[Aaus-community-list] [aaus-list] CFP on the Contemporary Russian-Speaking Jewish Diaspora

[Alexandra Hrycak]

Call for Paper Proposals

Conference on the Contemporary Russian-Speaking Jewish Diaspora
November 14–15, 2011, at Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, 
with the cooperation of the American Councils for International 
Education and the Russian Foundation for Humanities, invites submissions 
of paper proposals for an international conference on the 
Russian-speaking Jewish diaspora that has been formed over the past four 
decades.

The emigration of about 1.5 million Jews from the former Soviet Union 
(FSU) in several large waves since the mid-1970s—more than three times 
as many as those who remain—has affected Jewish life in its successor 
states and in the host countries. The post-1989 migration of Jews from 
the FSU, for example, constitutes the single largest immigration in the 
sixty-two-year history of Israel and the largest group of Jews to come 
to the United States and to Germany since the early twentieth century.

This conference will focus on how Russian-speaking Jews in the late 
20th–early 21st centuries have affected the cultures, politics, and 
economies of Israel, the United States, and Germany, as well as the 
"sending" countries of the FSU. Conferees will consider whether 
Russian-speaking Jewry constitutes "a global community," and how this 
recent migration challenges the larger concepts of "identity" and 
"diaspora" across geographic and national borders.
Suggested Themes

We are interested in papers from a range of disciplinary perspectives 
that address the history, evolution, and future of Russian-speaking 
Jewish communities, cultures, and identities. We encourage papers that 
move beyond the description of particular populations or institutions 
and introduce analyses of the problems, paradoxes, contradictions, and 
challenges involved in thinking about the Russian-speaking Jews.

The following themes are suggested as guides for the formulation of 
topics for paper proposals:

     * Globalization, Transnationalism, and Ethno-Cultural Diasporas in 
the 21st Century
     * Political Behavior, Social Mobility, Commercial Activities, and 
Cultural Endeavors
     * Definitions of Jewishness
     * Cultural Expressions of Russian-Speaking Jews
     * Media and Communications
     * Future of the Russian-Speaking Jewish Diaspora


For a fuller description of the suggested themes, please see our Web 
site at http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/seminars_conferences/diaspora.
Papers will also be considered on any other themes relevant to the 
contemporary Russian-speaking Jewish diaspora. Note that the working 
language of the conference is English: all papers must be submitted and 
presented in English.
Submitting a Proposal

Junior and senior scholars in the humanities and social sciences, as 
well as others working in relevant areas, are eligible to apply, 
irrespective of citizenship or country of residence. Proposals should be 
submitted via the conference Web site at 
http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/seminars_conferences/diaspora.

Submissions must include:

     * a completed online application form
     * a project abstract of approximately 250 words
     * a 2-page curriculum vitae (CV) listing education, publications, 
fellowships and awards, and recent work and teaching experience


The deadline for submitting proposals is May 14, 2010. All materials 
must be submitted in English. Decisions will be announced by July 1, 
2010. Presenters must submit their final conference papers by September 
1, 2011. Selected papers will be considered for publication in an edited 
volume.

Harvard University and cooperating funders will cover presenters' 
expenses for travel, lodging, and meals. A modest honorarium will also 
be provided (contingent on presenter's eligibility to receive payment).
Project Organizers

Zvi Gitelman, Professor of Political Science and Preston R. Tisch 
Professor of Judaic Studies, University of Michigan
Lisbeth L. Tarlow, Ph.D., Associate Director, Davis Center for Russian 
and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
More Information

For additional information about the conference, please see 
http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/seminars_conferences/diaspora or 
contact diaspora at fas.harvard.edu.



-- 
**************************

Alexandra Hrycak
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
Reed College
3203 SE Woodstock Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97202-8199


E-mail: hrycak at reed.edu		
Telephone: 503-517-7483 		
Fax: 503-777-7776 		
Personal web page: http://academic.reed.edu/sociology/faculty/hrycak/



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