clarifications, or for visa-support invitation letters, please contact the conference’s administrative secretary Fabio Belafatti at fabio.belafatti “at” oc.vu.lt

CFP: International historical conference: Table and diplomacy from the Middle Ages to the present day

Paris – 3, 4, 5 November 2016

Co-organisers: L. Badel (University of Paris 1), L. Bély (University of Paris IV), J.-P. Williot (University of Tours), M. de Ferrière (UNESCO Chair, University of Tours)

Registered within the framework of the programmes of Labex EHNE, UMR IRICE, EA 6294 LÉA, the UNESCO Chair in the Sauvegarde et valorisation des patrimoines culturels alimentaires (Safeguarding and Enrichment of Cultural Food Heritages), and IEHCA.

Under the sponsorship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development.

A meal served to soldiers on the plain of Simmering, supper with Tsar Alexander, a banquet at the Kaunitz Palace, gastronomic splendour at Talleyrand’s receptions – the facts are known. As Charles-Joseph de Ligne recounted in his Mémoires, the table played an essential role during the Congress of Vienna. Referred to here as a prominent feature of the cycle of diplomatic talks which determined the reconfiguration of Europe in around 1815, culinary staging and presentation actually belongs to a long, multifaceted, and multicultural history of diplomatic practices. Instances are to be found in the history of the Numidian kings, in the banquets given before going on Crusade in the Middle Ages, and at the court of the Emperor of China as well as in the structure of state dinners and present-day international meetings, such as the G8 or G20. It will also be postulated that all civilisations – whether they be Amerindian, African, or Asian, from Mediterranean or barbarian Europe, Levantine or Ottoman, Arab-Islamic or Indian, or in the immensity of the Pacific and Oceania – have assimilated the need to do this.

The importance of the meal as a mediation tool brings into play the art of the cook and the serving of drinks, sometimes the elegance of the setting and the tableware, and also at times the unlikely simplicity of a makeshift shelter. It plays a part in the creation of table-companionship situations, which are propitious to the negotiations which it prepares, accompanies, or rewards. It establishes reception protocols. It contributes to exchange and to mutual understanding. It is also an important vehicle for the economic promotion and development of national products and food-related expertise, as well as being a prestigious showcase for powerful nations. In the encounter or confrontation of cultures, it promotes the differences linked to newly-discovered products, as well as languages or local food practices.

As a vector of a diplomacy of influence, the table can conversely prove to be a frontier marking numerous cultural differences. The lack of knowledge about food-related symbolism, the psychological barriers relating to certain foods, and religious taboos, can, if they are ignored, lead to tensions that the table does not contribute to resolving since, on the contrary, it creates or aggravates them. Culinary refusal is a conspicuous marker of the extent of agreement. The banquet can even, quite deliberately, prove to be the final theatre of hostile intentions. In those circumstances, the table provides, in line with a scale of increasing seriousness, the opportunity for an intolerable insult or the venue of premeditated poisoning.

The aim of this conference is to analyse how diplomatic and food practices link up together when the table becomes an additional, and, at times, a major setting for polite formality and ceremony. This will not involve the featuring of every national gastronomy but rather the examination of the part that the table can play during meetings, negotiations, at the end of conferences, and, more generally, in the everyday process of exchange. Even though the field of gastronomic studies is no longer neglected, the analysis of reception protocols has been the subject of fewer research studies, but these have paid particular attention to the topic of food at royal and princely courts. It will be interesting to understand the way in which European courts from the Middle Ages to the 20th century associated the table and negotiation. In fact, the history of diplomatic ceremonial, which was discredited by actors in diplomacy themselves, at the end of the Ancien Régime, and which used to be neglected by historians as a legitimate subject of research, has experienced a remarkable return to favour over the last 15 years. As a subject of total history, the study of the state meal thus falls within the fields of material history (lighting materials, tableware, and glassware), of social history (organisation of trade associations and guilds), of the history of representations (place accorded to meat and alcohol in religious cultures; setting the scene to show power or equality), and of the cultural history of international relations, as it brings into play material and symbolic transfers as power-based relationships.

This history also acts a stimulus to the understanding of culinary cultures, which are transmitted through the order of dishes, the choice of menus, the affirmation of gastronomic registers, the giving of prominence to chefs, or the calling on the services of craftsmen and specialist caterers.

Since the 1960s, the opening of the new phase of globalisation, combined with the effects of the radical change in social mores and of those, which are very noticeable in the 2000s, of the new revolution in telecommunications, prompts the rethinking of the place held by the time spent at the table within the framework of diplomatic exchanges in the present day. From the working lunch around a tray meal to the continued importance of the prestige dinner which reflects the image that the host state wants to communicate, the time taken or not taken to share a meal can be a sign of a standardisation of practices, of a suavity of manners, or, indeed, of their coarsening.

The table’s place in diplomatic relations is of such importance that it can be the object of media attention. Whether recounted in the Chronicles or in newspaper articles, aspects of protocol, menu composition, the quality of the foodstuffs, as well as the sumptuousness or the simplicity of the courses are seized upon by photographers and journalists, as well as, nowadays, by internet bloggers.

The intermixing, during this conference, of the history of both diplomatic and food practices appears to be a vital key to the deeper understanding of thinking on Europe’s cultural, culinary, and diplomatic identity, and its construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction from the viewpoint of the practices of other cultural areas. The table, a material and symbolic place of diplomatic negotiation par excellence, is also that of the recognition, and, indeed, of the negation of otherness.

With this objective in mind, the conference will favour contributions from historians and art historians, anthropologists, sociologists and political scientists who are specialists of political communication, and comparative literature and cinema specialists. It will also be open to contributions from those working in the field of diplomatic gastronomy.

Numerous themes can be considered within a very wide-ranging area of potential study, in which no cultural area or continent, from the Middle Ages to the 21st century is to be excluded.

The evolution of practices and procedures relating to the organisation of receptions will be examined: venues (palaces, hotels, the village square, a ship at a port of call); type of service and protocol; table decor; association of music and live entertainment; speaking (speeches and toasts); ceremonial and protocol specialists; the choice of chefs and their teams, their transnational links; the creation of codes and conventions for the welcoming of distinguished guests
Menus will form the subject of analysis: the order of dishes; the taking into account of food taboos; the length of the meal; the choice of drinks; the place of wine and the selection of vintages; the symbolism of dishes; the iconography and design of menu cards
Table-specific behaviour will be given prominence: eating manners (hands; the use of eating implements); food taboos; the checking of food safety (food tasters); destructive intentionality (use of wine to loosen tongues, poisoning); the influence of religion on table practices and the use of certain products; the sociability associated with the table (polite conversation, confidence, spying, friendship, and emotional bonds; errors of appreciation; the lack of regard for conventions)
The porosity of food cultures can serve as a marker for the various stages of globalisation: the introduction of new products (coffee, chocolate, tea); the discovery of foreign cuisines
The evolution of the presence and participation of women at diplomatic meals will be examined: role and influence of the female rulers of organising countries; role of wives, courtesans, dancers, and singers
The spectacle of the table: the people at the meal, public opinion and publicity. The analysis of the evolution of the staging of the diplomatic meal, from the paintings of the modern era to the photographs of the G8, and also including literary descriptions, magazine articles, and the analysis of advertising, will enable the understanding of the evolution of representations linked to the place that the table holds in diplomatic communication
The place of the table in economic diplomacy and the diplomacy of influence will be the subject of particular attention: suppliers of kitchen equipment and cookware; the export of food products and drinks; the influence of reception styles
The translation by the media of these occasions can also be considered (films of meal scenes within a diplomatic context, film clips; radio reports; literature)

Preferred perspectives

Preferred contributions will be those which cover:

Fresh perspectives on the history of diplomatic practices
Fresh perspectives on the history of food

Subject areas: history, history of art, anthropology, sociology, information and communication

Conference languages

English and French

Deadline for the submission of proposals for papers

Proposals for papers (500 words maximum) and a short CV should be submitted by 15 March 2015 to tablediplomatique “at” univ-tours.fr

All proposals will be studied, whatever the language used.

Scientific Committee
Isabelle Bianquis (Université François Rabelais, Tours)
Jane Cobbi (CNRS)
Francoise Sabban (EHESS)
Jaroslaw Dumanowski (Université de Torun, Pologne)
Marc de Ferrière le Vayer (Université François Rabelais, Tours)
Michel Figeac (Université de Bordeaux Montaigne)
Bruno Laurioux (Université Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines)
Massimo Montanari (Université Alma Mater de Bologne)
Peter Scholliers (Vrije Universiteit Brussels)
Jean-Pierre Williot (Université François Rabelais, Tours)

CRRC Methodological Conference on Transformations in the South Caucasus and its Neighborhood

Date:June 26, 2015
Venue: Tbilisi, Georgia

The socio-economic and political climate in the South Caucasus and its neighborhood changes constantly. This transformation process has different manifestations in each of the emerging post-Soviet democracies. Our goal is to explore national and international dimensions of post-Soviet transformations in the South Caucasus and its neighborhood and to discuss new approaches to analyzing the trends of regional and international policies of the emerging democracies, while promoting methodological innovation.

The conference will focus on constructive “how-to” discussions, thus offering researchers the opportunity to discuss and compare their methods and findings. To achieve high quality discussion and feedback for presenters, a limited number of papers will be accepted. Young and more established scholars from around the world will be given equal opportunity. Scholars and researchers from all social science disciplines (e.g., economics, demography, sociology, political sciences, and psychology) are eligible to apply.

Deadline for submission of abstracts: March 10, 2015

For additional information, please visit: http://www.crrccenters.org/20844/CRRC-Announces-Methodological-Conference-on-Transformations-in-the-South-Caucasus-and-its-Neighborhood

CFP: Inner Eurasia Then and Now: Legacies of Thought, Space, and Empire

Deadline: February 20
Conference: March 27, 2015, New York University

The Organization for the Advancement of Studies of Inner Eurasian Societies (OASIES) at Columbia University, New York University, and Princeton University is pleased to announce its 8th Annual Graduate Student Conference.

The conference considers Eurasia past and present, spanning from the Black Sea to Mongolia, from Siberia to South Asia. Stressing multi-disciplinarity, submissions are welcome from a variety of departments, programs, and centers, including but not limited to: Anthropology, Archeology, Art History, Comparative Literature, Fine Arts, History, Political Science, Religion, Sociology, Caucasian Studies, Central Asian Studies, Inner Asian Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Mongolian Studies, Slavic Languages and Literature, South Asian Studies, and Tibetan Studies.

Please include the following information with all submissions:
1) Name of presenter, academic position, and institutional affiliation
2) Title of the paper
3) Abstract of no more than 300 words
Send submissions to oasiesconference “at” gmail.com no later than February 20, 2015. Presentations will be limited to 15 minutes in length. Unfortunately, financial support is not available for participants. For more information on OASIES and past conferences, please visit www.oasies.org. Extensions may be given on a case-by-case basis.

International conference on Civil Unrest and Socio-Political Changes: Marginalisation, Disintegration, Exclusion

Tbilisi State University announces call for papers for international interdisciplinary conference in humanities and social sciences (TBS2015). All papers should address some aspects of the conference topic, being from the historical, sociological or philosophical perspectives, through art, literature, politics or any other area of humanities and social sciences.

The conference is hosted by TSU, and organized by Organized by A priori Academic Association (Slovenia, EU) under the patronage of University of Ljubljana Department of Sociology (Slovenia, EU).

Dates: May 26-29, 2015
Venue: Tbilisi State University, Georgia

Deadline for abstract submission: February 15, 2015

For additional information, visit: http://tbs2015.eu/

The JSAS editorship is now accepting submissions for volume 23 of the Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies.

The JSAS accepts submissions in the following languages: English, Armenian, French, Italian, and German. Submissions should be sent in by January 31, 2015, in order to be considered for this volume.
Please insure that your submission is formatted in accordance with the guidelines of the JSAS that have been posted to the following address:
All submissions must be electronically submitted in .doc or .docx format and in .pdf formats to the following address: slaporta “at” csufresno.edu
Submissions may concern any field within Armenian or related subjects; each submission will be judged according to the academic quality of the work. All submissions will undergo a peer review process.

CFP: Soyuz-Sponsored Panel at 2015 ASEEES, Nov. 19-22, 2015; submission deadline Jan. 30, 2015

The Soyuz Post-Socialist Research Network invites proposals for its sponsored panel at the 2015 ASEEES Annual Convention, which will be held November 19-22 in Philadelphia.

Soyuz is an official unit of the Association for Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) and, as such, has the privilege of sponsoring a panel on the program of the Annual Convention. This year, the Soyuz executive board seeks proposals from Soyuz members for panels that address the topic of neoliberalisms in socialist or post-socialist environments, broadly defined. Such topics could include:

The interaction of neoliberal practices or ideologies with local culture or politics
The empirical study of neoliberalism(s) in post-socialists contexts
The success or failure of neoliberal projects in socialist or post-socialist geographies
The ability or inability of neoliberal critiques to illuminate key social or cultural processes in socialist or post-socialist cultures.
The affect of neoliberal policies on academic scholarship (and academics themselves) who hail from or are working within socialist or post-socialist regions.

Preference will be given to proposals that are interdisciplinary in composition and/or which bring multiple disciplinary approaches into conversation with one another.

To submit a proposal, please send the following to Jennifer Carroll, the Soyuz Program Coordinator, at jencarr2 “at” uw.edu:

The title of your panel
A 2-3 sentence description of the theme or focus of your panel
The a title, author, and 2-3 sentence description of EACH paper to be included in your panel (no more than 3 papers)
The name of the discussant for your panel

Please include this information in the body of your email and list “Soyuz ASEEES Panel Proposal” in the subject heading. The deadline for submissions is Friday, January 30, 2015.

Please send any questions or inquiries to Jennifer Carroll at jencarr2 “at” uw.edu.

Call for International Interdisciplinary Conference on Modern Economics and Social Sciences

Georgian-Polish Education Center and the Academy of Management and Administration in Opole announces call for International Academic Interdisciplinary Conference on Modern Economics and Social Sciences.

The event will take place on April 9th – 10th, 2015 at the Academy of Management and Administration in Opole, Poland.

The deadline for paper submission: January 26, 2015.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.tsu.edu.ge/en/government/administration/departments/pr/news/9ybggt80CNmjjYCgZ/?p=1

CFA: Europe: East and West Undergraduate Research Symposium

Deadline: January 20, 2015
Symposium: March 27, 2015
University of Pittsburgh

The Center for Russian and East European Studies (REES), the European Studies Center/European Union Center of Excellence (ESC/EUCE), and the International Business Center (IBC) at the University of Pittsburgh will be sponsoring the annual “Europe: East and West” Undergraduate Research Symposium on Friday, March 27, 2015. Modeled after traditional academic conferences, this event will give students the opportunity to present their research papers on Western and Eastern Europe, including Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, to discussants and an audience. The application form and further information can be found at http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/ursymposium/. Limited travel grants are available to help defray travel expenses to Pittsburgh for Symposium participants.

Deadlines:
1) Students must submit applications with 250-300 word abstracts and paper drafts by January 20, 2015.
2) Selected students will be notified by February 2015.
3) Final revised papers are due by March 16, 2015.
4) Presentations will be made at the Symposium on March 27, 2015.

CFP: Transnational Contacts in the Socialist World

A Workshop at the Center for the Humanities, Tufts University

March 27, 2015

In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev hailed the development of a “world socialist system,” which he defined as “a social, economic, and political community of free, sovereign nations [. . .] united by common interests and goals, by the close ties of international socialist solidarity.” This day-long workshop will bring together an interdisciplinary group of early-career scholars to examine the socialist system from a global and transnational perspective. Among the questions to be discussed: how did transnational cultural, interpersonal, and economic contacts between socialist countries contribute to the construction of the “world socialist system”? How did this system impact the everyday lives of ordinary citizens? How did national histories and cultures shape transnational relations in the socialist world? How does the theory and methodology of transnational history apply to the study of socialist countries?

Paper proposals are welcome from historians, anthropologists, and literary and film scholars in the early stages of their careers (advanced graduate students, recent Ph.D.s, and junior faculty). Papers can examine any aspect of cultural, social, and economic contacts between socialist countries in the postwar period, or between socialist and non-aligned countries during the Cold War. Topics can include (but are not limited to): transnational cultural production; cultural and educational exchanges; tourism; sports; transnational organizations; transnational marriages and friendships; and official and unofficial commercial contacts between socialist countries.

Papers will be pre-circulated in advance of the workshop; participants should come prepared to discuss each other’s papers in detail, as well as how their own research contributes to a broader history of the socialist world.

Please send a paper proposal of no more than 500 words (including a description of how the paper fits into a broader research project) and a brief CV by January 18, 2015 to worldsocialistsystem “at” gmail.com Selected participants will be notified by January 21, 2015. Papers (15–20 pages) should be submitted for pre-circulation by March 6, 2015. Limited funding is available from the Mellon Foundation to contribute toward travel to Tufts University and up to two nights accommodation in the Boston area, however participants are asked to use funds from their home institutions when possible. If you will need help with funding, please submit an estimated budget for transport and lodging along with your proposal.

CFP: 2015 ASEEES Annual Convention Philadelphia

47th ASEEES Annual Convention
Nov. 19-22, 2015
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
http://www.aseees.org/convention
Theme: “Fact”

The call for proposals with submission info can be found at: http://www.aseees.org/convention/cfp
Please read the complete rules and guidelines for convention participation: http://www.aseees.org/convention/rules
The individual paper submissions deadline is Jan. 15, 2015.
The panel/roundtable/meeting submission deadline is Feb. 15, 2015.

To assist in the process of forming panels, the ASEEES 2015 Panel/Paper Wanted Board has been created: http://www.aseees.org/convention/paperspanels-wanted-board If you are looking for a panel to join or a paper presenter for your panel, please review the proposals on the online board. You can also indicate your willingness to volunteer as chair or discussant.

