CfP: MGHG Conference: Museums, Collections & Conflict, 1500-2010

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MGHG Biennial Conference 2018, National Maritime Museum, 13-14 July 2018

Keynote speaker: Annie Coombes, Professor of Material and Visual Culture, Birkbeck, University of London

Museums have been profoundly shaped by war and armed conflict, and have also played a significant part in shaping understandings and memories about them. Yet there has been little sustained examination of the way museums in war and war in museums has played out. Since Gaynor Kavanagh’s foundational study Museums and the First World War in 1994, and with the publication this year of Catherine Pearson’s similarly ground-breaking Museums in the Second World War, it is clear that museums have played and can play an important role in helping society address such crisis situations. On the home front, for example, museums have helped society prepare for war and armed conflict. In leading commemoration in the aftermath of war and armed conflict, museums have helped society come to terms with what happened, understand why it happened, and remember sacrifices. Yet museums have equally served as arenas where issues such as commemoration have been contested and negotiated, and where particular narratives legitimising war and conflict have been developed. This conference hopes to address a broad range of questions, including on collecting (in) war and armed conflict, on the deliberate targeting and destruction or safeguarding of museums and cultural property, and the broader range of institutions brought forth or which are strongly influenced by war and armed conflict.

We seek papers which particularly address but are not restricted to the following questions over a period from the Early Modern to the end of the twentieth century:

What have museums done during periods of conflict and what has happened to them? Have they been responsible for morale, have they been targets of attack, have they physically moved and how has their staffing been affected?
How have museums and collections acted to commemorate conflict?
In what ways have wars and other conflicts affected museums’ and collectors’ collecting activities, positively or negatively? How have wars and conflicts been collected, and by whom?
How have museums represented war, civil war and other conflicts such as rebellions? Have museums promoted peace by interpreting war?
How have museums of conflict, of the armed forces and of weaponry/armouries developed historically?

We welcome proposals for papers which deal with the history of museums and collecting in a British, European or wider context or which address the relationships between different geographical areas.

Paper proposals should be for papers of 20 minutes’ length. Proposals should be 250 words max and include the name, contact details and affiliation (if applicable) of the speaker.
Panel proposals are strongly encouraged and should consist of a panel title, proposals for 3 papers, along with a rationale for the panel theme, and contact details and affiliations (if applicable) of all participants. Please indicate whether you will provide a chair for your session or not (it does not matter which).
Poster proposals are also welcomed. Please contact Kate Hill (khill@lincoln.ac.uk) for more information.

All the above proposals should be sent to contact@mghg.info by 1 March 2018. Please note all speakers and poster presenters will be expected to pay the conference registration fee.

Further information here.

CfP: The effects of World War 1 on the Christian Churches in Europe 1918-1925

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Rome 12-14 November 2018

This workshop will adopt an international comparative approach to study the effects of the Great War on institutionalized Christian religion (eg. Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches) in the immediate aftermath of the war. How did churches perceive the war and the immediate post-war period? What was the impact on Christian theology and culture? How did churches interact with the belligerent nation states and how did they cope with the changing (geo)political situation after the war? What were their ecclesiologi­cal, pastoral and liturgical challenges after the armistices? Did they adopt a defensive stance towards secularization, or did they intensify their dialogue with modernity? To what extent did they move towards a pastoral policy of social healing and offer a welcome to Christian pacifism and ecumenism?

The workshop wishes to stimulate innovative research on the interaction between religion and society in the difficult years between the end of the war and the mid-1920s. It explicitly adopts an interdenominational and international comparative perspective, stimulating a multifaceted and in-depth analysis, with due attention to methodological questions. It wants to combine the results of different fields of historical research: the history of churches and religions, cultural, intellectual, social and political history, etc. Although well-chosen case-studies with a focus on, for instance, particular regional/national contexts, or specific denominations, organizations or individuals can surely offer valuable insights, the organizers especially aim for papers that deal with the issues concerned from a broad comparative perspective. They should contribute to a better understanding of the changing nature of religious cultures across Europe. Although the workshop will deal in particular with the immediate post-war years (1918-mid 1920s), contributors are encouraged to adopt a broader chronological perspective of continuity and discontinuity in evaluating the results of their analysis for the period at hand.

