CFP – Close encounters, displacement and war

Close Encounters in War Journal – n. 1
Call for articles
Thematic Issue: “Close encounters, displacement and war”

Close Encounters in War Journal is a peer-reviewed journal aimed at studying war as a human experience, through interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches ranging from the Humanities to the Social Sciences. The second issue (n. 1) of the journal will be a thematic one, dedicated to the experience of displacement as a consequence of war and conflict, and titled “Close encounters, displacement and war”.

Wars in general are cultural phenomena, among the most ancient and deeply rooted aspects of human cultural evolution: investigating their meaning, by reflecting on the ways we experience wars and conflicts as human beings is therefore essential. Conflictis deeply intertwined with language, culture, instincts, passions, behavioural patterns and with the human ability to represent concepts aesthetically. The concept of “encounter” is therefore fundamental as it involves experience, and as a consequence it implies that war can shape and develop our minds and affect our behaviour by questioning habits and values, prejudices and views of the world.

Displacement is one of the most affecting consequences of war. Armed conflicts move people from one place to another, often trigging extensive phenomena of mobility that can influence societies in depth. The United Nations estimate that in the last few years 65 million people have been displaced by war and prosecution, whereas Malcom Proudfood famously calculated that no less than 60 million people were displaced from their homes during the Second World War and in its aftermath. Among them, there were those who had been forcibly deported by the Nazis, the soldiers who had moved with the armed forces and, most notably, a mass of civilians who became refugees.

Today, the refugee crisis represents one of the most urgent problems internationally, and it has a deep impact on political choices especially in Europe. Fleeing from combat zones has always been the only chance of survival for non-combatants, and refugees are among the most vulnerable groups involved in armed conflicts. Nonetheless, displacement can be multifaceted and not always explicit. Long periods of absence from home (e.g. as members of occupation troops or as POWs) may produce significant psychological and social effects on combatants, who would find it difficult to come back to their society, family and cultural environment. Fighting in colonial armies or being involved in civil wars, too, are sometimes perceived as cultural, social and moral displacement. On a broader scale displacement could trigger interesting phenomena of social, anthropological, cultural and transnational mobility capable of affecting national identities and shaping cultures.

Displacement is such a critical problem for modern societies that many institutions, scholarly or otherwise, commit to the study and research of migration from the ethical, legal and humanitarian point of view.

Issue n. 1 of CEIW Journal will aim to investigate displacement by exploring its facets both on a micro-scale, by studying individual testimonies and experiences, and on a broad scale by observing macro-phenomena of displacement throughout history with comparative, critical and cultural methodologies.

We invite articles which analyse the experience of displacement from ancient to modern and contemporary periods, from the perspective of the encounter, reaching beyond the study of military tactics and strategy and focusing on the way human beings ‘encounter’ each other with and within the experience of displacement. Contributions are invited to promote discussion and scholarly research from established scholars, early-career researchers, and from practitioners who have encountered irregular warfare in the course of their activities.

The topics that can be investigated include but are not limited to:
· Social impact of war displacement
· Displacement and transnational history
· Psychological aspects of war displacement
· Violence and trauma
· Cultural encounters and identity
· Displacement and colonial wars, civil wars, international conflicts
· War captivity and other forms of deportation
· Forced displacement, war crimes, ethnic cleansing
· Displacement and transitional justice
· Representations of otherness, race, and gender
· Religion and politics
· Testimonies, personal narratives
· Oral history and memory studies

The editors of Close Encounters in War Journal invite the submission of 300 words abstracts in English by 1st June 2018. Decisions will be made by 30th June 2018 and the completed articles (6000-8000 words including footnotes, bibliography excluded, in English) will be expected by 1st November 2018. All contributions will go under a process of blind peer-review.

Abstracts can be sent to: simona.tobia@closeencountersinwar.com and gianluca.cinelli@closeencountersinwar.com

CfP: Colonies and Colonial Wars in History

The Educational Committee of the International Commission of Military History invites PhD. students to take part in a workshop for young scholars who are still working on or have just finished their PhD thesis on a topic related to ‘Colonies and Colonial Wars in History’.

The purpose of the workshop is to give young scholars the opportunity of discussing their projects with young as well as experienced colleagues from over 40 Countries.

This workshop is part of the annual meeting of the International Commission of Military History, which will take place under the auspices of the Cameroonian Commission of Military History in Douala, Cameroon from 2 to 8 September 2017.

We expect a presentation of 20 minutes. Some PhD papers may be published as part of the conference proceedings in 2018.

Applicants should offer papers dealing with:

Significant military figures in colonies
Local authorities and wars
War efforts in colonies
Colonial possessions and wars
Women and wars in colonies
Colonial prisoners and deportees during the World Wars
International Conventions and wars in colonies
World Wars and migration in colonies
World Wars and decolonization
Cold War and post-independence revolutions.
Colonial Wars and Civil Society

The working languages for the event are English and French.

Applicants should send their proposals to the Secretary General of the Educational Committee, Prof. Dr. Michael Epkenhans, Centre for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr, Zeppelinstrasse 127/28, D-14471 Potsdam, Germany no later than 1 March 2017. The Educational Committee will inform you if your paper has been accepted by 1 April 2017.

Proposals must include an outline of your paper as well as an academic CV.

The Educational Committee will support PhD. students with a small travel grant of up to €200. Accommodation will be at a discounted rate. PhD. students will have to pay a congress fee of only €100.

For further information, please consult the official website of the Cameroonian Commission.