If you require any assistance, please contact Jonathon Swiderski, membership coordinator, at aseees “at” pitt.edu, or Wendy Walker, convention coordinator, at walker “at” pitt.edu

www.aseees.org

Call for Proposals: 2015 Midwest Slavic Conference

Deadline: January 9, 2015
Conference: March 13-15, 2015

The Midwest Slavic Association and The Center for Slavic and East European Studies invite undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and independent scholars from across the country to submit proposals for panels or individual papers addressing all disciplines related to Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. The conference will be held on the campus of Ohio State, starting with a keynote address on March 13th, followed by panels on March 14th and 15th. Please send your abstract in PDF format and a brief C.V. to csees “at” osu.edu by January 9th, 2015 to be considered for inclusion in the conference. For full details on the conference, please visit http://slaviccenter.osu.edu/about/conferences/midwest-slavic/

13th Annual Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies University of California, Los Angeles, Friday, February 8, 2015

We enthusiastically invite graduate students and recent post-docs (Ph.D., within the last two years) in fields associated with Armenian Studies (broadly defined) to present their recent research. Work in progress is encouraged. We invite research papers on all aspects of Armenian studies, including, but not limited to: literature, history, gender studies, sociology, anthropology, economics, art history, and much more. We welcome comparative themes and interdisciplinary approaches. Panel submissions are also welcome. Applicants must e-mail presentation abstracts of no more than 250 words and their curriculum vitae by September 30, 2014. Abstracts should provide a brief description of the work, clearly outlining the theoretical perspectives and methodology to be applied in the paper. Please attach the required documents in the form of a Word document. Please note that a 20-minute time limit for presentations will be strictly enforced (roughly 8-10 pages double-spaced). Invited participants will be required to submit a draft version of their full presentation by December 21, 2014.

A reception will be held on the Wednesday evening prior to the event to welcome the colloquium speakers. Students will have an opportunity to meet with faculty and students on campus, tour Armenian Studies resources, and visit Armenian Studies classes. The colloquium will conclude with a reception. Priority of acceptance will be given to those who have not presented at the colloquium before. Limited travel grants will be available to assist those who would otherwise be unable to attend. Travel grant applications will be sent to all invited participants.

To submit abstracts or for more information please contact the UCLA Armenian Graduate Students Association Colloquium Committee at: colloquium.agsa”at”gsa.asucla.ucla.edu. Please address the subject line of your email.

CFP: Workshop “Comparing the Black Sea and Caspian”

IHU, Thessaloniki 25-26 February, 2015

Eurasian Dialogue is delighted to announce a call for papers for a round-table “Comparing the Black Sea and Caspian: Interdisciplinary Perspectives” hosted by the International Hellenic University, Thessaloniki, Greece. The round-table will take place between Wednesday 25 February and Thursday 26 February 2015.

We welcome papers on topics ranging from geopolitics to religion and culture (see the attached call for proposals for an outline of the round-table’s themes).

Please send your abstracts (maximum 400 words) and a brief CV with full contact details (email, telephone, postal address) to Eurasian Dialogue (info “at” eurasiandialogue.org) by 19 December 2014. Notification of the successful applications will be sent by 31 December 2014.

Three travel stipends for PhD students and early career researchers who focus on either the Caspian or Black Sea regions will be offered with the generous support of the Hollings Centre. One travel grant will be open to researchers based in the EU, one will be open to researchers from Black Sea littoral states (Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia) and one for the Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran).

Call for Papers for the Conference – Religions and Secularities in the Caucasus: New Configuration

This international conference will be dedicated to the reconfiguration of the religious and the secular in both North and South Caucasus, more than two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union. During this time, new forms of religiosity and religious instrumentalisation in politics have emerged and, on the other hand, there has been a reshaping of the discourses and practices of secularity. In the Caucasus, just as in other parts of the world, the “religious” and the “secular” are now perceived as two opposed ideological paradigms, while in practice, the boundaries between them are blurred and shifting, both in the public and the private spheres.

The conference will look at changes in the religious landscape in the Caucasus from the angle of the common Russian/Soviet legacy. Indeed, the latter has largely defined the forms of both religion and secularity as they were shaped in the last decades. Nevertheless, in spite of this common legacy, these developments differ greatly from one part of the region to another. The conference will also explore the relationship between the local processes and the larger regional or even global trends, in view of the growing interconnectedness of the Caucasus.

The conference will be held on June 1-2, 2015, at Ilia State University, Tbilisi.

Deadline for application: December 15, 2014

For additional information, please follow the link: http://www.edu-active.com/conferences/2014/sep/12/call-papers-religions-and-secularities-caucasus-ne.html

Call for 2015 Tbilisi International Conference on Computer Sciences and Applied Mathematics (TICCSAM 2015)

The Conference will be held during March 21-23, 2015, Tbilisi, Georgia, organized by Sokhumi State University and sponsored by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation.

The aim objective of TICCSAM 2015 is to provide a platform for researchers, engineers, academicians, as well as industrial professionals from all over the world to present their research results and development activities in Computer Sciences and Applied Mathematics. This conference provides opportunities for the delegates to exchange new ideas and application experiences face to face, to establish business or research relations, and to find global partners for future collaboration.

Full Paper Submission: December 1, 2014
Notification of Acceptance: On January 25, 2015
Author’s registration: Before February 10, 2015
Confernece Dates: March 21-23, 2015

For additional information, please visit: http://ticcsam.sou.edu.ge/
or contact Conference Secretary, Natia Putkaradze at: secretary@ticcsam.sou.edu.ge

CFP: Belonging, Politics and Knowledge in Central Asia and the Caucasus

The Program on Central Asia and the Caucasus seeks participant proposals for a half-day symposium to be held on January 30, 2015. The symposium will consist of two public panels, as well as a closed lunch discussion with symposium participants and Harvard graduate students. We ask interested scholars to submit a CV and a 250-word proposal describing how their research fits one of the panel themes. Applications are due November 30, 2014, and should be submitted through the symposium website here. Questions may be directed to Krista Goff and Meltem Sancak at PCAC@fas.harvard.edu. Partial funding will be available to help cover travel costs.

The first panel will focus on erasure, identity, inclusion/exclusion, belonging and citizenship. Participants will explore how categorizations—whether ethnic, national, gender, religious, economic, or other—have been created, managed, and enacted by state and non-state actors. Citizenship and identity categories are continuously contested and experienced in everyday lives. How do local, national, and international dynamics influence the negotiation of these categories and exclusionary practices? How and why are different peoples absent from national narratives in Central Asia and the Caucasus?

The second panel builds on the first by exploring fieldwork challenges connected to state and social sensitivities about categorizations, exclusions, and gaps between national narratives and lived experience. Ever-evolving politics in the region pose serious challenges to local scholars, as well as to foreign researchers trying to build professional relationships and conduct scholarly research in the region. This panel is a forum for researchers to discuss methods, some of the sensitivities that curb scholarly inquiry and fieldwork agendas in the region, and explore the path forward.

Submit your proposal here.

Sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.

http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/belonging-politics-and-knowledge-central-asia-and-caucasus

Call for Abstracts for the conference on “Citizen and Civic Participation in Georgia: 23 Years since Independence”

With USAID financial support and within the framework of IFES Georgia’s Strengthening Electoral Processes (SEP) Program, the Civic Education Lecturers Association (CELA) announcec the Call for Abstracts for the conference on the theme of “Citizen and Civic Participation in Georgia: 23 Years since Independence.”

Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, the promotion of civic participation has been regarded as one of the main challenges in Georgia’s transition to democracy, while the development of political culture has been approached by some as a precondition for the country’s new social order.

In this regard, CELA invites abstracts for the following themes:

Democratic institutions and local self-government
Civic Education
Civil Society and Citizen/Civic Participation
The concept of “Open Government”, limited government, accountability, and transparency
Elections and high voter turnout
Social capital
Youth Engagement/Activism and Volunteering
Minority integration
The role of traditional and social media
Other

The conference is open to all researchers working on related topics and, particularly, those who have been teaching a civic education course on Democracy and Citizenship.

In order to be considered, please submit your CV and an abstract to the following email: info”at”cela.ge by November 24, 2014.

In the subject line of the email, please put “Citizen and Civic Participation in Georgia: 23 Years since Independence.”

Late submissions will not be considered.

The working language of the conference will be Georgian.

Please, email your abstracts (minimum 300 words – maximum 500 words) in MS Word (.doc) format. Those selected for participation will be notified by November 28, 2014.

The conference will be held on December 19, 2014.
All accepted papers will be published as conference proceedings.

For more information, please send your inquires to the following email: myleneog”at”yahoo.com

CFP: Urban Foodways and Communication: Ethnographic Studies in Intangible Cultural Food Heritages Around the World

Chapter Proposal Submission Deadline: November 15, 2014

Editors:

Casey Man Kong Lum, William Paterson University, USA, and
Marc de Ferriere le Vayer, the UNESCO Chair Project on Safeguarding and Promoting Cultural Food Heritage, the University of Tours, France

Book Overview:

Embedded in the quest for ways to preserve and promote heritage of any kind is an appreciation or a sense of an impending loss of a particular way of life – knowledge, skills set, traditions — deemed vital to the survival of a culture. Foodways places the production, procurement, preparation and sharing or consumption of food at an intersection among culture, tradition, and history. Thus, foodways is an important material and symbolic marker of identity, race and ethnicity, gender, class, ideology and social relations.

Intangible cultural heritage, according to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, refers to “the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.”

Urban Foodways and Communication seeks to enrich our understanding of unique foodways in urban settings around the world as forms of intangible cultural heritage. Each ethnographic case study is expected to focus its analysis on how the featured foodways manifests itself symbolically through and in communication. The proposed volume aims to help advance our
knowledge of urban food heritages in order to contribute to their appreciation, preservation, and promotion. We invite chapter proposals from scholars from all geographic and cultural regions of the world, and are particularly interested in attracting scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to write ethnographic case studies of distinctly identifiable foodways that they consider worthy of examination as intangible cultural heritage.

Submission Guidelines:

While the definition of intangible cultural heritage by the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage provides a good general conceptual framework, interested colleagues are encouraged to contribute their most current research and interpretation to substantiate, augment, or otherwise advance our understanding in this area of academic inquiry.

What to submit: All submissions must include two documents, a Chapter Proposal and a separate CV of no more than three pages. The Chapter Proposal must contain (a) a working title of the proposed chapter, (b) an 800 to 1,000-word exposition consisting of a clear description of the proposed ethnographic case study and a concise statement on how and why the foodways being examined can be regarded as a form of intangible cultural heritage, and (c) a one to two-page annotated outline of the proposed chapter. Please do not identify yourself in any way in the Chapter Proposal. Include in your submission a separate CV of no more than three pages. All submissions will go through a referee process by a review committee established in conjunction with the UNESCO Chair Project on Safeguarding and Promoting Cultural Food Heritage at the University of Tours, France.

Submission format: All submissions must be written in English and prepared in accordance with the style of the sixth edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual. Please submit your documents in the MS Word file format.

Submission and informational contact: Please send your Chapter Proposal and CV in the same email on or before November 15, 2014 (Eastern Time) to: Casey Lum (lumc “at” wpunj.edu)

Notification of acceptance status of chapter proposals: December 15, 2014

Submission deadline of complete chapters: on or before April 15, 2015

Length of each complete chapter manuscript: Each complete chapter manuscript must be between 5,000 and (no more than) 5,500 words, inclusive of the main text and References. The use of the 12-point Times New Roman font in MS Word is preferred.

https://networks.h-net.org/node/35706/discussions/47201/cfp-urban-foodways-and-communication-ethnographic-studies

Call for International Conference “Language and Territory”

Ilia State University, Tbilisi announces the call for papers for international conference “Language and Territory” organized jointly with Laurentian University, Canada.

Conference dates: August 30 – September 4, 2015
Venue: Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia

Language: English, Georgian, French

Deadline for abstract submission: November 1, 2014

For additional information, please visit: http://www.langueetterritoire.iliauni.edu.ge/index.php/en/

CfP: 2015 Soyuz Symposium: “Shifting Territories: Historical Legacies and Social Change”

February 28 – March 1 2015

Hosted by the Ellison Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies at the University of Washington.

The 2015 Soyuz Symposium seeks to engage scholars in an interdisciplinary debate about contemporary social, cultural, and political transformations in socialist and post-socialist regions world wide. In the previous year, a number of these regions have seen significant turmoil, from the anti-government protests in Egypt, Ukraine, and Venezuela to violent internal conflict in Syria and Sudan. We have also seen the creation of new, sometimes fragile, alliances including the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union, the emergence of unstable, separatist “states” in Ukraine, and the creation of a new socialist party in South Africa. These major world events challenge contemporary social and political boundaries, re-frame historical narratives, and invoke new constructions of statehood, personhood, and human rights.

This year, in cooperation with the Ellison Center at the University of Washington, Soyuz invites papers that address the intersection of historical legacies and contemporary change in socialist and postsocialist regions, such as:

Separatist regions and de jure states
Emergent nationalisms or nationalist discourses
Language policy and linguistic differentiation
New forms and narratives of sovereignty
Appeals to and ruptures from historical socialist legacies
Contemporary economic strategies and (in)equalities
New social identities and citizenship claims
The uses and limitations of the politics nostalgia

Abstracts of up to 300 words should be sent to Jennifer Carroll (jencarr2″at” uw.edu) by November 1, 2014.

Please include your full name, affiliation, and paper title. Write “SOYUZ 2015” in the subject line of your email. Papers will be selected and notifications made by December 1, 2014.

For any questions, please email Jennifer Carroll, the Soyuz Programming Coordinator, at jencarr2 “at” uw.edu.

The Soyuz Research Network for Postsocialist Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary forum for exchanging work based on field research in postsocialist countries, ranging from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Soyuz is an interest group in the American Anthropological Association (AAA) and an official unit of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). The Soyuz symposium has met annually since 1991 and offers an opportunity for scholars to interact in a more personal setting.

For more information, see https://networks.h-net.org/node/11423/discussions/43306/cfp-2015-soyuz-symposium

Call for Papers for Scientific Conference Dedicated to the 90th Anniversary of a Famous Georgian Historian, Nodar (Nukri) Shoshiashvili

Organized by Institute of Georgian History, Faculty of Humanities, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.
Date – November 27-29, 2014.
Venue – 1, I. Chavchavadze Ave., Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Building 1, Tbilisi, Georgia.

The conference is dedicated to the auxiliary sciences of history – paleography, epigraphy, diplomatics, codicology, textology, source studies, numismatics, sphragistics, bonistics, genealogy, chronology, vexillology, heraldry, phaleristics, onomastics, toponymy, philately etc. These disciplines were well represented in Nodar (Nukri) Shoshiashvili’s research. Particularly important are his works on paleography, epigraphy, diplomatics, genealogy and vexillology.

The aim of the conference is to highlight the role of the auxiliary sciences of history and their achievements.

For those interested in participation:
Please, send the title and the abstract to following e-mail of the Institute of Georgian History, Faculty of Humanities, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University: geohistory”at”tsu.ge

Deadline for submissions: October 31, 2014

Call for 6th Annual Conference in Gender Studies

Institute for Gender Studies at Tbilisi State University, the Center for Social Sciences and Non-Governmental Union “Women’s Initiative for Equality” are pleased to announce 6th joint annual conference in Gender Studies: “Simone de Beauvoir – Gender Actualization”

Conference will be conducted in the framework of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign observed annually from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day). This year’s conference is devoted to the life and work of prominent French feminist and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir (1908 – 1986). Union Women’s Initiative for Equality has finalized the translation of Simone de Beauvoir’s foundational work – Second Sex (1949) to Georgian language. The conference participants will have the opportunity to meet and listen to the translator Prof. Mzia Bakradze and the project initiator Prof. Lela Gaprindashvili, as well as the invited guests from France. Conference will provide unique opportunity to scholars interested to present original works on ideas and biography of Beauvoir as well as impact of her activities on the development of the feminist theory and movement. Original works not related directly to Simone de Beauvoir and her activities but supporting actualization of gender as analytical category, the system of concepts and dependencies can also be presented during the conference.

Conference Dates: November 27-28, 2014
Conference Venue: TSU I Block
Conference Language: Georgian and English (simultaneous translation provided)

Deadline for Submission of abstracts and application forms: October 24, 2014

For additional information, please visit: http://css.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=8&info_id=952

CFP: Literatures of the Post-Socialist European Diaspora in the United States (ACLA seminar, Seattle 3/26-29/2015

Since the 1990s, scholars have emphasized the need for “transnational” (Fishkin), “global” (Giles), or “planetary” (Dimock) approaches to US American literary production. The increasingly transnational perspectives on ethnic and immigrant writing that have emerged in the field also intersect with concerns about limitations posed by borders, languages, and disciplinary boundaries articulated by comparative literature scholars (Spivak, Damrosch, Saussy). While transnational scholarship has examined connections between the United States and other parts of the globe, the role of post-socialist Europe in US American Studies and the significance of the writing by US immigrant authors from former socialist nations have only marginally been explored. Our panel focuses on the prizewinning body of fiction, written mostly in English by post-socialist US writers. It examines themes centered around but not limited to the following questions:

-What is the place of post-socialist diasporic writing in US literary studies?
– What methodological intersections between US American studies, post-socialist studies, immigration and diaspora studies can be forged in view of the fictional work?
-How does their writing address the legacies of the Cold War in the United States?
-What forms of post-1989 migration or exile in the United States are chronicled in this writing? What diasporic or transnational post-socialist immigrant practices in the United States are chronicled or imagined?
-What connections exist between this work and other US literary production, including the work of other migrant authors?
-How does the new writing intervene into US-based debates about neoliberalism, globalization, gender, race/ethnicity, immigration, trafficking, human rights, diaspora, and citizenship?

Submissions should be made at http://www.acla.org/literatures-post-socialist-european-diaspora-united-states-0 You need not be a member of the ACLA to submit, but accepted participants will need to become members prior to registering for the conference. Please send brief abstracts via the ACLA website by midnight PST on Friday, October 15th, 2014.