The workshop will bring together senior academics as well as junior doctoral researchers in a scientific dialogue on the subject. Introductory keynote lectures from established researchers and thematic sessions will structure the multi-layered perspective as well as the comparative baseline.

More information here.

Practical
The main conference and discussion language will be English, but papers in other languages are accepted as well. In that case, the organizers do ask for an English summary and an English or bilingual PowerPoint or other presentation.

Proposals should be submitted as PDF documents and should contain the following: a clear title of the proposed paper; a summary (max. 500 words), outlining the paper’s goals, methodology and source materials; CV(s) of author(s), with contact information, position and institutional affiliation.

These abstracts should be attached and emailed to the work-shop secretary (kristien.suenens@kadoc.kuleuven.be) no later than 1 February 2018. You should receive a confirmation of proposal receipt within 48 hours. The proposals will be evaluated and selected by the Scientific Committee based on topic relevance, innovativeness and the degree to which the proposal answers the call. Notification of the evaluation will occur no later than 1 April 2018. Full papers should be sent to the workshop organizers no later than 1 October 2018.

CFP: Demographic impacts of World War I

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While we know that World War I killed millions, analysis of its demographic effects on the surviving population has been relatively limited since studies by Louis Henry on France and Jay Winter on Britain in the 1960s and 1970s. The centenary of the Armistice will occur during this year’s meeting of the Social Science History Association making it an especially appropriate time to consider the demographic impacts of the Great War.

We seek papers examining the impact of World War I on population and demographic behavior in all facets, from any country. Papers re-examining European demographic impacts with new data or methods are welcome, as are papers on other countries where the demographic effects of the war have not been fully considered.

In the tradition of the Social Science History Association, we welcome papers from a range of disciplinary backgrounds and institutions. In the event that more than four strong papers are received, we will attempt to form a second session or distribute 1 or 2 papers into appropriate other sessions of the conference.

Proposals are due to the conference by February 16. I would appreciate hearing from potential participants by February 9 at the very latest in order to organize this session. All that is required for submission is a title and 250 word abstract.

This year’s meeting of the Social Science History Association will be held in Phoenix from 8-11 November. Further information on the conference is available at http://ssha.org.

Please write with any inquiries and paper proposals to Evan Roberts, University of Minnesota, eroberts@umn.edu.

University of Chicago Library – Robert L. Platzman Memorial Fellowships – Summer 2018

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The University of Chicago Library invites applications for the Robert L. Platzman Memorial Fellowships for the summer of 2018.

Any visiting researcher, writer, or artist residing more than 100 miles from Chicago, and whose project requires on-site consultation of University of Chicago Library collections, primarily archives, manuscripts, rare books, or other materials in the Special Collections Research Center, is eligible.

Support for beginning scholars is a priority of the program. Applications in the fields of late nineteenth- or early twentieth-century physics or physical chemistry, or nineteenth-century classical opera, will receive special consideration.

Awards will be made based on the applicant’s ability to complete the proposed on-site research successfully within the timeframe of the fellowship. Applicants should explain why the project cannot be conducted without on-site access to the original materials and the extent to which University of Chicago Library collections are central to the research. Up to $3,000 of support will be awarded to help cover estimated travel, living, and research expenses. Applications from women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged.

The deadline for applications is March 19, 2018. Notice of awards will be made by April 10, 2018, for use between June 1, 2018, and September 28, 2018.

Applicants must provide the following information:

A cover letter (not to exceed one page) including the project title; a brief summary; estimated dates of on-site research; and a budget for travel, living, and research expenses during the period of on-site research
A research proposal not to exceed three double-spaced pages. Applicants should include references to specific archival finding aids and catalog records of particular relevance to their proposed project whenever possible.
A curriculum vitae of no longer than two pages
Two letters of support from academic or other scholars. References may be sent with the application or separately.

Submit application in one electronic file to: scrcfellowship@lib.uchicago.edu

Letters of reference in electronic form are preferred; print letters of reference can be sent to:

Robert L. Platzman Memorial Fellowships
Special Collections Research Center
The University of Chicago Library
1100 E. 57th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

For additional information contact: Daniel Meyer, Director, Special Collections Research Center.

Call for Applications: 2018-2019 New York Public Library Short-Term Research Fellowships

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The New York Public Library is pleased to offer short-term research fellowships to support graduate-level, post-doctoral, and independent researchers. Individuals needing to conduct on-site research in the Library’s special collections to support projects in the humanities, business, and the fine and performing arts are encouraged to apply.

