BRAMA, November 17, 2000, 10:00am EST

ASN 6th Annual World Convention
International Affairs Building,
Columbia University, NY
Sponsored by the Harriman Institute and the Watson Institute
5-7 April 2001

***100 panels on the Balkans, Central Europe, Baltics, Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Central Asia, Turkey, China, Ethnic Violence, Conflict Resolution, Nationalism Theory***

Deadline for proposals: 7 December 2000

The Annual World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities (ASN) has become the most attended international scholarly gathering dealing with issues of national identity, nationalism, ethnic conflict and state-building in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Central Asia, and adjacent areas. The Convention continued its impressive growth in 2000 with a record 600+ attendees and 100 panels. More than a hundred participants travelled from overseas for the event, particularly, but not exclusively, from Western and Eastern Europe. Panelists' disciplines included political science, history, anthropology, sociology, economics, geography, and sociolinguistics.

***The central theme of the 2001 Convention-"NATION-MAKING, PAST AND PRESENT: COMMUNITY, ECONOMY, SECURITY"- addresses the interface of identity politics with economic issues and security/foreign policy concerns, either in the past or in contemporary developments*** The ASN World Convention's yearly theme specifically refers to a core number of panels. Since the Convention is far larger in scope than a thematic conference, we invite, as in previous years, proposals on a wide range of topics related to identity, nationalism, conflict and nation-building in Central Europe, the Balkans, Russia, Ukraine, Baltics, Caucasus, Central Asia, and adjacent areas.

Proposals can focus on particular cases, theoretical questions, or cross-regional comparison. Papers or panels comparing cases of the post-Communist world with cases from other regions of the world are encouraged. Due to continuing instability in the Caucasus and the Balkans, proposals dealing with these areas are particularly solicited. Unlike most conventions, ASN accepts individual paper proposals, although full panel proposals have a greater chance of being accepted, due to space constraints.

Panel and paper themes in the April 2000 Convention have included:
Prospects for Democracy in Kazakhstan
Towards a Greater Mongolia?
Turkey: Nationalism, Securalism, and Identity
Preventing Conflict in the Ferghana Valley
The Russian-Chechen War(s)
Dagestan in Comparative Perspective
Hans Kohn Revisited
Ukraine: Forging the Nation
Approaches to the Prevention of Ethnic Conflict
Language and Identity in the Baltic States
Conflict and Identity in Russian Foreign Policy
Language Laws: Nation-Building, Ethnic Containment or Diversity Management?
Nationalism Beyond (Balkan) Narratives: Sociological Perspectives
Ethnicity and Regionalism in Siberia
Borderland Ideologies and Identities (Poland/Belarus/Ukraine)
What Is European Identity?
Civil Society, Identity and the Family in Romania and Poland

and many more. The ASN web site (http://asn.uno.edu) contains a complete list of the 2000 panels.

Videos/Films. The 2000 Convention was enhanced by the highly successful screening of short videos (10-15 minutes), accompanying presentations in regular panels, as well as medium- and full-length documentaries or feature films in video format, shown as special screenings followed by a general discussion. The British documentaries The Valley, on Kosovo, and A Cry from the Grave, on Serbenica, were some of the highlights of the 2000 Program. For 2001, proposals partly or entirely revolving around video, film, or audio-visual material (including slides and power point presentations) are strongly encouraged.

Panel/Roundtable/Roundtable Proposals. There is no particular application form to fill out. The vast majority of proposals were e-mailed to the Program Chair last year, but proposals sent by fax or regular mail are also accepted. Individual paper proposals must contain a 200-500 word abstract, full coordinates and a short bio. Panel proposals must include a maximum of three papers, a chair, a discussant, the title of all papers and of the panel, full coordinates and short bios for all participants. Roundtables, which do not necessitate a written paper, are also considered. All proposals must be sent to the Program Chair, Dominique Arel (address below).

Registration. Registration fees are $40 for ASN Members, $60 for Non-Members ($30 for East European Non-Members) and $25 for Students. Pre-registration by panel participants and attendees can be done electronically, by fax, or by regular mail. A registration form can be downloaded from our ASN web page (http://asn.uno.edu), or be requested from Gordon Bardos (address below).

Funding. Participants are responsible for seeking their own funds to cover all travel and accommodation costs. ASN is unfortunately unable to assist participants financially, including applicants from Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Central Asia.

Accommodation. The Convention does not have particular arrangements with hotels. Our ASN web site (http://asn.uno.edu), however, provides a list of several hotels, in various price ranges.

Advertisements/Exhibitors. Several dozen publishers and companies had exhibits and/or advertised in the Convention Program in 2000. For information, please contact the Convention Director Gordon Bardos (address below).

Membership Subscription to ASN. A yearly membership to ASN is $50, and $30 for students. Members receive the journal Nationalities Papers (four times a year), the periodical Analysis of Current Events (ACE, four times a year), the newsletter ASNews (twice a year) and a registration discount at the ASN Annual World Convention. ASN Members also have the option of subscribing to Europe-Asia Studies at the cut-rate of $55 yearly. A membership form can be downloaded from our ASN web page (http://asn.uno.edu), or be requested from Gordon Bardos (address below).

For information on panel and paper proposals:
Dominique Arel
ASN Convention Program Chair
Watson Institute
Brown University, Box 1831
130 Hope St.
Providence, RI 02912
401 863 9296 tel
401 863 2192 fax
darel@brown.edu

For information on exhibits and advertisements in the convention program:
Gordon Bardos
Convention Director
Harriman Institute
Columbia University
1216 IAB
420 W. 118th St.
New York, NY 10027
212 854 8487 tel
212 666 3481 fax
gnb12@columbia.edu
 
 

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