Claudia Sadowski-Smith (Arizona State University)
Ioana Luca (National Taiwan Normal University)
Email: claudia.sadowski-smith “at” asu.edu, ioana.luca “at” ntnu.edu.tw

https://networks.h-net.org/node/11423/discussions/46366/literatures-post-socialist-european-diaspora-united-states-acla

Call for Papers for International Conference – Georgia in the Contested World

Organised by Center for Social Sciences [CSS]

Dates: 9-10 December 2014
Venue: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
Language: English and Georgian (simultaneous translation provided)

Conference aims to bring together established and emerging international as well as local practitioners and scholars willing to share their research findings about current changes and transformations taking place in Georgia.

The conference thematic will mainly focus on: the position and status of Georgia in the contested world, its political, social, cultural and technological development in the light of globalization, its interstate relations and security, transformation in respect to identities and the future aspirations; what impact does the international change make on Georgia’s political agenda, values, economy and identity? How it is influenced by the ongoing processes on the international level? How “independent” Georgia is in reality?

Two days conference will be dedicated to the presentation of the state-of-the-art academic and applied research findings about Georgia. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach is encouraged. The conference will cover the following topics: socio-economic and political issues, international relations and security, public policy analysis, democratisation and development, education, gender equality and values.

The conference participants should send their abstracts and application forms (attached) by 20 September, 2014 to the following e-mail address: css.conference2014″at”css.ge.

For additional information about abstract writing guidelines, submission deadlines or other related issues, please visit: http://css.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=8&info_id=948

Call for Participation – the 6th South Caucasus Regional English Language Teaching Conference

The U.S. Embassy in Georgia announces the 6th South Caucasus Regional English Language Teaching Conference to be held in Tskaltubo, Georgia, on October 3-4, 2014.

The conference is organized in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy Kyiv Regional English Language Office, U.S. Embassies Baku, Yerevan, Minsk and Chisinau.

For additional information, follow the link: http://georgia.usembassy.gov/news-events/emb_news2014t/elt.html

CFP: Journal of Narrative Theory, “Consensual Empires”

The Journal of Narrative Theory (JNT) seeks submissions for an upcoming special issue, “Consensual Empires.”

“Consensual Empires” aims to provide a forum for the examination of an important area of postcolonial and globalization studies emerging after the official end of the Cold War: the re-constitution of empire in relation to the formerly or currently socialist countries. The “writing” of the other now turns not on the essential difference between East and West, or North and South, or center and periphery, but on the logic and rhetoric of sameness. The post-socialist or newly capitalist, other – from the Balkans to Beijing – is caught up in a halting but inevitable process of becoming-the-same as the West: liberal, modern, normal. The insistence on emulating Western practices is aided by the ubiquitous phenomenon of self-Orientalization (or internalization of the desire to become-the-same as the West) and by imperial regimes of consensus building, as theorized by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri. Similarly, the current world order is no longer marked by overt exclusions of difference but rather by conditional inclusions into the global capitalist “family” based on a host of meritocratic criteria. Amy Kaplan’s discussion of the trope of homeland in US post-9/11 discourse can be extended to the rhetoric of global capitalist empire predicated on an intimate possibility of belonging, voluntary tending to this home as a space of safety, and implicit exclusions of those who threaten it. The logic of sameness also reflects the logic of capital (reification or general equivalence), producing desirable identities via the disciplinary mechanisms of neoliberal models of labor and consumption. Capitalist expansion in (post)socialist societies owes more to Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemonic domination, therefore, rather than to colonial-type conquest. Indeed, in transitioning socialist societies in particular, neoliberal capitalism operates primarily as the organization of popular consent, intellectually structured around important hegemonic principles. Its acceptance crucially depends on the mediation and support of national governments and bourgeois elites.

Essays (max. 10,000 words) should address cultural narratives that can help us understand the creation of consensual empires in (post)socialist countries. We encourage projects that mix the objects of postcolonial theory and globalization studies to yield a revised view of (post)socialist Eastern Europe, Asia, South America and other parts of the world. Ideally, essays should move beyond narrative analysis and theory on the postcolonial side and sweeping accounts of cultural change on the globalization side. We are interested in a range of contemporary cultural practices and narratives – literature, film, television, and art performance – in (post)socialist spaces where a postcolonial lens would be necessary to yield deep historical implications and tie neoliberal transitions to the history of empire. Here are possible avenues of inquiry:

How do neoliberal modes of governmentality manufacture consensus, advertising the new empire as a hip, multicultural, all-inclusive club?

Who are the agents of empire-soft in (post)socialist spaces and how do they appeal to public affect/intellect/community concerns in promoting their goals?

Conversely, which cultural narratives reflect dissensus and/or creative adaptations to Westernization and accession to neoliberal empire?

How are Orientalizing narratives employed, on the one hand, to foster the internalization of inferiority and need to emulate the West, and on the other, to create exclusions and project inferiority onto less Westernized “others”?

How do cultural narratives portray encounters between neoliberal capitalist and (post)socialist discourses in terms of shifting attitudes to labor, identity, class, consumerism, and/or leisure activities?

Information about the journal can be found at the following address: <http://www.emich.edu/english/jnt/>

Contributors should follow the MLA style (7th edition), with footnotes kept at a minimum and incorporated into the text where possible.

Please send a copy of the full submission by email attachment to the editor, Natasa Kovacevic (nkovacev “at” emich. edu), by June 1, 2014. Interested authors can send inquires about papers topics that are in development prior to the deadline.

Call for Papers: Central Eurasian Studies Society Annual Conference

October 23rd-26th, 2014
Columbia University

The Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) invites panel and paper proposals for the Fifteenth Annual CESS Conference, October 23-26, 2014, in New York City. The event will be held at Columbia University, hosted by the Harriman Institute. Registration starts Thursday evening, October 23. Panels begin Friday morning, October 24th, and continue through mid-day on Sunday, October 26th.

Panel and paper topics relating to all aspects of humanities and social science scholarship on Central Eurasia are welcome. The geographic domain of Central Eurasia extends from the Black Sea and Iranian Plateau to Mongolia and Siberia, including the Caucasus, Crimea, Middle Volga, Afghanistan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Central and Inner Asia. Practitioners and scholars in all humanities and social science disciplines with an interest in Central Eurasia are encouraged to participate.

To submit a pre-organized panel or individual paper proposal, please login to the CESS Website at www.centraleurasia.org. The deadline for submissions is March 31st.

ASCN Conference Announcement/Call for Papers

Exporting Regimes? Interests and Strategies of Powerful States in the Post-Communist Space

June 13-14, 2014 (Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany)

Target group: junior (PhD students or recent PhD graduates, 2009 or later) and senior scholars of political science and international relations

Application deadline : 3 March 2014

This conference takes up the question of how powerful states affect the political developments of post-communist states. More precisely, the conference focuses on how influential democracies and authoritarian states effect the developments of political regimes in seemingly less powerful states. In doing so, it aims to combine two fairly distinct literatures: the older literature on the diffusion and export of democracy (e.g., Burnell, Carothers, McFaul, and Wright) and the newer literature on the external dimensions of authoritarian rule (e.g, Bader et al., Burnell, Levitsky and Way, and Vanderhill). In doing so, we try to address several questions: First, is it the case that authoritarian regimes export authoritarianism in the same way many democracies seek to export democracy? If so, how do democracies and authoritarian states pursue their goals? Are there any significant differences that can be traced back to the type of the regime of the powerful states? And how do smaller states react to the overtures of powerful democracies and dictatorships? Are they simply pawns in the great games or do they have agency in their own regime construction? While these questions could be answered by looking at various countries around the world, for methodological and empirical reasons, the conference focuses on the post-communist space and more precisely on the Soviet successor states of the South Caucasus. We therefore seek to bring together experts of the post-communist area who have an interest in comparative work and at least some knowledge of the South Caucasus

Eligibility: Junior scholars (PhD students or recent PhD graduates, 2009 or later) and senior scholars of political science and international relations with appropriate area expertise and an interest in addressing the above mentioned research questions. The conference brings together both junior and senior scholars. It also aims at comprehensive geographical representation, inviting scholars worldwide, but especially those from the South Caucasus specifically and post-communist countries generally.

Further questions: Christoph Stefes (christoph.stefes “at” ucdenver. edu) or Julie George (Julie.George “at” qc.cuny.edu)

CfP: Methodological Conference on Measuring Social Inequality in the South Caucasus and its Neighborhood

CRRC Announces Methodological Conference on Measuring Social Inequality in the South Caucasus and its NeighborhoodTbilisi, June 25, 2014About the Organizer: The Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) is a network of research and research support centers in the capital cities of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Established in 2003, CRRC’s goal is to strengthen social science research and public policy analysis in the South Caucasus. CRRC is funded largely by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, but it also implements project-specific activities for other donors. Over the last ten years, CRRC has become a nexus of activity for the social science community in the South Caucasus by providing open access to scholarly literature, data and professional training for social science researchers. For more information about CRRC, please visit: http://www.crrccenters.org/ About the Conference: The current socio-economic and political climate in the South Caucasus produces various forms of social inequality which are often tied to economic disparities, but have broader manifestations. Our goal is to broaden and deepen the exploration of the forms, causes and consequences of social inequality in the South Caucasus and its neighboring geographical regions by advancing methodological innovation. The conference will be relatively small-scale, focused on constructive “how-to” discussions and offering researchers the opportunity to discuss and compare their methods and findings. To achieve high quality discussion and feedback for presenters, a limited number of papers will be accepted. We aim to give equal opportunity to young as well as more established scholars from around the world. Scholars and researchers from all social science disciplines (e.g., economics, demography, sociology, political sciences, and psychology) who specialize in either quantitative or qualitative research are eligible to apply. Possible Topics: We invite papers that explore a range of topics related to social and economic inequality and methodological approaches to study its different aspects. We welcome work with a wide range of empirical approaches, such as case studies, comparative research projects, ethnographies, surveys, etc. We equally welcome papers that apply quantitative or qualitative research methods, as well as a combination of both. We expect presenters to emphasize innovative methods used in their research projects and described in their papers. Abstracts will be selected based on three criteria: focus on research methodology, innovative approach and relevance to the region. Submission: Researchers desiring to present their work at this conference are required to submit an abstract online via the abstract submission form by February 28th, 2014. Abstracts should be a maximum of 500 words long, and should include the following: • Title of the presentation; • Three to five key words; • Contact person’s name, title, organization affiliation, address, telephone, and email address; • Co-authors’ names and affiliations. Important dates: Submission of abstracts – 28 February, 2014 Notification of pre-acceptance – March 15, 2014 Submission of full papers – May 1, 2013 Notification of final acceptance – May 20, 2014 Language of the Conference: English

Financial Support: CRRC will provide 2 nights of lodging, lunch and dinner at the conference venue to all participants. Group transportation by road will be provided for participants from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The cost of airfare will not be covered. However, CRRC offers a limited number of scholarships covering travel and accommodation expenses to support postgraduate students and early career researchers who are in need of financial support in order to attend the conference. Scholarships will be granted based of the quality of submitted papers. If you have any further questions concerning the submissions of abstracts, please contact us: Address: 3 Kavsadze street, 0179, Tbilisi, Georgia Tel: (995 32) 225 27 78 (ext.116) E-mail: applications “at”crrccenters. org

Calls for Submission: Caucasus International

Issue 2/2014

Issue Title: Experiences of NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) in the Post-Soviet Space: 20 Years On

Deadline: 27 February 2014

Subtopics:

State-level successes and failures

· Assessing NATO’s involvement and the contributions of the South Caucasus countries

· Future of NATO in the post-Soviet space

· Security sector reform in the post-Soviet Space and NATO’s role

· Turkey’s support for military modernization in the South Caucasus countries and the impact of NATO integration

· Euro-Atlantic Partnership after 2014 in the post-Soviet space

· Collective success/failure of NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) program

· Military development assistance

· New instruments in security building: public diplomacy, military interventions and sustainable security

· National defence policies and NATO

· NATO and regional and/or global security challenges

· New security threats and NATO (soft threats)

Submissions should be 3000-5000 words in Microsoft Word-compatible format. For full details see the Notes for Contributors section or contact the editors. Submissions should be sent in electronic format to: husrev.tabak”at”cijournal.org and editor”at”cijournal.org

Please also note that the journal’s scope is not necessarily limited to the topics listed above; papers that are relevant to the Caucasus region and its neighborhood are welcome and will be taken into consideration.

The primary goal of Caucasus International is to foster stimulating dialogue and exchange of ideas on the Caucasus and beyond among practitioners, researchers and theorists from the region itself and abroad. The Publishers and Editors seek to provide a platform for a range of authors to share to different perspectives and to engage in intellectual debate. Manuscripts submitted to CI should be original and challenging, and should not be under consideration by another publication at the time of submission.

More details : http://cijournal.org/ci-news/announcements/124-calls-for-submission.html#.Uq7cZNIW1-d

International academic conference „European Union 10 years after its biggest enlargement”

Department of European Studies together with Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence of Poznań University of Economics and Institute for Western Affairs are pleased to invite you to attend the international academic conference „European Union – 10 years after its biggest enlargement”

April 24-25, 2014 Poznań University of Economics

Themes

„New” Member States of the EU – experiences and perspectives
(i.a. economic, social, political and legal aspects of the European integration of the new Member States; experiences of the first decade of membership)
The integration of Poland with the European Union
(i.a. economic, social, political and legal aspects of the integration of Poland with the EU; experiences of the first decade of membership; structural changes in the Polish economy after accession)
The impact of the enlargement on the „old” Member States
(i.a. economic, social, political and legal aspects of the expansion from the perspective of EU-15 Member States)
Institutional changes in the EU post the biggest enlargement
(i.a. changes in the workings of the EU institutions; changes in the functioning of Member States)
The functioning of the internal market in the EU
(i.a. enterprises in the internal market; challenges for Polish/European enterprises in the context of the functioning of the internal market of the EU; barriers to the operations of the internal market)
European Funds as a support to development and integration in the EU
(i.a. structural changes in the economy and the experiences of the Member States in the use of funds; European funds in the perspective of 2014-2020)
The European Union faced with future challenges
(i.a. internal challenges of the integration: economic, legal, political and social context; the development strategy for the next years (Europe 2020); the European Union in the modern world and facing global challenges).
We would also like to encourage you to make your own proposals of thematic panels which would complete and enrich the existing thematic modules.Please send your papers in Polish or in English (papers should not exceed 15 pages inclusive of references and the abstract) until 16.03.2014 to the email conferenceUE10″at”ue.poznan.pl. Submitted papers compliant with editorial requirements of Poznań University of Economics, after being positively reviewed , will be published in one of the following journals (the journal will be decided upon by the conference programme committee on the basis of the paper’s subject matter):
academic monograph on the 10th anniversary of the European Union’s enlargement published by Poznań University of Economics Publishing House,
academic monograph on new Member States of the EU published by Poznań University of Economics Publishing House,
Poznań University of Economics Review (indexed in EBSCO, Proquest and Index Copernicus),
Przegląd Zachodni (Western Review)
Deadlines:31.01.2014 – registration with abstract submission24.01.2014 – notification of registration and abstract acceptance 31.01.2014 – conference fee payment date 16.03.2014 – final paper dueFor more information please visit: http://euro.ue.poznan.pl/en/conference

Nationalism and State Consolidation in Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe

The Faculty of Journalism and Political Science of the University of Warsaw launched a call for proposals for its conference “Nationalisms and State Consolidation in Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe”, which will take place in Warsaw in May 2014.

The conference will be composed by two sessions:
Session 1: Transformation of Nationalisms after Collapse of Communism: Ideas and Structures
Session 2: Models of State Consolidation in Central and Eastern Europe since 2004: National and EU Perspectives