Fellowship stipends are $1,000 per week for a minimum of two and maximum of four weeks. Each fellow is expected to be in residence at the Library for the duration of their fellowship and to write a blog post for nypl.org about their work with the Library’s collections.

The Manuscripts and Archives Division of The New York Public Library holds over 29,000 linear feet of material in over 5,500 collections, with strengths in the papers and records of individuals, families, and organizations, primarily from the New York region. These collections support research in the political, economic, social, and cultural history of New York and the United States.

The Rare Book Collection contains over 350,000 printed volumes, pamphlets, broadsides, and newspapers, in addition to thousands of pieces of ephemera. It is especially rich in fifteenth century printing, Americana, voyages and travels, early Bibles, and literature.

Visit https://www.nypl.org/research-divisions/ for more information about these and other divisions available for fellowship research.

Detailed program information can be found at https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/fellowships-institutes/short-term-research-fellowships, and Library holdings can be explored at catalog.nypl.org and archives.nypl.org.

To apply, submit an online application at https://fellowships.nypl.org/home. Fellowships are open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and foreign nationals who have been resident in the United States for the three years as of January 31, 2018. Fellows must reside outside the New York metropolitan area.

Application Deadline: February 15, 2018

Notification Date: March 31, 2018

Fellowship Period: June 1, 2018 – May 30, 2019

Conference: Central and Eastern Europe after the First World War

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Date: 31 January – 2 February 2018
Venue: Embassy of Slovak Republic (Hildebrandstraße 25, 10785 Berlin)

Conference program

Wednesday, 31 January 2018
13.30 – 14:30
Welcome address by the Ambassador of Slovak Republic, S.E. Peter Lizák
Introduction – Jan Rydel and Matthias Weber
Key Note – Jay Winter: The Second Great War, 1917–1923

14:30 – 15:00 Coffee break

15:00 – 17:00
I. The End of Empires and the Emergence of a New State Order
Chair: Martin Pekár

László Szarka: Die Alternative des Verhandlungsfriedens in Donauraum. Ungarn und die Nachbarvölker zwischen Asternrevolution und kommunistischer Machtergreifung 1918–1919

Tobias Weger: “Mitteleuropa”, “Międzymorze” and the “Little Entente”. Conflicting transnational spatial concepts in East-Central and Southeast Europe

Jochen Böhler: The Central European civil war, 1918–1921

Gennadi Korolov: “The United States between the Baltic and Black Seas” of Anton Łuckiewicz and the project of Ukrainian federation Otto Eichelman. A comparative study of federalism

Commentator: Dušan Kováč

17:00 – 17:30 Coffee break

17:30 – 19:30
II. New Beginnings and Political Emancipation (Part 1)
Chair: Robert Zurek

Burkhard Olschowsky: “Das Selbstbestimmungsrecht der Nationen“ aus der Perspektive W. I. Lenins und W. Wilsons

Michael Eric Lambert: The end of the German Empire and the emergence of the Volksdeutsche terminology

Wolfgang Templin: Versailler Scharaden. Polen und die Ukraine auf den Pariser Friedenskonferenzen

Marcela Sǎlǎgean: New beginnings and political emancipation in Romania after the First World War

Commentator: Wolfgang Hardtwig

Thursday, 1 February 2018
9:00 – 11:00
III. New Beginnings and Political Emancipation (Part 2)
Chair: Rafał Rogulski

Attila Simon: Proletarischer Internationalismus oder Nationalismus. Alternativen der Sozialdemokratie in der Slowakei nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg

Andreea Dăncilă: The Dynamics of post-war political structures in multi-ethnic regions. Transylvania at the end of 1918

Beka Kobakhidze: Paris 1919–1920: Georgia`s independence in the political West

Karolina Łabowicz-Dymanus: Granting political rights to women in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland: towards gender equality or a pragmatism of national revival?