Structure of the Sessions

Both Sessions shall include several Workshops.
Each Workshop shall be composed of three to five papers, and shall be accompanied by a discussant.
The Scientific Boards of the Sessions are open for the complete Workshop Proposals.
Guidelines for SubmissionThe proposals prepared by scholars and academics shall be submitted by e-mail to:
Session 1: Konrad Jajecznik k.jajecznik “at”uw.edu.pl
Session 2: Bartłomiej Zdaniuk bartlomiej.zdaniuk”at”uw.edu.plThe proposals should include:
title, name and affiliation of the participant;
title of the paper;
400-500 words abstract;
250-300 words biographical note with an information about researcher’s publications (or links to scientific databases and repositories, e.g. Google Scholar).
Deadlines:
proposal submission: December 15, 2013
proposal acceptance and invitation to sending papers: January 15, 2014
conference fee payment: March 5, 2014
conference programme announcement: April 1, 2014
papers’ submission: April 30, 2014
The conference fee of 100 EUR will cover refreshment on both conference days, conference dinner taking place on May 15 and the publication of selected papers.Please note that accommodation and travelling costs are not included. We will be most happy however, to recommend hotels in proximity of the University. Detailed information about payment shall be provided to successful proposers in January 2014.Selected papers will be considered for publication in scientific journals chosen in cooperation with members of JSW Scientific Boards and an edited volume (book and e-book) published by the University of Warsaw Political Science Press.For more information please visit: http://net.abimperio.net/node/3036
Symposium The Program on Central Asia and the Caucasus seeks participant proposals for a half-day symposium to be held on January 30, 2015. The symposium will consist of two public panels, as well as a closed lunch discussion with symposium participants and Harvard graduate students. We ask interested scholars to submit a CV and a 250-word proposal describing how their research fits one of the panel themes. Applications are due November 30, 2014, and should be submitted through the symposium website here. Questions may be directed to Krista Goff and Meltem Sancak at PCAC “at” fas.harvard.edu. Partial funding will be available to help cover travel costs. Call For Papers: 25th IPRA GENERAL CONFERENCE on the OCCASION of 50th ANNIVERSARY of IPRA
Uniting for Peace: Building Sustainable Peace Through Universal Values in cooperation with Sakarya University
ISTANBUL, TURKEY
August 10-14 2014
Deadline for submitting paper, and panel proposals: December 15, 2013. During the Cold War, ideological confrontations and inter-state conflicts were seen as most dangerous threats against peace and security, and with the end of the Cold War, it was expected that all these threats would disappear. Unfortunately, however, the end of the Cold War witnessed the emergence of new conflict patterns and the world faced new global challenges, new security threats. Since the end of the Cold War, the world has been going through a series of interrelated intra-state conflicts rather than inter-state conflicts. New generation threats for peace and security and conflicts appeared immediately as intra-state conflicts with ethnic conflict in the Balkans, political turmoil in Caucasus, Central Asia, Middle East and recently with the emergence of protests and search for better democracy and peace as in Northern Africa countries. According to the 1994 UNDP human development report, the seven dimensions of human security are economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security and political security. However, with the emergence of new security threats and new generation conflict patterns across the globe, human rights, human security, humanitarian intervention, democracy, prosperity and peace building initiative have become new values and policies both for states and international organizations. All these are post-Cold War concepts that are inter- related and overlapping, and when they are undermined, sustainable peace cannot be established. As we observed from the beginning of history that conflict potential and conflicts are inevitable and will be available forever, only the conflict patterns can change. If so, we need to learn to which extent intra-state conflicts can be managed properly and to which extent conflict escalation across national frontiers, and also their escalation into violence, can be prevented. However, there are mistakes as well as success stories as regards to how states and International/regional organizations manage and / or prevent inter-state and intra-state issues / conflicts. It is in the context of further contributing to the scholarly debates involving post Cold War political ideology, geopolitics, international and regional cooperation in efforts to resolve or prevent the growing intra-state and cross-border conflicts that IPRA has decided to be the focus of the 25th IPRA General Conference to be organized on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of IPRA and hosted by the Sakarya University in Istanbul, TURKEY, between August 10-14 2014. On the 50 th Anniversary of IPRA, the venue of 25th IPRA General Conference is significant and timely since Turkey is in the middle of three continents and also currently surrounded by conflict zones in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel-Palestine etc . Also, Istanbul is a link between Europe and Asia.
We welcome paper, poster and panel proposals from all peace researchers related to the following IPRA Commissions. Interested participants have the option of suggesting new panels or sessions. IPRA COMMISSIONS
1. Art and Peace Commission
2. Conflict Resolution and Peace Building Commission
3. Development and Peace Commission
4. Eastern Europe Commission
5. Ecology and Peace Commission (EPC)
6. Forced Migration Commission
7. Gender and Peace Commission
8. Global Political Economy Commission
9. Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Commission
10. Internal Conflicts Commission
11. International Human Rights Commission
12. Nonviolence Commission
13. Peace Culture and Communications Commission
14. Peace Education Commission
15. Peace History Commission
16. Peace Journalism Commission
17. Peace Movements Commission
18. Peace Negotiations and Mediation Commission
19. Peace Theories Commission
20. Reconciliation and Transitional Justice Commission
21. Religion and Peace Commission
22. Security and Disarmament Commission
23. Sport and Peace Commission
24. Youth and Peace Commission
25. Peace Tourism Commission For more information please visit www.ipra2014.org Conference Coordinators: Dr. Nesrin Kenar, co- Secretary General – IPRA
Sakarya University, Turkey
secretary-general “at” iprapeace.org Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw, co- Secretary General – IPRA
Northumbria University, UK
secretary-general “at” iprapeace.org Conference Secretariat:
Dr. Asena Boztas
Sakarya University, Turkey
ipra2014 “at” iprapeace.org CALL FOR PAPERS: Armenia and Diaspora 1918-2013 Fifth Annual International Graduate Student Workshop, Armenian Studies Program
April 4-5, 2014, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Deadline for submission of abstracts: December 16, 2013 The proliferation of studies in international migration, transnationalism and diasporas over the past three decades has raised a number of questions, prompting scholars to significantly reconsider former essentialist approaches to communities and identities. If earlier scholars of Armenian studies have often treated the Armenian diaspora as a collection of independent, selfsufficient communities, limiting their studies to mostly descriptive observations, a new generation of scholars has focused on the diversity, flexibility and context-dependence of diasporic communities, individual lives and identities, as well as on investigating the changing roles and impacts of homelands and homeland-diaspora relations on the ways in which diasporas function. The 1915 genocide of the Armenian subjects of the Ottoman Empire resulted in an outflow of refugees and survivors; this, combined with the independence acquired on a small piece of the Armenian homeland in 1918, the Sovietization of Armenia in 1920, and the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, created the conditions in which modern and contemporary Armenian diasporas have functioned, embedded in a new era in the history of Armenians. The nature of Armenian diasporic communities, the agendas of diasporic institutions, varying perceptions of the Armenian homeland and the republics of Armenia, intracommunal identities, conflicts and cooperation, and other elements of Armenian diasporic life took shape after the post-Lausanne disappointment, under the influence of changing conditions in host countries and a complex international political context. Conceptions of what diasporas and diasporic identities are, and how they should function, developed heterogeneously in specific diasporic communities, in the homeland, and, more recently, in diaspora studies. This workshop will be dedicated to exploring the competing and sometimes conflicting conceptions of how the Armenian diaspora, with its various communities and identities, has functioned and is functioning in the challenging transnational environment of modernity and globalization as well as in relation to the transformations of the homeland. This workshop on Armenia and Diaspora 1918-2013 is sponsored by the University of Michigan’s Armenian Studies Program and is organized by Vahe Sahakyan, a graduate student in that Program with faculty advisors, Professors Kevork Bardakjian (University of Michigan) and Khachig Tölölyan (Wesleyan University), and seeks to bring together younger scholars (graduate students engaged in research or those who defended their dissertations in the last three years) who work on diasporas within a variety of disciplines. Emphasizing an interdisciplinary and connected approach, among other themes, we invite submissions that address the following issues (along with others of equal relevance): Perceptions and representations of the lost homeland, the three post-1918 Republics of Armenia in post-genocide diasporic discourse. Perceptions and representations of the Armenian diaspora in Soviet Armenia (under Stalin and in the post-Stalinist period) and in the Republic of Armenia;
Diasporic institutions and organizations and their relations with Soviet Armenia under Stalin, during WWII and the years of the Cold War;
The 1948 Genocide Convention and its impact on Armenian diasporic institutions and their policies;
Host country conditions, institutions- and community-building in the diaspora (the role of churches, whether Apostolic, Evangelical, Catholic, political parties, charitable organizations, compatriotic unions and comparable organizations);
Host countries, transnational migrations, and the Armenian diaspora; the ‘locals’ and the ‘newcomers’ within the Armenian diaspora;
Education, diasporic identities and identity politics in the Armenian diaspora: agents of diasporic identity formation. Please send an Abstract (250 words /single spaced) along with a CV to armdiaspora”at”umich.edu by December 16, 2013. Successful applicants will need to submit a paper of no more than 20 double-spaced pages by March 3, 2014 to be circulated among workshop participants. Some funds are available to cover travel expenses. Per donor guidelines, preference will be given to those traveling from the Republic of Armenia. http://armacad.blogspot.com/2013/09/armenia-and-diaspora-1918-2013-fifth.html Armenian Studies Program
University of Michigan
1080 South University Ave., Suite 3633
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106
USA Caucasus International: Call for Papers – Issue 1/2014 Issue Title: Starting a new page? South Caucasus after Elections in 2013: Reflections and Prospects Deadline: 10 December 2013 Subtopics:
A. Elections watch – election processes, victories, and
manifestation of the peoples` will B. Elections in the South Caucasus
– Georgia after October 2013 Presidential elections
– Azerbaijan after October 2013 Presidential elections
– Armenia after February 2013 Presidential elections C. Elections in the Neighbourhood
– Iran elections of June 2013: Debating the continuities and
ruptures in post-elections domestic/international politics of Iran
– Pakistan Elections of 2013
– Tajikistan 2013 Presidential Elections
– Turkmenistan December 2013 Parliamentary Elections
– Afghan Elections of 2014: Stability and Democracy Prospects
after NATO
– 2014 Local and Presidential Elections in Turkey D. Elections and Regional Politics: Reflections on Economy and Security Affairs Prospective authors should submit 3.000-6.000 word articles for consideration in Microsoft Word-compatible format. For the full details about the journal see the Notes for Contributors section (www.cijournal.org) or feel free to contact the editors. Articles submissions should be sent in electronic format to: editor”at”cijournal.org CI’s key goal is to foster stimulating dialogue and exchange of ideas on the Caucasus and beyond among practitioners, researchers and theorists from the region itself and abroad. The Publishers and Editors accept only the responsibility of giving authors a chance to express differing analyses to engage in intellectual debate. Manuscripts submitted to CI should be original and challenging, and should not be under consideration by another publication at the time of submission. The Caucasian Frontline of the First World War. Genocide, Refugees and Humanitarian Assistance Yerevan, April 20-22, 2014 Organized by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia on the occasion of the centenary of the First World War. The aim of the conference is to study the unknown historical facts on the military operations in the Caucasus Front of the WWI, existence of refugees in the regions of military actions and the implementation of genocide against the Armenian population on the territories of the former Ottoman and Russian Empires during the war. The following topics are among the issues covered by the Conference • War and Genocide • The Russian military as witnesses of Genocide • Photos and footage of the Caucasus frontline of the Forgotten War • War and science: archaeological and ethnographic studies in Armenia during the War • Crimes against humanity and civilization • Status and faith of the prisoners of war and missing • The War and volunteer movement • Humanitarian assistance and refugees • Charity in the Caucasus Front Applications emphasizing the topic and thesis (3000 characters) should be sent to the organizational committee WWI-conference@genocide-museum.am by December 1, 2013. The application should include a short biography of the author, stating their workplace, scientific degree and academic rank, scientific publications and list of conferences, email and telephone. The Organizational Committee will cover the accommodation and per diem expenses of the participants. For questions, call +374 10 39 09 81. More at http://genocide-museum.am/eng/econferenceWWI.php CALL FOR PAPERS AND PANEL PROPOSALS “Identity politics and dynamics of (dis)integration in Europe” The 10th Convention of the CEEISA will feature a diverse set of panels organized around multiple aspects of the study of international relations. Submissions of papers, panels, and roundtables on any aspect of international relations broadly understood are welcomed and encouraged.
We particularly invite submissions in which scholars turn their focus to this year’s convention theme: “Identity politics and dynamics of (dis)integration in Europe”. A recurring theme at the heart of all politics is struggle for self-determination, at the individual and the group level. At the individual level, struggles for self-determination support drives to liberate, liberalize, and democratize polities. Self-determination here means limiting interference and repression by authorities as well as building channels through which citizens can participate in making decisions that affect their lives. At the group level the picture becomes more complicated. Individuals experience affinities to different social groups, such as ethnic groups or nations. Group-based identification creates in-group out-group dynamics that feed social competition and, potentially, conflict. Identity politics typically are expressions of such competition, which may have deep historical roots. While group-based demands for recognition, rights, or autonomy often seem legitimate to outsiders, they can easily be seen as offensive by competing or “othering” groups, especially in times of economic and social crisis. This sets in motion social conflict with the potential of political destabilization.
Democratic polities are built on multiple social identities. This is particularly obvious in large, federal, and multi-national structures. E pluribus unum was the de facto motto of the US until 1956. Since 2000 the EU’s official motto is “United in Diversity” (In varietate concordia). Such mottos reflect what might be considered the core challenge of democratic political culture: How can group-level struggles for self-determination be evaluated, mediated, and “managed” to allow for self-expression and political agency by groups while at the same time keeping social conflict at a level non-threatening to the polity’s integrity?
For the CEEISA’s 2014 convention we particularly welcome papers which reflect on empirical as well as theoretical responses to this challenge in Europe, east and west. Our location at the multicultural Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj in Transylvania is ideal for this purpose. Conference participants are especially invited to respond to the following four “theme”
questions from within their own sub-fields and research specializations:
 Where can we today observe important group-based, internationally relevant struggles for
“self-determination” in Europe, broadly defined to include struggles for greater recognition
or additional rights and privileges? What are the conflict dynamics associated with these
struggles?
 Most individuals experience multiple group identities. This can create dilemmas and
behavioral instability but also serve to unify communities across group divisions. Where and
how can we see multiple or overlapping social identities helping to the prevent
disintegration in Europe or its member states today?
 Focusing directly on the current crisis of European Union, how should we interpret the
cleavages emerging in Europe in reaction to economic crisis and political responses to it? To
what extent and how is political-economic pressure on member states in crisis or on specific
social groups risking the EU’s disintegration?
 Moving beyond Europe, what can we learn for the current European experience from
inter- and transnational social struggles for recognition that have taken place at other times
and in other places? More generally, how can we make progress in theorizing identity
politics in inter-, trans- and supranational environments? REGISTRATION FEES The CEEISA encourages all the participants who are not yet members of the CEEISA to join
the association and enjoy the benefit of free subscription to the Journal of International
Relations and Development and reduced registration fees for CEEISA Conventions. For
information about CEEISA membership please visit the CEEISA website at
http://www.ceeisa.org/index.php/membership. Convention registration fee: 120 euro
Reduced registration fee for PhD students: 90 euro
Registration fee for CEEISA members: 60 euro
Reduced registration fee for PhD students who are also CEEISA members: 30 euro PAPER/PANEL PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
To submit your paper or panel proposal, please follow the links below and fill in and submit the on-line form. You will receive a confirmation of your paper/panel submission within approx. a week.
Deadline for submissions: 1 December 2013
Notification of acceptance (by e-mail): before 1 February 2014 Please see more details: http://www.fdv.uni-lj.si/docs/default-source/katedra-za-mednarodne-odnose/cfp_ceeisa2014.pdf?sfvrsn=0 Call for Papers for panel proposal for the 4th Global International Studies Conference 2014 4th Global International Studies Conference 2014 6-9 August 2014, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Our goal is to provide an interaction space in which International Relations research expertise can be shared on an international level and thus contribute to the expansion of a truly global professional network. For this purpose, IR scholars from around the world will meet in Frankfurt and present their research to a broad audience made up of scholars and experts in all fields of international studies. The overarching theme of the conference is „Justice, Peace and Stability: Risks and Opportunities for Governance and Development“. In addition to classical issues in diplomacy, security and development studies, panels and roundtables will pay special attention to novel issues in global politics, including emerging actors in international relations and new forms of south-south cooperation
Paper and Panel Proposals Individuals may propose papers, panels or roundtables by registering as a user and uploading the respective proposals to the conference registration system accessible https://www.conftool.com/wisc2014/. A panel consists of four papers, one or two discussants and a chairperson. Linked panels on a common theme can also be proposed and should be marked accordingly. Up to four panels can be linked in this fashion. A roundtable consists of up to 8 participants and a chairperson. Each panel and roundtable lasts for 105 minutes. Paper-givers will have approx. 12 minutes for their presentation, as will the discussant(s). Chairpersons of both panels and roundtables should leave approx. 30 minutes for discussion from the floor. Papers will be given in English and will have to be uploaded on the conference registration system. Powerpoint presentation will be possible. A paper will be allocated by the Programme Committee to an appropriate panel, tabled or rejected. A tabled paper is an official contribution to the Conference but one that will not be discussed in a panel due to the exigencies of time, space or topic. Panel proposals should include an international element among its participants or the Programme Committee may exercise its prerogative to include such an element. It is expected that paper givers will circulate their papers to all other participants on their panel in a timely fashion. The Conference is open to all members of any WISC member organization and to others with like interests in the scholarly and practical aspects of international studies. The Programme Committee reserves the right to refuse permission to participate. Decisions of the Programme Committee are final. Deadline for submissions of proposals is 30 November 2013 The deadline for decisions on submissions is 1 February 2014. Proposals received after the deadline are unlikely to be included in the Programme. For more details visit http://www.fb03.uni-frankfurt.de/46347686/wis Call for Papers:“Nationalism and Belonging” ASEN is holding its 24th Annual Conference “Nationalism and Belonging” 1 -3 April 2014 at the London School of Economics and Political Science Many people today regard belonging to a nation as something quite natural, given, and also as an “essential” part of one’s identity. By contrast, in the academic study of the subject there is much emphasis on construction and contingency, “invention” and “imagination”. This conference aims to bridge this divide between academic and popular views by examining theoretical and empirical arguments about this relationship, from both cultural and political perspectives. The conference will analyze the relationship by considering expressions of belonging, cross-border forms of belonging and the contemporary challenges posed to belonging as the locus of the nation, by bringing together scholars from across the social sciences. Applicants are encouraged to reflect on the many different forms that national belonging takes. Is the sense of belonging historically determined or voluntarist? Is belonging to do with identity and psychology or something that arises out sets of common practices? Is there a ‘need to belong’ or are institutional routines sufficient to maintain political associations over time? There are three broad perspectives at the conference, reflected in the plenary sessions on each of the three days. The first concerns how belonging is expressed and constructed with regard to nations, as well as the importance of belonging in the construction of nations. Themes for papers could include:
- How national belonging is ascribed and cultivated
- The role of symbols and rituals in national belonging
- The process by which individuals and groups construct their belonging to nations
- How states use claims about national belonging to define their communities
The second has a transnational focus, examining how national belonging is expressed across borders by migrants and diaspora. Themes for papers could include:
- The examination of forms of diaspora and kin nationalism
- How transnational communities maintain a sense of belonging across space and time
- How migrant and diaspora communities construct new ways of belonging
The third focuses on how belonging to the nation is being challenged by alternative non-national forms – such as supra-national and sub-national loyalties. Themes for papers could include:
- How national belonging is responding to alternative, non-national forms of attachment
- The role of supra-national and sub-national forces in redefining belonging
- The relationship between national belonging and cosmopolitanism/post-nationalism
- How possible shifts in the centrality of national belonging in the contemporary world affect the study of nationalism
Please submit your abstracts by 2359 GMT on 30th November 2013. For more details please visit: http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/units/ASEN/Conference/Call-for-Papers.aspx Call for Papers/ CESD International Conference on Evaluation and Modelling of Comparative Advantages in non-oil sector in Azerbaijan CESD – The Center for Economic and Social Development CESD is pleased to invite all interested scholars to submit their abstracts to the CESD International Conference titled as “Evaluation and Modelling of Comparative Advantages in non-oil sector in Azerbaijan”. The conference will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan on October, 24, 2013. Project is implemented with support of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. The deadline for submitting abstracts is September, 20, 2013 and working languages of the conference are English and Azerbaijani. Full Call for Papers is available at www.cesd.az url: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=648747595136259&id=360225213988500 CFP: Journal of the Anthropology of the Contemporary Middle East and Central Eurasia (ACME) Deadline: October 31, 2013 The Journal of the Anthropology of the Contemporary Middle East and Central Eurasia (ACME) is announcing a call for a special issue the topic of: “Ritual and Local Traditions of Funerary in Islam: Historical and Contemporary Issues.” Death ritual is an expression of cultural attitudes, values and ideals passed down by parents, and generations before, which an individual learns as a member of society. Death is painful and emotional time, yet it can be filled with hope and mercy for our departed ones. Many believe that death is the beginning of eternal life, and it is not the end of a person’s existence, we ask for our creator’s mercy to protect the departed ones and wish for their happiness and peace in their new life and form. The correct performance of the rituals associated with death is of utmost importance, and while the purpose of the rituals and places of the burials continuing to serve the purpose, but many of the rituals themselves have altered in form to adjust to changes in our respected societies. By analyzing of mortuary practices, one can learn about the behavior of a culture since it will reveal people’s notions of gods, souls, witches, spirits and the life of afterworlds, in addition to their conceptions of the social and moral worlds. In other words, the various rituals and ceremonies that are performed are primarily concerned with the explanation, validation and integration of a people’s view of the world. Sergei Poliakov, a Soviet ethnographer states “Qur’an “only recognizes one holy place, the Ka’aba.” (1992:16). However, Muslim believers revere many “holy places–graves, cemeteries, stones, springs, mountains, caves, trees, and so on. Many such sites have been canonized by the clergy and pilgrimage to them is considered an obligation for the Muslim.”(1992:16). (In Central Asia, and Iran tying of rags on branches and other amenable surfaces such as rocks at special places and sacred sites is common among the Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Uzbeks (Lymer, L. 2004). At the same time new rituals are invented and sometimes the ancient rituals are discarded or modified to fit our political, religious and economic life styles of our time. Yet new burial places and rituals are still discovered (New Death Ritual Found in Himalaya—27 De-fleshed Humans as reported by the National Geographic News, March 1, 2011). In our contemporary time due to rapid population growth and an increased rate of urbanization, many of our traditional mortuary rituals are changing and taking different forms to accommodate and better serve the people. The need for effective burial facilities, conserving energy, Green issues, space allocation and other issues of concerns such as urbanization and health concerns are some of our new realities that are affecting not only the ways of our lives, but also death as well. For example “ importance of valid and reliable mortality data, death registration system in Islamic Republic of Iran as a multi source registration system was established and improved since 1998.” (N Jafari, MJ Kabir, ME Motlagh. 2009: 127). Against this background, we are seeking original research papers that can contribute to the themes of funerary rituals from various perspectives such as: How have funerary practices and notions of death among Muslims been affected by globalization? Iconic and symbolism of Islamic Funerary Architecture/ landscape, memorial gardens. Suggested themes (not limited to this list) can include:
*The death of Muslim in the west/ Dying in Diaspora
Dilemma of where and how to bury the bodies of Muslim men, women, and children, Muslim only burial grounds, contradiction to the religious aspects while meeting mandatory city code regulations.
*Exploring the significance of various symbolic forms of behavior and practices associated with death
*Muslim Tombs and Ethnic Folklore: Such as Charters for Hui Identity/ or other Muslims living in non-majority Muslim nations or communities.
*Educational text materials /Representation of Death in school textbooks
*Mortuary practices of a specific group(s)
*Obituaries: (both contemporary and historical) textual styles / ways of public announcements
*Cemetery site selection
*Death Registration System
* Grave Stones and other Grave Markings For information on the journal and guidelines to authors please visit:
http://www.seankingston.co.uk/Instructionsforauthors.pdf. You should send your original manuscript by email attachment directly to:
Professor Faegheh Shirazi.
Editor of this special issue
fshirazi “at” uts.cc. utexas. edu Call For Papers for International Conference – Europe in Georgia December 11-12, 2013 Center for Social Sciences [CSS]. The conference is dedicated to the 10^th year anniversary of Center for Social Sciences Conference Venue: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Since its independence from the Soviet Union Georgia has declared its aspiration towards European Union and Euro-Atlantic space. For twenty years the country has been promoting the idea of the Western integration within its own boundaries. In 1999 Georgia became a full member of the European Council. However, the question is whether these aspirations, European values, structures, institutions, and requirements are reflected in the Georgian state-building, as well as in the country’s lifestyle. How visible is Georgia’s Europeanization process? The conference will explore the above-mentioned issues. Its main focus will be on the following areas: International Relations and Security, Gender Equality, Socioeconomic and Political Issues, Values, Education, and Development. Scholars and practitioners in the social science disciplines with an interest in the mentioned areas are welcome to participate. The interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach is encouraged. Alongside the conference, there will be supplementary events, including coffee breaks, light lunch, a closing reception (for additional fee) on Thursday, December 12, and two keynote speakers (Professor S. Neil MacFarlane, University of Oxford; Professor Stephen Jones, Mount Holyoke College). MAIN CONFERENCE DATES:
Conference Dates:11-12 December, 2013
Deadline for submission of abstracts and applications:25 October, 2013
Notification of Acceptance:11-12 November, 2013
Preliminary Program Available:late November, 2013
Deadline for notification of audio-visual requests:25 November, 2013
Deadline for Last Cancellations:25 November, 2013 (No Fee Refund) VENUE:
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
1 Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi 0179, Georgia. For more details please see: http://css.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=8&info_id=837 Call for Papers: Post-Soviet Diasporas: Identities, Linkages, and Transformations Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada March 20-21, 2014 Conference hosted by
the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies Metropolis Migration and Diaspora Studies The Magna Fund for Russian Studies The Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Metropolis, Migration and Diaspora Studies at Carleton University, generously supported by the Magna Fund for Russian Studies, are seeking proposals for a joint conference: Post-Soviet Diasporas: Identities, Linkages and Transformations – to be held at Carleton University, March 20 and 21, 2014. The collapse of the Soviet Union has transformed the map of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Constance social uncertainty, economic turbulence and the emergence of fragile states provoked migration and mobility processes that were in many ways unexpected and unprecedented. This dispersal of ethnic groups across the region and throughout the world at once reflects and drives global patterns of mobility, investment, and social and economic development in the 21st century. We invite proposals from all relevant disciplines including history, sociology, political science, geography, economics and public policy that address the broader themes of this conference. The overarching goal is to identify and assess the effects of the activities of post-Soviet diasporas in Europe, North America and other host states and to understand better the economic, political, social and cultural relationships of these diasporas with their kin in their homelands. We are particularly interested in papers that consider the following themes: . From émigrés to diasporas: the discourses of identity transformation.
. Old and new – post-Soviet diasporas in North America and Europe: searching for common ground.
. Russian diasporas: their impact on the greater post-Soviet space.
. Remittances and the economic, political, and social impact of diasporas in their home states.
. Ethnic policy and diasporas regulation in modern Russia.
. Global mobility and linkages, including the relationship of international organizations, transnational corporations, think tanks, academic research projects and other networks and initiatives to diasporas groups. We are particularly interested in receiving proposals from researchers working in former Soviet countries as well as Western Europe and North America. The conference is aimed to create an open research network for studying diasporas communities and their dynamics, mobility, and linkages. Comparative papers that address multiple countries or regions and papers with interdisciplinary approaches are strongly encouraged. Applicants should submit a proposal of 300 words and a short CV of 2-3 pages by October 1, 2013 Proposals should specify how the paper will address the themes of the conference. Initial selections will be made by November 1, 2013. Final papers (10-12 pages) will be due three weeks before the conference. They will be pre-circulated among the participants. A select number of papers is expected to be submitted to the independently peer-reviewed series “Review of European and Russian Affairs (RERA)”, “Canadian Journal for Foreign Policy (CJFP)”and “Mobility and Politics” (Palgrave Macmillan). Organizing Committee of the Conference: Jeff Sahadeo, Director, Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Howard Duncan, Executive Head of Metropolis, Martin Geiger, Banting Fellow, Migration and Diaspora Studies. The Magna Fund for Russian Studies will provide some funding to cover travel expenses for authors invited to present their papers in Ottawa, Canada. For further information, visit here Call for Abstracts and Papers: DAAD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON EUROPE Conference date: December 5 – 7, 2013
Venue: University of Flensburg, Germany Europe is entangled politically, economically and legally with the rest of the world as its policies and actions reverberate beyond its geographic borders. Yet in a number of cases, Eurocentric views that are clearly incapable of portraying Europe in a comprehensive manner in its global interactions tend to dominate the discourse. Obviously, in order to fully appreciate Europe and its leadership role in world affairs, it is not sufficient to look at perspectives from within alone but to take a total view that projects Europe from a global perspective. A global Europe, embedded in an ever-growing and interdependent network of relations does neither act in isolation nor do its actions merely affect European countries.
Hence it is essential that Europeans and European institutions take into account alternative views primarily from outside and to weigh the merits of these differential positions. In a globalised world, it is imperative that European societies, and the key stakeholders from the academic, political, economic and legal realm appreciate the need to be more receptive towards external perspectives. After all, a successful constitution of Europe will barely be possible without considerable attention the understandings and perceptions of other world regions. These external perspectives are the frame of reference in a global context in which Europe, epitomised by the European Union and its member states, vividly engage itself both internally and externally. With this in mind, the proposed conference seeks to create an externally-led reflection that aims to make a contribution to a better understanding and analysis of Europe▓s role in the contemporary world. It seeks to trigger a substantial reflection on new directions of action, and to open up spaces for renewed discussions on Europe▓s economic, social, political, historical and legal role, and relationship with the rest of the world. We suggest contributions covering the following fields:
Postcolonial studies
Migration studies
Regional integration and regionalism
Development policy and cooperation with the global South This list is not exhaustive and contributions may cover any other field of interest with regards to “global perspectives on Europe”. Submission of Abstracts
We invite abstracts for papers of maximum 300 words, together with a short cv indicating name, institutional affiliation, telephone number and email address. Deadline for submission of Abstracts: September 30, 2013 Please send your abstracts via email to: sophie-wulk@uni-flensburg.de Notification of accepted abstracts: October 18, 2013 Submission of draft papers: November 28, 2013 Additional information could be sought from or inquiries can be made to the conference coordinators at the University Flensburg: Sophie Wulk: sophie-wulk @uni-flensburg.de (European Studies); Dr. Yaw Ofosu-Kusi: yaw.ofosu-kusi @uni-flensburg.de (International Institute of Management and Economics Education), Prof. Dr. Bea Lundt: lundt @uni-flensburg.de (Institut for Social Sciences and Theology, Seminar for History and History Didactics). University of Flensburg
Sophie Wulk
Research Assistant IIM/European Studies
Auf dem Campus 1
24943 Flensburg
Germany Call for Contributions: Re-thinking the Central and Eastern Europe Totalitarianisms: Challenges, Entanglements and Reassessments 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Totalitarianism for PhD Students
October 17-18, 2013 – Sibiu (ROMANIA) Organizers:
The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
„Lucian Blaga” University – Sibiu The 2nd Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Totalitarianism for PhD Students – “Re-thinking the Central and Eastern Europe Totalitarianisms: Challenges, Entanglements and Reassessments” is a forum for the presentation of the PhD students’ research results in the fields of history, political sciences, sociology, arts, literature, etc. The conference encourages an international and cross-disciplinary exchange between PhD students engaged in research on Central and East-European totalitarianisms, the history of communism and post-communism, Holocaust studies. The goal of the conference is to support networking and collaboration between PhD students who work on specific topics related to the aforementioned research themes. We welcome papers from research areas dealing with different aspects of Central and East-European totalitarianisms. The papers selected by a jury will be presented and discussed in several panels under the supervision of distinguished Senior Academics. Target group: PhD students specialized in anthropology, cultural studies, ethnology, history, media studies, philosophy, political science, social geography and sociology. Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to:
Communism / communisms of Central and Eastern Europe
Intellectuals, culture, and art in a totalitarian state
Ideology and propaganda
History of science
Memory and identity
Individual or collective biographies under totalitarianism
Repression and social control
Resistance and dissidence in a totalitarian society
Gender
Daily life under communism
Abstract submission: Interested participants should send abstracts of 300 words and short CVs to phdconference”at”iiccmer.ro, by Sunday, September 15, 2013. All submitted abstracts should report original, previously unpublished research results. Abstracts should be in Word (.doc, .docx) format with the following information and in this order: a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) e-mail address, d) title of abstract, e) body of abstract, f) up to 10 keywords. The authors of accepted proposals will be informed by September 22, 2013. Paper submission:
Full papers should be submitted by October 13, 2013 to be circulated among conference participants, the chairs and the discussants. The papers which will be presented during the Conference should meet these criteria. There will be no registration fee. Lunches and coffee breaks will be provided by the organizers. Accommodation will be covered by the organizers. Funding for travel is available on an individual basis based on request. CFP: France, the USSR and the end of the Cold War, 1975-1991 Paris, January 23, 24 and 25th, 2014
Sorbonne Cold War History Project
in partnership with the Gorbachev Foundation (Moscow) and the François Mitterrand Institute (Paris) Presentation:
Studying French-Soviet relations is important in many regards in order to understand the complex international dynamics that led to the end of the Cold War. Even before the beginning of the Cold War and despite their different social-political regimes, both states intended to build relations going beyond their ideological opposition, demonstrated, for instance, by the 1935 French-Soviet Pact or the Normandie-Niemen regiment, a bi-national air squadron created during World War II. Later, their participation in opposite Cold War alliances did not prevent the emergence of a privileged relationship. Under General de Gaulle, these relations developed in the framework of a “détente” that, on the French side at least, sought to move beyond the opposition between the Soviet bloc and the West, and promote the idea of a Europe “from the Atlantic to the Urals”. Twenty years later, French-Soviet relations played a significant role in ending the Cold War, evidenced by the signing of the Charter for a New Europe in Paris in November 1990. This initiative, taken by French President François Mitterrand, was supported by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, thereby ratifying the end of the “Yalta era”. Over the past 25 years, French-Soviet relations have been studied extensively, through the lens of primary sources. Their impact on the evolution of the European continent and their role in ending the Cold War, however, received limited attention. Therefore, rather than addressing the bilateral aspects of French-Soviet relations, this conference will focus on their international dimension and European implications from the signing of the Helsinki Accords in 1975 until the end of the USSR in 1991. Contributions on the following topics are welcome:
1. The first objective will be to explain and clarify, based on primary sources, the impact of French-Soviet relations on the evolution of the European context. To what extent did these relations contribute to challenging or, on the contrary, freezing and perpetuating the Cold War? Pivotal moments (the Helsinki conference and the 1989 revolutions, for instance) and key concepts (Pompidou’s détente, Gorbachev’s “common European home”, Mitterrand’s “confederation”) will be given priority.
2. Reciprocally, the second objective will be to understand how the European context weighed on French-Soviet relations, and influenced, if not determined, them. To that aim, important East-West events, such as Ostpolitik, the 1980 Polish upheaval or the Euromissile crisis, but also collateral processes, such as the enlargement and deepening of the European community, the evolution of NATO and the crises within the Warsaw Pact, will also be considered.
3. Although the diplomatic and geopolitical dimensions will be central, other aspects could be explored. This might include domestic politics (notably the influence of the French communist party) or cultural and economic exchanges, as they relate to the topic of the symposium.
4. Finally, contributions centered around personalities who played a prominent role, such as political figures and intellectuals, will also be welcomed. The conference will take place in Paris in January 2014, and will be conducted in English. The proposal (one page) and a resume (half a page), written in English, will be sent by August 30th, 2013, in PDF format and in a single email, to both:
Marie-Pierre Rey: Marie-Pierre.Rey “at” univ-paris1. fr
and Céline Marangé: celine.marange “at” univ-paris1. fr Old Rules & New Traditions: Generational Divides in Central and Eastern Europe 13th International Postgraduate Conference on Central and Eastern Europe
School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London 19-21 February 2014 Deadline for submissions: 16 August 2013 Generational divides with regard to rules and traditions are a recurring theme in the past and present of Central and Eastern Europe. The region has been subject to great turmoil and has undergone a multitude of changes and transformations over time. While some traditions have survived, others have been overhauled. Rules have been broken or adapted; yet each generation has also attempted to make their own rules and created new traditions. These phenomena can be observed and analysed from a variety of perspectives: historical, cultural, political, economic, social, and beyond. We look forward to submissions that are cross-cultural, cross-national, and multi-disciplinary. Topics can include but are not limited to the following areas: national identity and nation building;
a clash of urban and rural ways of life;
insiders and outsiders;
economic or political reform;
religiosity and secularism;
modernisation. We are particularly interested in papers addressing the conference theme but also welcome other research dealing with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, South-East Europe and the former Soviet Union. We also encourage submissions that place these countries into an inter-regional comparative context. The conference invites applications from postgraduate students and early career researchers from the Social Sciences and Humanities. Abstracts of up to 300 words and a CV with full contact information should be sent to postgradconference2014@gmail.com. The language of the conference is English. A selection of papers will appear in a separate conference publication. We expect that there will be a limited number of bursaries available for travel expenses.
For more information, please visit http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/postgradconf2014.htm 3rd International Congress of Caucasiologists: Multiculturalism and Tolerance in the Caucasus Organized by Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Caucasiology Venue: Tbilisi, Georgia
Dates: October 23-26, 2013
Deadline: July 30, 2013
Notification of acceptance: August 23, 2013
Deadline for paper submission: September 25, 2013 The aim is to discuss the Caucasus as a particular region in terms of multiculturalism; To highlight the lingua-cultural model of the unity of the peoples in the Caucasus including of three principal components: 1. Ibero-Caucasian; 2. Areal Caucasian; 3.Typological research. Congress topics are defined in the framework of the cultural diversity and tolerance in the Caucasus including but not limited to: 1. The Caucasus: self-identity
2. Issues of interrelationship between traditional culture and human rights of the peoples
in the Caucasus
3. Linguistic and cultural diversity in the Caucasian region and tolerance
4. Cultural diversity of the Caucasus region and globalization Fields: Linguistics;  Sociolinguistics; History; Archeology; Ethnology; Cultural studies; Literature; Folklore; Arts. Participating in the work of the congress is possible in either the form of sessions or posters Working languages: Georgian, English, Russian Abstract submission guidelines: Volume: not exceeding 500 words in two working languages, Fonts: Sylfaen for Georgian; Times New Roman for English and Russian versions, Font size: 12 pt; line spacing 1,5, Format: both Ms Word and PDF Conference registration fee: $40
Format: Plenary session report – 25 minutes, Presentation – 20 minutes, Sectional meeting report – 20 minutes, Discussion – 5 minutes
Proceedings of the congress will be published in the international trilingual scientific journal “Caucaisologic Papers” Those wishing to participate in the congress should complete the application form (download from http://caucasiology.tsu.ge/congress/2013/applicationform.html) and send it with an abstract written in Russian, English or Georgian as attachments to congress@tsu.ge Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the organizing committee at congress@tsu.ge Organizing committee of the congress: Tsira Baramidze – Chair of the congress, TSU full professor; Merab Chukhua – Scientific head of the Congress, TSU associated professor; Nino Abesadze – Chair of the organizing committee; PhD student; Evgenia Kurtishvili – Coordinator of the congress; PhD student; Maka Tetradze – Chair of the information center; PhD student. Call for Papers: Religion and Migration in the Black Sea Region – Edited Collection of Essays Eleni Sideri and Lydia Roupakia / International Hellenic University
Contact email: elasideri”at”gmail.com / lydia.roupakia”at”univ.oxon.org The Black Sea region is currently being transformed from a closed sea – due to the legacy of the Cold War – to a bridge facilitating human, economic and cultural flows. The strategic importance of the Sea as a crossroads of civilizations and religions is gradually gaining wide recognition. The various types of migration from and into the region have contributed to new renegotiations of differences between “us” and “them” and have reinforced the need to (re)think, (re)vise and (re)invent definitions of belonging. In the context of these new mobilities, processes of dislocation and resettlement have also resulted in a resignification of religious practice and religious identity. How is religious difference currently being received, interpreted, revised and represented? How are the emergence of new religious practices and new appreciations of religiosity shaping people’s perception of boundaries, frontiers, encounters, nations and “otherness” in the Black Sea Region? Religion has functioned as a tool of identity construction and statecraft over time and throughout history. One should bear in mind that the Black Sea region represents Europe ’s borders to the East and, as such, it is the space where definitions of European identity have been challenged and redefined throughout history. With this in mind, we invite insights into the sources of modern identity politics and the conditions under which communities interact creatively, or swing violently from cohabitation to conflict. This collection of essays will address a current scarcity of academic research on the repercussion of political reform, migration and modernization in the areas surrounding the Black Sea and the pivotal role of religion in current cultural contestations taking place in this strategic region. We are also particularly interested in exploring how new mobilities have also led to an increased appreciation of the “hybridity” of culture: information technology and intractable market flows are giving birth to blended artistic forms, styles of life and linguistic registers. We seek submissions which explore current intersections between migration and religion in the Black Sea area. Among the themes this volume seeks to address (but is not limited to them) are the following: – post-socialist religious identities and European identities
– the function/representation/resignification of religious sites, pilgrimages and festivals
– old religious traditions and post-socialist religiosities
– minority religions
– immigrant communities and religious practices
– gendered migrations and religion
– religion and cosmopolitanism in the Black Sea
– religious art and cultural economy in the Black Sea
– religious encounters and Black Sea mobilities
– conflicts, borders and religious identities
– new religions in the Black Sea
– cultural tourism and religion
– religious conflict and the European Neighborhood Policy The editors seek chapters of 8,000-10,000 words. We invite contributions from a variety of disciplines and theoretical perspective and welcome case studies that draw on the Black Sea region in the wider sense. The deadline for submissions is July 25th . Please send abstracts (500 words maximum) and a short cv both to Eleni Sideri (elasideri “at”gmail.com) and Lydia Roupakia (lydia.roupakia “at”univ.oxon.org). Dr Eleni Sideri
International Hellenic University
Adjunct Faculty
Faculty of Humanities
Cultural Studies of the Black Sea
+30 6932292484
elasideri “at” gmail.com 2nd Baku Forum of Association of Scholars of International Relations (ASIRS) 2-3, September, 2013
Background
In October 2011, Baku hosted the first Forum of Association of Scholars of International Relations (ASIRS). More than 150 participants took place in the three day event, which focused on geopolitical issues of the Caspian region. The forum was organized by the Center for Strategic Studies, Ministry of Youth and Sports and in partnership with Khazar University, Qafqaz University, Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy and University of Languages, where panel sessions were held. Upcoming Forum.
The 2nd Baku Forum of Association of Scholars of International Relations will be held on September 2-3, 2013. The program of the forum envisions discussions and debates among the participants in 6 main thematic panels
1) South Caucasus Republics: 20 years after independence
2) Geopolitical rivalry over Caucasus: myth or reality
3) Energy Security: the contribution of the Caspian region to the global energy security
4) Economies of Transition: Learning from success stories and challenges
5) Regional protracted conflicts: searching for a way out of deadlock
6) The South Caucasus region: at the Crossroads of Europe and Asia Interested scholars should send their CVs, cover letters and 500 word abstracts to asirsforum2013 “at” gmail.com by July 20, 2013. Accepted participants will be notified by July 30. The organizers plan to provide air flight and lodging to the accepted panelists. The program will also feature presentations and master classes by prominent analysts from the region as well as key government officials. A cultural tour will be included into the last day of the program. Call for Proposals : A special issue of Central Asian Survey Offshore Central Asia Edited by John Heathershaw and Alexander Cooley Extended deadline: 15 July (we have 7 papers promised and seek 2-3 more) For the first two decades of independence, most academics and policy analysts have viewed Central Asia as detached from the global economy and the diffusion of globalization trends. The apparent failure of `transition’ has been interpreted by many as providing further evidence of Central Asia’s distance from the world economy and has led to new initiatives to bridge the gap. This is most evident in US State Department’s recent vision of creating a `New Silk Road’ that will increase trade and infrastructure linkages between Afghanistan and the Central Asian states. But this assumption of economic isolation is highly selective and largely inaccurate. Re-orientating our focus away from formal trade flows to the more hidden offshore world and institutions of contemporary finance, we see, in fact, multiple connections between the Central Asian region and the global economy, often via post-Soviet business networks. Whilst this interconnectedness may begin in the financial realm it has economic and political, domestic and international ramifications. Over the past two decades, many Central Asian elites have learned to use global financial institutions and offshore vehicles to split the legal personality of nominally state-controlled assets. They have also laundered money through shell companies and structured side-payments from their dealings with external actors such as foreign militaries, telecommunications companies and energy multinationals. There are an increasingly number of cases that have come before the courts, parliamentary investigations and/or been covered by the foreign press. In post-Soviet Central Asia these include the `Giffen Affair’, Baker Hughes and Kazakhmys cases in Kazakhstan, the Asia Universal Bank and Manas jet fuel contracts in Kyrgyzstan, the National Bank and TALCO cases in Tajikistan, various examples from Turkmenistan’s gas sector and the Teliasonora case in Uzbekistan. However, most of these cases, and many more, have not yet been subject to academic analysis which draws out the broader implications for Central Asia’s economics, politics and international relations. The proposal emerges from a workshop at the Harriman Institute, Columbia University, and a panel at the International Studies Association annual convention in April 2013 including several papers with particular attention to Kyrgyzstan. We invite papers which explore these and other cases from beyond the five Post-Soviet Central Asian states particularly those involving Afghanistan and the Caucasus. Most importantly, we encourage papers which locate examples in their global contexts: from national elites to the international financial institutions who facilitate tax avoidance and transfer pricing; from brokers in Moscow to company service providers in London or Luxembourg; from these offshore vehicles to destination havens in, for example, Cyprus or the British Virgin Islands. The roles of IFIs, brokers and company service providers all warrant attention; shell companies, transfer pricing arrangements and destination havens all need further study. While not all of these nodes and connectors may be studied in a single paper, we seek proposals which embark from an assumption of Central Asia’s connectedness rather than its isolation. We are particularly interested in in-depth single case studies, papers which explore comparative cases, and large-n studies based on innovative methods such as field experiments. We are also interested in inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary studies. Due to the short timeframe for submissions we expect proposals based on research already undertaken. If you would like to be considered for inclusion in the special issue please submit a title and abstract of no more than 300 words by 30 June, 2013, to Dr John Heathershaw, University of Exeter (j.d.heathershaw “at” exeter.ac.uk) and Professor Alexander Cooley, Barnard College / Columbia University (acooley “at” barnard.edu). You will be notified of the success of your application within two weeks of submitting the abstract. Please note that it is possible that you will be asked to amend the abstract to make it conform more closely to the theme of the special issue should the editors feel this is necessary. Final papers of successful applicants must be received by 30 November, 2013, and can expect to be published by summer 2014. They should be approximately 8,000 words in length and conform to the Central Asian Survey style sheet (British spelling, Chicago author-date references, abstract, keywords) which can be consulted at: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?journalCode=ccas20&page=instructions John Heathershaw, University of Exeter
Alexander Cooley, Barnard College / Columbia University Call for Papers:Modernity, Socialism, and the Visual Arts. A six-day ship conference Organization: Kunstarchiv Beeskow and Utrecht University in collaboration with Marlene Heidel, Claudia Jansen, Ursula Lücke and Joes Segal Public debates on Cold-War cultural heritage since the 1990s tend to address the pre-1989 European art world in terms of a clash between Western modernism and Soviet-style socialist realism. However, behind these general concepts one encounters a wide variety of artistic forms and ideas, which more often than not transcend oversimplified politicized distinctions. Especially since the late 1960s, West-European art explored the borders between “art” and “life”, opening itself to various forms of social and political engagement, whereas socialist realism became a highly contested concept in large parts of Eastern Europe, leading many artists away from both realist and socialist assumptions. This rather one-dimensional representations of Cold-War cultural history after the collapse of state socialism provokes a series of fundamental questions. What exactly do we mean by modernism and socialist realism? How do both concepts relate to modernity, and is it possible to speak about socialist modernity? What aspects of Cold War cultural history do we neglect when exclusively focusing on its bipolar character? What concepts would be needed to interpret the pre-1989 European art world in non-exclusive, non-teleological ways? And what could be the role of (material) archives and museums in such a reinterpretation? These are some of the basic questions that will be addressed at a six-day conference starting at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin and on board an archival ship, travelling from Berlin to Gorzów along a number of sites, archives and institutions related to Cold War culture and art history. Apart from offering a unique opportunity for in-depth discussions, the ship conference symbolizes the crossing of both national, disciplinary and temporal borders; it aims at connecting parallel and divergent European histories, addressing (art) historical, philosophical and interdisciplinary issues both on a conceptual and on a practical level, and relating our interpretation of the past to are present concerns and future ideals. It will be organized along seven panels: I. Concepts and Debates
II. Utopias and Artistic Practices
III. Architecture and Urban Planning
IV. Archives and Modernity
V. Gender Roles
VI. Post-Cold War Art Debates
VII. Art after Communism, East and West Panel I: Concepts and Debates
This introductory panel will explore the theoretical, methodological and historiographical issues at stake. How do we define modernism and socialist realism? How do both concepts relate to modernity? What are the cultural implications of the end of the Cold War for both East and West? How do we cope with Cold-War cultural heritage, what does it contribute to our understanding of present-day post-socialist art and culture? Panel II: Utopias and Artistic Practices
Both the socialist East and the liberal-democratic West created their own utopian fantasies, but it would be too simple to neatly divide these respective European dream-worlds into the bipolar world-order of the Cold War, considering that these utopian models were often aimed at transcending borders and dividing lines. This panel will look for parallels and differences between official and non-official utopian models in the art worlds of Eastern and Western Europe, and the specific ways they were put into artistic practice. Of specific interest are parallel developments and cultural exchange across the Iron Curtain. Panel III: Architecture and Urban Planning
Political and social visions found their conceptual and material realization on a more collective level in architecture and city planning. Aim of this panel is to analyze the parallels and differences between plans, blueprints, buildings and urban quarters in East and West, with special regard to representation (power, ideology, social relations) on the one hand and modernity (notions of technological progress, modernist aesthetics, consumer-orientation) on the other. Panel IV: Archives and Modernity
Archives function as storehouses of collective memory. Therefore, the way they are structured is of primary importance not only to our interpretation of the past but also to our understanding of the present. Museums, libraries and archival institutions, far from being “objective”, play an important role in the politics of memory. Based on art in socialism as case study, this panel investigates the specific ways in which these institutions help us to make sense of the past, and how their composition and accessibility may favor specific interpretations. Moreover, it takes a look at the future: Which forms and concepts for archives, including academic and artistic approaches, are conceivable that enable a varied and multidimensional access to the Cold War past? Panel V: Gender Roles
The socialist East and the liberal-democratic West produced certain “role models” or gender roles. Which artistic representations of men and women were connected with the dream-worlds of East and West? How did these representations relate to social reality? What role did they play in challenging both political systems? How were gender roles determined and imposed in East and West, how were they undermined? What was the role of art in transgressing these ideologically defined gender roles, and how did they effectively change over time? Panel VI: Post-Cold War Art Debates
Especially in the German art debates of the 1990s and beyond, two different views of the Cold-War art world struggled for domination: schematically speaking the view that all art produced under socialism was to be interpreted and rejected as cultural expression of an obsolete political ideology; and the view according to which socialist art had created its own more or less independent niche by producing autonomous works or appropriating and re-employing visual traditions to new ends. The vehemence of these debates shows that this was not an academic dispute about the interpretation of a closed past but a discussion addressing central aspects of our collective identity. This panel will discuss the complex relations between art debates and the politics of dealing with the past. In comparative perspective, the art debates of former East- and former West-European countries will be confronted with the German example. Panel VII: Art after Communism, East and West
Finally, it remains to be asked how the end of the Cold War affected the art world in both Eastern and Western Europe, considering that artistic identities could no longer be connected to a bipolar ideological division. Does it still make sense to distinguish between a West-European and an East-European art tradition, or were these traditions already obsolete well before the official collapse of European state socialism? What are the defining characteristics of the post-Cold War art world, according to which dividing lines do new artistic identities take shape? And how do they, in whatever form, relate to the recent past? The conference will start at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin, and continue aboard our conference ship and at stops in Beeskow, Eisenhüttenstadt, Frankfurt/Oder and Gorzów. The ship offers room for 24 conference participants. Conference fee is € 50,- for six days, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Participants will sleep on board the ship in shared cabins (two persons) and should take part during the whole six-day conference. A selection of the conference papers will be published in a special issue of the peer-reviewed, open-access journal International Journal for History, Culture and Modernity (www.history-culture-modernity.com). Researchers, artists and curators are invited to send proposals for a 20 minute presentation to Joes Segal, j.segal “at” uu.nl, before 15 July 2013. The proposal should include title, abstract (maximum 250 words), details of the presenter’s institutional affiliation and a short CV. Please consider that presentations will be in English and aboard the moving conference ship in daylight. The conference is made possible by the generous support of: Kulturförderung Landkreis Oder-Spree/Burg Beeskow; Sparkasse Oder-Spree; Brandenburgische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung, Potsdam; Raiffeisen-Volksbank Oder-Spree eG; Akademie der Künste, Berlin; Universität Utrecht; and Forum Kunstarchiv Beeskow e.V.Kontakt:
Joes Segal
Department of History and Art History
Utrecht University
Drift 6, room 0.20
3512 BS Utrecht
The Netherlands information available: http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/termine/id=22009 CFP:Conceptualizing the Human in Slavic and Eurasian Culture Princeton University, October 18-19, 2013
An Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference
Princeton University Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures Keynote Speaker: Prof. Mikhail Iampolski, NYU Conceptualizing the Human is an interdisciplinary conference dedicated to the changing concept of the human in Slavic and Eurasian culture. While scholars, including Slavicist Mikhail Epstein, have recently devoted much attention to the “crisis in the humanities,” our conference will turn to the many ways in which “the human” has been perceived, re-imagined, interrogated, and critiqued. The 1917 revolution induced a radical re-evaluation of what it meant to be human among Russian intellectuals. In the Soviet Union, writers like Platonov, Bulgakov, and Zamiatin envisioned how the human being might transform itself under changing social conditions. New technologies influenced Gastev’s and Vertov’s close scrutiny of the mechanics of human action. In the first Czechoslovak Republic, Karel Čapek posed the question of what it means to be human in physical and cognitive terms in his science-fiction prose, as well as in terms of ethical judgment and the pursuit of truth in his mid-1930s trilogy. Earlier, thinkers such as Fyodorov, Chernyshevsky, Dostoevsky, and the Decembrists incorporated fantasies or critiques of the “new man” into their thought, while contemporary writers like Sorokin and Pelevin have used images of physical violence to challenge traditional notions of human dignity. In keeping with the wide-ranging possibilities of this topic, we welcome proposals from scholars working in all relevant sub-fields of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, such as literature, anthropology, history, political science, cultural studies, film studies, philosophy, and theology. Paper topics could include, but are not limited to:
− Humans, animals, and the environment
− Humans, machines, cyborgs, and biomechanics
− Encounters with the non-human, e.g., in Stanisław Lem’s Solaris
− The influence of gender on human identity
− The New Soviet Man
− Human development: experiences of childhood
– Central and Eastern European depictions of 20th-century history as narratives of the failure of humanity
− 19th-century philosophies of freedom, individualism, and human dignity
− The problem of the human in Russian religious thought
− Psychiatric narratives of mental illness; the sick body
− Embodiment in the theater; “playing” human onstage
– Deconstructing the human; posthumanism Conference Format
The goal of the conference is to provide graduate students with the chance to present their work to senior scholars in the field and to receive as much constructive feedback as possible. All papers will be made available prior to the conference through the conference website. At the conference each presenter will be given 5-10 minutes to introduce his or her paper, followed by commentary by the panel discussant and open discussion. Submission Details
Submit abstracts (around 300 words) to princeton.slavic.conference[at]gmail.com. In addition, please include your CV, departmental affiliation, email address, and the title of your proposed paper. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2013. We will be able to provide travel subsidies for the conference presenters, as well as lodging for the nights of October 17 and 18. Any questions should be addressed to princeton.slavic.conference[at]gmail.com. Call for articles: a new book project: Caucasus Knot: Strength and Weakness of the Current Affairs For many of you the interest in the Caucasus became a professional choice, so there is no necessity in long explanations on the complexity of the regional affairs and its significance for the world affairs. Our goal is to spread the knowledge about the region and to introduce Caucasus studies for the Latin American readers. The first book of this kind is planned to be published in January 2014 by Universidad Anahuac (Mexico) and to be sent the universities in Latin America and Spain. We invite you to become a contributor to this book. The book will consist of both original articles and recently published (not earlier than 2011) analysing the main tendencies and conflicting points of the Caucasus region, including Turkey. The preliminary content of the book is as follows: Content What is Caucasus in the XXth Century?
Post-Soviet legacy of the region
Is Turkey a part of the Caucasus?
Armenia: enclave in the Caucasus?
Has Georgia become an example for others?
Azerbaijan between oil and democratic development / or Azerbaijan as a new regional leader in the South Caucasus
Role of the external actors in the region
Geopolitics of Caucasus Regional Cooperation Perspectives of the regional cooperation / or – The Caucasus and its Neighborhood
Integration of Transcaucasia / or Regionalism in the South Caucasus
Georgia-Azerbaijan-Turkey triangle
Security Challenges
Unsettled conflicts in Caucasus (South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh)
Armenian-Turkish contradicting relations
Is Northern Caucasus is a security challenge?
Energy Security: Competition, Security, Perspectives / or South Caucasus Energy Transit
Where to go: European Union vs Eurasian Union A view from outside A view from the United States
A view from Russia
European Union approach to Caucasus
A view from Japan
A view from Romania
A view from Mexico The deadline for abstracts submission of the original article and of the full texts of the already published to be considered is the 27th of June 2013. You will be notified on the chapter acceptance by the 5th of July 2014. The deadline for the full original article is the 7th of October 2013.
After this all articles will be translated to Spanish by the Universidad Anahuac translators. Technical requirements:
both abstracts and full articles should be sent in English. Abstract: 300 words. Full article: 4000 words. Harvard reference style. If you have any questions, please, do not hesitate to contact us. Co-editor, Dr. Manuael Ferez (Universidad Anahuac, Mexico) ferezmanuel”at”yahoo.com
Co-editor, Dr. Hanna Shelest (National Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine). annashelest”at”hotmail.com CFP: International Conference “Notion of Culture as a force for Economic Growth, new approach for South Caucasus” September 26-28, 2013, Tbilisi Georgia Culture as a source for economic development is widely recognized in international studies and practice.   The cross-sector nature of culture, close connection to social and economic sectors and its role in stimulation of social, human and economic development is broadly reflected in international agendas, documents and regulations. In this regard the role of creative/cultural industries as a source for job creation and economic growth acquires the growing importance. Although the concept of culture for economic development has been internationally accepted, it is still relatively new approach for the South Caucasus Countries, though the potential of the field is promising. The international conference “Notion of Culture as a Force for Economic Growth; New Approach for South Caucasus”, aims to introduce the notion of “culture economics” for South Caucasus Countries, to share Western professional experience and to raise public awareness on the perspectives of culture-economy integrated approach. The conference topics might concern, but are not limited to such issues as: –          How culture and creative assets can be transformed into the source for South Caucasus Region’s development?
–          What are the ways to encourage creativity and innovation?
–          How heritage resources can be utilized to enhance growth and secure regional livelihood?
–          How and to what extent governmental strategies and cultural policy can be modified to support culture for economy?
–          Which industries could be potential driving force for South Caucasus Countries?
–          Where do we see the role of Cultural entrepreneurs?
–          What is, or could be the role of crafts in creative economy?
–          What do we need to make crafts a vibrant industry? The conference will include five sessions:
1. Creativity and Innovation as an impetus for development
2. Traditions and Cultural Heritage as a source for development
3. Creative/Cultural Industries and their Economic Potential
4. Cultural Policies towards Economic Development
5. The Role of Crafts in Creative Economy
The internationally recognized experts of the field will lead the sessions. The conference welcomes contributions both from relevant theoretical and practice-based perspectives, including applicable successful stories or case studies. The conference will be followed by the publication of proceedings. Conference Language: English and Russian Application process and dates: For participation please send short CV and abstract (maximum 300 words) to ano “at” gaccgeorgia. org. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is June 15, 2013 The selected candidates will be contacted by late June 2013 Organizers will cover speakers’ participation fee including: Welcome reception, coffee breaks & lunch during the conference, closing event, entry to the proceedings and 2 copies of publication (except shipping costs). Organizers:
International Conference will be held in the framework of EU Eastern Partnership Culture Programme’s project “Strengthening Creative Industries in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Heritage Crafts – Common Platform for Development”. Project Leading Partner: Georgian Arts and Culture Center; Project Partners: Economic Affairs Office Tbilisi City Hall, Georgian National Tourism Administration, Europe House, Arkanel (Armenia), Ekosfera (Azerbaijan) Supporters: Ministry of Culture and Monuments Protection of Georgia, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. Conference Co-organizers: Tbilisi State Academy of Arts The joint Show-Contest of South Caucasus Crafts will be held in the framework of the conference with the aim to encourage innovative approaches to craft production. The professional Jury will award most innovative and market-oriented products. For further information please contact:
Ana Shanshiashvili, ano “at” gaccgeorgia. org or Irina Mania irina “at” gaccgeorgia. org Georgian Arts and Culture Centre
Address:7 Niko-Nikoladze str. 0108, Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel: (+995 32) 2931335, www.geccgeorgia.org CFP: Workshop ‘Dropping out of Socialism’ We are calling for proposals for articles relating to subcultures, drop-outs and the underground in late socialist societies. Any group and any time period between 1956 and 1991 will be considered. The workshop and subsequent publication of articles in a special journal issue is part of the AHRC sponsored project ‘Dropping out of Socialism’, which examines a variety of drop-out cultures in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. We are planning to hold a workshop in Bristol, UK in the spring of 2014, when authors present their articles for discussion. A final manuscript will be expected by the summer of 2014. Please send a short proposal (max 500 words) and a CV to josie.mclellan “at” bristol. ac. uk by 1 June 2013. For further questions please consult our webpage or contact juliane.furst “at” bristol. ac. uk. CFP: Workshop and publication: ‘Dropping out of Socialism’: Alternative Cultures in the Soviet Bloc, 1956-1991 http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/research/dropping-out/events/conference/ Much emphasis has been placed in recent years on questions of conformity and everyday ordinariness in socialist societies. This project aims to look at increasingly forgotten elements in these societies: those who did not conform, did not live the ordinary life, yet were also part of the late socialist everyday. Ranging from teddy boys, hippies and punks to non-conformist artists, Buddhists, yoga teachers or lesbian and gay communities, the list of ‘drop-outs’ is long and varied, yet in danger of being buried by histories that left better documentation and more archival traces. We intend to write these individuals and groups into the newly emerging history of late socialism and examine both their internal functioning as well as their complex relationship with mainstream society and socialistauthorities. Was it possible to drop out from socialist society? How far could one distance oneself from the realties of late socialist life? What does the existence of alternative cultures and their daily practices say about the last three decades of socialism in Europe? Did they hasten its decline – or were they indeed a factor in its longevity? We are calling for proposals for articles relating to subcultures, drop-outs and the underground in late socialist societies. Any group and any time period between 1956 and 1991 will be considered. The workshop and subsequent publication of articles in a special journal issue is part of the AHRC sponsored project ‘Dropping out of Socialism’, which examines a variety of drop-out cultures in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. We are planning to hold a workshop in Bristol, UK in the spring of 2014, when authors present their articles for discussion. A final manuscript will be expected by the summer of 2014. Please send a short proposal (max 500 words) and a CV to josie.mclellan “at” bristol. ac. uk by 1 June 2013. For further questions please consult our webpage or contact juliane.furst “at” bristol.ac. uk 2nd Alumni Education Forum “Reforming Azerbaijan’s Education System: Challenges and Policy Solutions” June 20, 2013, Baku, Azerbaijan Organizers: US-Educated Azerbaijan Alumni Association (AAA), Center for Innovations in Education (CIE), and American Center of the Azerbaijan University of Languages Location: The Baku American Center of the University of Languages, located at 60 Rashid Behbudov Street. The conference will run from 9:30 to 13:00. Deadline for submitting abstracts: May 12, 2013 Deadline for submitting full papers: June 7, 2013 Working languages of the conference: Azerbaijani On behalf of the organizers – AAA, Center for Innovations in Education and Baku American Center, we would like to invite you to the 2nd Alumni Education Forum to submit your academic papers addressing educational issues important for Azerbaijan’s educational reform for 2030. Continue Reading: http://www.scribd.com/doc/139400687/Call-for-Proposals-for-2nd-Alumni-Education-Forum-%E2%80%9CReforming-Azerbaijan%E2%80%99s-Education-System-Challenges-and-Policy-Solutions%E2%80%9D or https://www.facebook.com/notes/aaa-the-us-educated-azerbaijani-alumni-association/2nd-alumni-education-forum-reforming-azerbaijans-education-system-challenges-and/305044192962217 CFP: Informal Practices and Structures in Eastern Europe and Central Asia 21 – 23 November 2013, University of Fribourg, Switzerland Submission Deadline : 2 May 2013 The Academic Swiss Caucasus Net (ASCN), in cooperation with the Regional Research Promotion Program (RRPP) and the Interfaculty Institute for Central and Eastern Europe at the University of Fribourg (IICEE), with support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), is pleased to organise an international conference on Informal Practices and Structures in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to take place at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) on 21-23 November 2013. The conference offers a forum for the presentation and discussion of on-going research projects. It will consist of thematic panels, roundtables and keynote speeches bringing together researchers from various disciplines. Content Informality has become, without any doubt, a fashionable topic of research. The amount of literature on informal practices and networks in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has increased rapidly, producing useful empirically-based research material. The growing interest in this topic may be partly explained by the fact that in many Eastern European and Central Asian countries the democratisation process is hindered by many different forms of informal power networks. One may even conclude that informality is part of the governance mode of all more or less soft variants of authoritarian regimes. Furthermore, it seems obvious that personalised governance networks are not really structures supporting democracy and rule of law; on the contrary, they undermine them. There are many contemporary studies on informal institutions revealing the persistence and perverse effects of such informal structures. The economic crisis, however, particularly in Southern Europe, has again shown the extent to which clientelist networks are co-responsible for the political, economic and financial crises in the region; in addition to the populist movements riding on the waves of wide spread distrust between political elites and the population at large. However, it would be erroneous to insist only on the negative effects of informal practices. On the one hand, informal power networks for political elites should be distinguished from practices and networks at the level of ‘everyday citizen behaviour’, wherein they retain a different meaning (“to get things done”). On the other hand, there is the truism and sociologically-speaking fact that no organisation or democratic state can avoid informal practices which derive their meaning with regard to any sort of formal rule. The meaning of these relations, between the informal and the formal, changes depending on specific contexts. Informality, at the political elite level in post-Soviet countries, is certainly different from informal practices and governance in ‘rule of law’-based democracies with specific procedures utilised to handle them. Objectives of the conference The conference aims to identify and compare forms, functions and meanings of informal structures and practices in Eastern Europe and Central Asia under the following topics: politics, law, economy, education or, more generally, society. In this sense it will be focused on the dialogue between different disciplines and perspectives with regard to informality. This will be one of the first and largest international conferences focussing on informal structures and practices in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in a multidisciplinary perspective, covering the problem of informality in different social systems and contexts. It will cover forms of informality in politics (informal governance, networks of power, clientelism, corruption, etc.), the economy (shadow economies, informal labour markets, etc.), migration, education or other social practices in society within focus of anthropologists and sociologists. The conference will ask for the definition of fields or contexts that demonstrate the certain forms of informality that are more peculiar, persistent or typical for certain regions in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, for example that of the post-Soviet context. To what extent can they be considered transitional or a structural phenomenon in Eastern Europe and Central Asia? What are the social effects of certain practices? And to what extent are informal structures in Eastern Europe and Central Asia different from those in established democracies? Call for Papers Deadline: 2 May 2013 Eligibility: The call for papers is open to PhD students and recent PhD graduates (2008 or later) dealing with the conference topic in their research activities. The topics may be addressed from a political science, sociological, anthropological or economic perspective. Geographic Area: Submitted papers must focus empirically and/or theoretically on the countries and regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, i.e., the new EU member states of Central- and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the (non-Baltic) Post-Soviet countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Moldova, Southern Caucasus or Central Asia). Topics Papers should cover one or several of the following themes or fields of research related to informal practices or institutions. They should focus on the interplay between formal and informal institutions or practise. In addition, they should focus on concrete cases or the identification of specific forms of informal practices and institutions. Papers handling specific forms of informal practices, such as clientelism or corruption, should discuss their topic in the framework of the formal / informal distinctions. · Informality and Politics: Informal institutions vs. formal institutions in politics, informal practices and structures at governmental levels, parliaments, political parties, state bureaucracies and, more generally, at the level of political and economic elites. · Informality, Society and Culture: Informality and cultural diversity, informal practices in multi-ethnic societies, minority-related informal practices. · Informality and Economy: Shadow or parallel economies, informality in labour markets, etc. · Informality and Law: Informal practices in legislation and judiciary processes, the problem of ‘rule of law’. · Informality in Other Fields and Social Systems: Migration-related informality, informality in education and health systems, informality in civil society, the Church and its organisations. · Transversal Topics: Certain transversal topics are present in the aforementioned themes above. They are particularly important in the context of this conference: Informal governance, power networks, corruption, clientelism, patrimonialism, criminal networks and “post-socialist informality”, i.e., the continuity or discontinuity of informal practices from the socialist period. Moreover, we also welcome papers approaching these topics with both theoretical and methodological aspects of informal practices and institutions in Eastern Europe. The selected candidates will have the opportunity to present and discuss their paper in a thematic panel. Submission Instructions All interested scholars are requested to submit an abstract (no more than 300 words) of their paper together with a short biographical statement (including author, affiliation, postal address, phone number and e-mail address) and a one-page C.V. Submissions must be sent no later than 2 May2013 to info “at” ascn. ch and jan.kreuels “at” ascn. ch with the following email subject: ASCN Informality Conference 2013. All documents must be in English and merged into a single PDF file. The selection process results will be announced by mid-June 2013. Selected candidates will then be invited to submit full papers (up to 5,000 words) by the end of October 2013. After the conference, participants will be invited to submit a revised definitive version of their contribution. The best papers will be published in a volume dedicated to the conference proceedings. Best Paper Reward The best paper will be rewarded with a prize during the conference. Venue, Accommodation and Transport The conference will take place at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. The organisers will cover travel and accommodation expenses for all selected participants. Opportunities for co-financing will arise should the travel costs in individual cases exceed the average expenses per participant attending the conference. Participants will be located in hotels close to the conference venue. The selected participants will be informed about the programme, specific conference panels and the format of the paper to submit, as well as organisational details, in due time. Timeline · Application Deadline: 2 May 2013 · Abstract Selection: mid-June 2013 · Paper Submission: End of October 2013 · Online Publication of Papers on the Conference Website: 7 November 2013 · Conference: 21-23 November 2013 Organisers Prof. Nicolas Hayoz, Director of ASCN, Director of the Interfaculty Institute for Central and Eastern Europe, Department of Social Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Contact: nicolas.hayoz “at” unifr. ch Prof. Christian Giordano, Chair of Anthropology, Department of Social Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Contact: christian.giordano “at” unifr. ch Denis Dafflon, ASCN Programme Manager, Department of Social Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Contact: denis.dafflon “at” unifr. ch Website:www.ascn.ch à”Events” section Further Questions:info “at” ascn. ch About ASCN ASCN is a programme aimed at promoting the social sciences and humanities in the South Caucasus (primarily Georgia and Armenia). Its different activities foster the emergence of a new generation of talented scholars. Promising junior researchers receive support through research projects, capacity-building trainings and scholarships. The programme emphasizes the advancement of individuals who, thanks to their ASCN experience, become better integrated in international academic networks. The ASCN programme is coordinated and operated by the Interfaculty Institute for Central and Eastern Europe (IICEE) at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). It is initiated and supported by Gebert Rüf Stiftung. CFP: 2013 annual theme: Freedom and Empire: Dialectics of Diversity and Homogeneity in Complex Societies www.abimperio.net
International Quarterly on the Studies of New Imperial History and Nationalism in the Post-Soviet Space № 1/2013 How Do We Understand Freedom Today? Free Interpretations and Predetermined Models Freedom and liberty ● dialectics of freedom and sovereignty ● “natural rights” and the problem of their defense and maintenance ● “anarchy is the mother of order” ● does the class-based approach have a future? ● are human rights contrary to freedom? ● “hierarchy of freedoms”: paradoxes of emancipation movements and decolonization ● whose freedom? ● “progressors”: can freedom be imposed? ● imperial liberties and modern conceptions of freedom ● body as the space of freedom and object of freedom and bondage ● phenomenon and concept of legal pluralism ● imperial law and imperial rights ● common law and modernization of legal discourses ● “for our freedom and yours!”: national and imperial emancipation movements ● concepts of autonomy and federalism in colonial and continental empires ● concept of historical justice and its connection to the right for autonomy and for a sovereign state ● Siberian oblastnichestvo yesterday and today ● Cossack concepts of self-government and invention of the Cossack tradition in the early twentieth century ● modern citizenship and imperial subjecthood ● historical precedents of multiculturalism ● twentieth-century humanitarian interventions and new post–Cold War world order. № 2/2013 Freedom and Order: Interpreters and Intermediaries – Entrepreneurs of Groupness Subjects of freedom ● concepts of freedom and privileges in empire and nation ● freedom as the new order: democracy or nationalism? ● unrecognized freedom and invented traditions of liberty: regional and corporate regimes of self-government and democracy from the moment of incorporation into empire to the invention of traditions in the era of mass national movement and politics ● imperial “peoples–intermediaries” ● authoritarian tendencies of emancipator messianism from Slavophilism to communism ● comparative history of political representation and constitutionalism in land-based empires: Russian parliament of the early twentieth century, Ottoman parliament of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries ● Russian revolutionaries and projects of revolutionary nation ● Mensheviks are for spontaneity, Bolsheviks are for discipline? – rethinking the old model ● pogrom and Aktion: the other side of emancipation? ● is there diversity under socialism? gradient of freedom: thawing out of the Soviet regime ● freedom to be a nation under socialism ● Soviet dissidents ● politics of childhood: pedagogy as a guardian of group identity. № 3/2013 Freedom as an Object of Intellectual Import and Export: Lost in Translation, Found in Translation Translatability and untranslatability of languages of self-description: how to recognize freedom? ● translatio imperii and hegemony as a problem of translation ● interpreters in the system of administration and foreign policy of Muscovy and the Russian Empire ● a breath of freedom: the school of Soviet literary translation ● emancipation and kulturtraegershaft: projects of translation into and from languages of the peoples of the USSR ● misusing the right to groupness: ethnic conflict as a Soviet invention ● translation of historical knowledge into politics and administration ● post-imperial reinventions of groupness and collective identities ● languages of codification as politics of translation of legal traditions ● translating and mediating urban spaces ● education: disciplinary practices of shaping freedom of thought ● transfer of educational models into Russia ● subtexts of emancipation and discrimination: politics of gender in education ● alternative forms of socialization and politics of (self)education ● private schools and universities in late imperial Russia ● Soviet education: site of modernization, indoctrination, or social engineering? ● did Russia have colonial institutes? ● imperial subalterns as products of educational systems: unification of subjugation and protest ● exile as a laboratory of imperial knowledge ● postcolonial and post-imperial knowledge: emancipation, freedom of manipulations, violence. № 4/2013 Emancipation of Researchers Through the Decentralization of Normative Models: Reciprocal Comparisons Academic freedom today: institutional mechanisms and cultural norms of stimulating and limiting scholarly research ● innovation or trickstering? recognizing innovation in the humanities ● freedom from stereotypes: the principle of historicism and method of estrangement from historical experience ● comparative history of key social and political conceptions ● modernity beyond Eurocentrism ● hierarchies in the production of knowledge ● reciprocal comparison: circulation of knowledge and interwoven institutions and practices in historical dynamics ● instrumentality of translation for comparative history ● historians after postmodernity ● deterritorialization of analytical models ● decentralization of narrative without “toxic relativism” ● new horizons, conceptual traps and dead ends of normalizing the exceptionalism of historical experience. Permanent Sections:
Theory and Methodology ■ History ■ Archive ■ Sociology, Anthropology & Political Science ■ ABC: Empire & Nationalism Studies ■ Newest Mythologies ■ Historiography and Book Reviews. For subscription please contact our authorized commercial distributors: www.amazon.com, East View Publications, EBSCO, and KUBON & SAGNER Buchexport-Import. CFP: “Biodiversity and wildlife conservation ecological issues” Dedicated to the 70th anniversary of National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia May 3-5, 2013 Young scientists, lecturers, students from institutional and educational organizations and young workers from governmental and non-governmental organizations are invited to participate at the upcoming conference. Participants should not be older than 35 years old. Proposals can be submitted for plenary, oral or poster presentations. Conference participation – in-person and virtual. Working languages of the conference – Armenian, Russian, English. Accepted papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings including the assignment of codes ISBN, UDC and BBK, distribution to libraries, registration in the Armenian Book Chamber. CONFERENCE THEMES Biodiversity and conservation of flora and fauna. Species, communities and ecosystems.
Diversity and conservation of animals and plants. ex-situ and in-situ biodiversity conservation issues.
Climate change impact on ecosystems.
Legal and economic basics of nature use and protection. For more: http://armscoop.com/?p=15066 Call for Papers: Interdisciplinary conference, May 23-24, 2013 Modernity Junctures: Post-Socialist Institutions, Subjectivities, and Discourses in Comparative Perspective After the collapse of the Soviet bloc, scholars in social sciences applied a range of concepts in their attempt to describe the emergent social and political reality. However, twenty years after, it becomes clear that neither temporal categories, such as post-Soviet and post-socialist, nor the references to global phenomena, i.e. capitalism, can advance our understanding of these societies. The processes marking the beginning of the twenty first century require new theoretical frameworks, which would be capable of maintaining both universalist and particularistic research standpoints. These new frameworks would allow for explicating constitutive tensions among the political aspirations (political modernity as emancipation project), the economic realities of production and distribution (economic modernity as capitalism), and the human subjects who struggle to make sense of radically changing life worlds (cultural modernity). A theoretical framework of “social modernity,” propounded in recent studies focuses less on traditional “teleological notions” and addresses the actual heterogeneity of social fabric, woven of many, often contrasted, threads. The present day realities of post-socialism are regarded as a paradoxical configuration of neoliberal and socialist orders, where mechanisms of market regulation concur with the invasive methods of state control, and the state’s favoring of the interests of selected corporations is accompanied with the rhetoric of welfare state. The “post-soviet social” can be understood, then, as an “assemblage” of historically diverse regimes of governmentality, economic models, institutions, public discourses and subjectivities. The conference “Modernity Junctures: Post-Socialist Institutions, Subjectivities, and Discourses in Comparative Perspective” aims to explore the imbrications and overlaps of various models of post-socialist modernities through diverse research strategies and within a broad set of cross-cultural, cross-temporal, and cross-regional comparisons. The organizers encourage a multidisciplinary approach to the topic in East European and Eurasian contexts and welcome submissions from such diverse fields as philosophy, anthropology, sociology, political science, cultural studies, international relations, and others. Conference topics.
Contributions related, but not limited, to the following topics of interest are expected:
1. Political forms of modernity and changing types of legitimacy within contemporary post-socialist contexts;
2. The categories of classical political modernity (human rights, autonomy, sovereignty, democracy, public sphere, ideologies) vs. postmodern politics (consumer politics, etc.);
3. New class-formation (precariatization), socio-political movements, protests (oppositional and anti-oppositional), and class struggle;
4. The changing regimes of governmentality and biopolitics: life reproduction in the context of marketization of post-socialist welfare;
5. Urban assemblages: contingencies and ruptures in urban spaces, practices and imagination;
6. Discursive practices and subjectivity production: self-responsibilization practices, alternative cultural practices, new media, blogging, literary and visual art representations, etc. The plenary presentations and outstanding presentations by participants will be published in the Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology (St. Petersburg, Russia) Conference languages: English, Russian Keynote speakers will include:
Professor Don Kalb (Central European University, Hungary)
Professor Maxim Khomyakov (Ural Federal University, Russia)
Professor Mark Lipovetsky (Leiderman) (University of Colorado, Boulder, USA)
Professor Elena Trubina (Ural Federal University, Russia) Application requirements:
Please, submit a 300-word abstract (in English or Russian) by March 18 to the following e-mail address: isps.politphilos “at” gmail. com. The submissions should include the speaker’s name, place of work and position, as well as the contact address, phone number, e-mail and the title of the proposed paper. Those selected to give presentations at the conference will be contacted by March 31. CFP: International Academic Conference on Agricultural Knowledge and Knowledge Systems in post-Soviet Societies September 12 – 13, 2013 Bonn, Germany
Call for papers: Please send your abstract – no longer than 300 words – until February 15, 2013 to shtaltov[at]uni-bonn[.]de. http://www.zef.de/index.php?id=1966 Background
Agriculture in the post-Soviet states of Central Asia and the Caucasus continues to be of central importance for securing individual livelihoods in the region. At present, the agricultural sector employs about half of the region’s workforce; a high percentage of the population lives in rural areas. Total revenues from agriculture in the region count between one quarter and one third of annual national GDPs. However, the development of the agrarian sector is very heterogeneous. Despite constant economic growth of the sector, overall production of staple crops is often not sufficient to satisfy national needs with high poverty levels especially in the rural areas. Furthermore, the newly formed states of Central Asia and Caucasus are undergoing rapid socio-economic processes of transformation and agriculture appears in many ways half-way between collective production soviet style and new forms of individual farming. Here, knowledge generation and the development of locally adapted, agricultural innovations, which match the legal and financial possibilities of local farmers to innovate is crucial. For guaranteeing adaptability, these ideas for improving agricultural practices and ‘innovations’ have to be developed locally, embedded in present cultures of knowledge production and diffused through local networks and channels of knowledge sharing. External and global knowledge can stimulate these processes positively, but depending on local governance practices. This forms the focus of the here announced conference: While on the one side new ideas, ways of doing things and thus innovations have to match the ‘windows of opportunity’ of local farmers to actually make sense and be adopted, it is on the other side this legal, financial and socio-political structure that has to be adjusted to successfully foster local creativity development. And third, discussions on developing existing agricultural service systems further in order to fill the needs of increasingly (semi-)privatized farmers are drawing on both of these concerns. Agricultural knowledge, which may be grasped as everything what is considered useful for agricultural production, its production and diffusion, is heavily entangled with local governance processes. The term ‘governance’ refers not only to governmental structures; it embraces also local institutions and processes. Governance may be understood as reciprocal process, that refers to detectable structures (as institutions, networks, hierarchies etc.) and deal with processes of interaction among various structures, which eventually entail decisions and its implementation. Conference Themes
1. Cultures of knowledge production and sharing in agriculture: How can local epistemic cultures determining the character of the agricultural knowledge systems be assessed and what do they look like? Who are the actors and structures of agriculturally oriented knowledge and innovation development as well as the local channels of innovation diffusion?
2. Local governance arrangements and knowledge production: How is the local production of knowledge, its share and use influenced and stimulated by overall factors, as state legislation, economic incentives or social arrangements? What determines the status of knowledge in a rural community, assuming that knowledge is constantly being shaped and at the same time shaping peoples behavior? How do governance arrangements – including the governance of natural resources of e.g. land and water – enable and constrain the development, mobilization and adaptation of knowledge?
3. Agricultural advisory service development: We wish to analyze the present situation of agricultural advisory services development by examining the role of knowledge in current agricultural production. Do farmers/ farming systems e.g. lack certain types of knowledge, while actively (re-)producing and disseminating others? What prevents them from accessing and using knowledge? Who are the main knowledge providers to farmers during the transition process? What enables and constrains the use of agricultural advisory support services for improved agricultural production? We would like to bring together participants with different disciplinary backgrounds to present empirical and theoretical research papers on the issues of knowledge, innovations, extension, agricultural advisory services and the interfaces of knowledge and governance, as well as agricultural politics towards knowledge creation and dissemination for farmers in Central Asian and Caucasian societies. The conference is organized in close collaboration of two research projects implemented by the Center for Development Research, University of Bonn. The first project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, investigates ‘Epistemic Cultures and Innovation Diffusion in post‐soviet Southern Caucasus and Central Asia. Pilot Study: Agricultural Knowledge Systems in Georgia and Tajikistan’. The second project supported by Volkswagen Foundation, looks at ‘Conversion of Knowledge in Post‐soviet Agriculture: The Impact of Local Governance on the Knowledge Management of Agricultural Actors in Tajikistan’. We are looking forward to receive abstracts – no longer than 300 words – until February 15, 2013. Please email Anastasiya Shtaltovna (shtaltov[at]uni-bonn[.]de), Center for Development Research (ZEF), including the author’s affiliation and contact details. Conference language will be English. Travel grants for scholars from post-Soviet countries can be provided to a limited degree.

Call for Papers from 2018 and before

Entangled Encounters: Antiquity and Modernity in Armenian Studies

Visby Programme Scholarships for PhD studies and postdoctoral research

The conference dedicated to the 130th Anniversary of Shalva Nutsubidze

Workshop on Academic Writing and Publishing in the New Digital Environment

CfP: VI International Scientific Conference “Space, Society, Politics”

CfP: The Black Sea as Multi-Cultural Space – Pontus Euxinus

CFP: The 6th CRRC Methodological Conference – How Evidence-based Urban Policy Can Make Cities Inclusive, Just, and Livable

CFP: The Caucasus and Central Asia in Conversation: The Importance of Stories and Archives from the Soviet and Post-Soviet Periphery

CFP: 50th Annual ASEEES ConventionConvention Theme: Performance

CFP: “Reflecting on Nation-Statehood in Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia” Tartu Conference on Russian and East European Studies

CFP: The BirchUndergraduate Journal of Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies

“Divided over European Values? Normative Cleavages in the South Caucasus and the Impact of the EU – Russia – Turkey Value Discourse”

CFP: European and Eurasian Undergraduate Research Symposium

CFP: Midwest Slavic Conference

The state of the art: the anthropology of art and the anthropology of the state

Caucasus Survey: Caucasus Barometer Research Pre-Acceptance Special IssueDeadline extended to December 31, 2017!

CFP: Linguistic and Literary Studies on the Caucasus

CFP: Con-CALL “Continuing the Journey: Strengthening the Central Asian Language Community”

CFP: International Interdisciplinary Symposium In Honor of Ilia Chavchavadze

CfP: 16th Annual Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies

CFP: “The Caspian Sea in the History of Early Modern and Modern Eurasia”

CFP 1917: Revolution, Resistance and Radicalism in the Atlantic

CFP: “Transmitting Western Armenian to the Next Generation”

CFP: Legacy of the Russian Revolution

Call for 2017-2018 Václav Havel Journalism Fellowship

CFP: The Fifth Eurasian Archaeology Conference: “Gods on the Grasslands, Myths in the Mountains”

CfP: Civic Education and Practices of Democracy in Post-Soviet Countries

CfP: International Conference on “Religion and the Legacy of the Soviet State: A 25-year Retrospective”

CfP for II issue of the Online Journal of Humanities (OJH)

CfP for International Conference on “UN Based Global Approach to Migration and its Implication for Georgia’s Migration Policy”

Call for Abstracts and Workshop Proposals: “Policy Analysis in the South Caucasus: In Search of Methodological Innovation”

The Fifth Eurasian Archaeology Conference: “Gods on the Grasslands, Myths in the Mountains”

CFP: Central Eurasian Studies Society Annual Conference

49th ASEEES Annual Convention Call for Proposals

1st International Forum of the Caucasus Studies scholars

CFP: Midwest Slavic Conference

CFP: 2017 Southern Conference on Slavic Studies

The Ins and Outs of Socialism: Visions and Experiences of Urban Change in the Second World

Calls for Applications: Innovate Armenia: The Retreat in Hollywood, CA

Call for PapersGender and Sexuality in Armenian StudiesEighth Annual International Graduate Student Workshop

CfP: TEMPUS-PICASA conference at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

CFP: Trajectories Of October 1917 : Origins, Reverberations And Models Of Revolution, 19-21 October 2017

CfP Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture (ASEC), March 10-11, 2017

The 2017 Annual Soyuz Symposium: Call for Papers. Embracing Confusion and Questioning Clarity: on Matters of Method in Postsocialist Studies

End of Transition – Shifting Focus A Quarter Century After the Soviet Collapse: Call for Conference Papers and Announcement of Research Support

CfP: „Recent Migratory Processes and Europe: Challenges and Opportunities“

CfP for Summer School on “Oral History: Recording Georgia’s Past and Training Scholars for the Future”

CfP: International conference: “European Values and Identity: Multiple Dimensions of Europeanization”

CfP: II international scientific conference “Politics around Caucasus”

CfP: 4th International Conference “Tao-Klarjeti”

Call for Entries: The Third Ethnographic Film and Media Program of the Middle East and Central Eurasia of EASA

Call for International Conference: Anthim Iverianul and European Enlightenment:Texts and Contexts

CfP: International conference dedicated to the 400TH anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death

Call for Papers: Liberal-Illiberal-Internationalisms: New Paradigms for the History of the Twentieth Century

CfP: Ceres Postdoctoral Fellowship

Patriotic (Non) Consumption: Food, Fashion and Media

Call for Abstracts: Research for Development in the South Caucasus: Discussing Methodological Innovations

The 7th International Symposium on Kartvelian Studies

CFP: Peace & Conflict in the South Caucasus Program

Call for Papers: 2016 ASEEES Convention

Call for Papers: Graduate Student Conference in Slavic Studies

Call for papers: “Transnational Flows in the Eurasian Space”

Call for papers: Anti-Communist Persecutions in the 20th century

Call for Papers: The national in everyday life. Identity and nation­-building in post­-socialist spaces

Extended CFP: Individuals and Institutions in Europe and Eurasia

Call for Papers: Undergraduate Research Symposium

Call for Papers: Midwest Slavic Conference 2016

Call for Papers: Ninth Annual OSU/IU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Conference April 22-23, 2016

Call for Applications: Course Development Stipends for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia

Center for Slavic and East European Studies

Call for Applications: Funded Fellowships at the Davis Center, Harvard University

CFP: 1st Eurasia-Latin America International Conference

Call for Applications – UCIS Postdoctoral Fellowships

CFP – 14th International Postgraduate Conference on Central and Eastern Europe London, SSEES UCL | 20-21 February 2016

CFP – International and IARCEES Conference: Individuals and Institutions in Europe and Eurasia

CFP: Human Rights after 1945 in the Socialist and Post-Socialist World

CFP: Religion and Magic in Socialist and Post-socialist Contexts

Rethinking Methodologies for Armenian Studies

Call for Papers: 34th Millersville University Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide

CFP: 50th Annual ASEEES Convention
Convention Theme: Performance

CFP: “Reflecting on Nation-Statehood in Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia”
Tartu Conference on Russian and East European Studies

CFP: The Birch
Undergraduate Journal of Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies

Caucasus Survey: Caucasus Barometer Research Pre-Acceptance Special Issue
Deadline extended to December 31, 2017!

Call for Abstracts and Workshop Proposals:
“Policy Analysis in the South Caucasus: In Search of Methodological Innovation”

49^th ASEEES Annual Convention Call for Proposals

Call for Papers
Gender and Sexuality in Armenian Studies
Eighth Annual International Graduate Student Workshop

Call for Papers: The national in everyday life. Identity and nation-building in post-socialist spaces

Call for Papers: Ninth Annual OSU/IU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Conference
April 22-23, 2016