Commentator: Jan Rydel

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 – 13:00
IV. Social, Economic and Cultural Circumstances
Chair: Malkhaz Toria

Maciej Górny: Post-WWI East-Central Europe and the challenges of economic reconstruction, 1918–1923

Piotr Juszkiewicz: Modernism and war. The notion of regeneration in European art and architecture after WWI

Peter Haslinger: Konkurrenz im Gelände: Staatliche Interessen und lokale Lebenswelten im Kontext der ungarisch-tschechoslowakischen Grenzziehungskommission 1921–1925

Commentator: Stefan Troebst

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 16:00
V. Revolutions, Counter-revolutions, Revisionism and Territorial Claims
Chair: Matthias Weber

Arnold Suppan: Cuius regio eius natio. Arguments to legitimize territorial claims against other nations` lands

Andrei Zamoiski: “Peasants wait for them with hope”: The civil war in Belarusian province 1919–1922

Ibolya Murber: Die Habsburgermonarchie, Österreich und Ungarn in der Sogwirkung der russischen Oktoberrevolution” zwischen 1917 und 1919

Rastko Lompar: The “Red Scare” in Yugoslavia: the Hungarian “Soviet republic” and the beginning of Yugoslav anti-communism 1919–1921

Commentator: Ingo Loose

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break

16:30 – 18:00
VI. Social and psychological Consequences of the War
Chair: Bartosz Dziewanowski-Stefańczyk

Marek Syrný: Finis Hungariae – Vivat Czechoslovakia. Slovak politics and society at the edge of the 1918–1919

Rudolf Kučera: Murder and the post-war reconstruction. Czechoslovakia and Austria compared

Joanna Urbanek: From the shell shock to the Rentenneurose. Early research on war trauma in Poland, Austro-Hungary and Germany (1917–1923)

Commentator: Hannes Grandits

Friday, 2 February 2018
9:30 – 11:00
VII. Memories of the Great War
Chair: Burkhard Olschowsky

Bartosz Dziewanowski-Stefańczyk: Creation of new politics of memory as a consequence of the rebirth of a state. Case study: Poland in the first years after the First World War

Vasilius Safronovas: Non-overshadowed expressions of the First World War experiences in Lithuania (1914–1923)

Florin Abraham: Did the Great War end? Memory and memorialization of the First World War in Romania

Commentator: Attila Pók

11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break

11:15-12:00
Final lecture – Mariusz Wołos: Versailles – Stabilisierung oder Destabilisierung in Mittel- und Osteuropa?

12.30 End of the conference

Conference Organizer:
European Network Remembrance and Solidarity, Warsaw; Federal Institute for Culture and History of the Germans in Eastern Europe, Oldenburg

Partner:
University of Leipzig – Centre for Area Studies; Jagiellonian University of Cracow, Department of Historical Anthropology; Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Department of History; Hungarian Academy of Science, Institute for Humanities, Research Center of History; Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Slovak Institute in Berlin

In cooperation with:
Embassy of Slovak Republic

Financed by:
The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Germany); Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the Multi-annual Program „Niepodległa“ 2017–2021

Conference languages: German and English (with translation)

Registration deadline: 25 January 2018
Register here

Postgraduate Forum: Commemoration and Creativity, 10 March 2018

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Saturday 10 March 2018, 9am-5pm
Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Headington Road, OX3 0BP

This exciting Postgraduate Creative Forum is part of the Mellon-Sawyer Seminar Series Post-War: Commemoration, Reconstruction, Reconciliation, which explores and compares the ways in which commemorative practices across cultures both contribute to and challenge post-war reconstruction and reconciliation. The one-day event is aimed at postgraduate students across the Humanities and Social Sciences. You are invited to showcase your work in short presentations (max. 5 minutes) and there will also be discussion and activities exploring how creative and sensorial thinking might illuminate and enrich your research.

This is an opportunity for you to experiment with innovative ways of presenting your research in a short format. You might, for example, focus on a question such as: What is the keystone of my argument? Can I summarise my thesis in a sentence? What is my most important finding so far? The rationale is that distilling and presenting the essence of your research will help you to think about it in a new way and thereby produce fresh insights.

We invite submissions on any aspect of post-war commemoration. Please send an abstract of 250 words and a short biography (max. 150 words) in a single Word document to catherine.gilbert@ell.ox.ac.uk by Monday 29 January 2018. Applicants will be notified of the outcome in early February.

Possible topics for presentations include, but are not limited to:
– The modes and genres of post-war commemoration
– The beneficiaries of post-war commemoration
– The ways in which post-war commemoration contributes to reconstruction and reconciliation
– The future of post-war commemoration, including digital commemoration
– The politics of post-war commemoration
– Post-war commemorative monuments and/or museums
– Post-war commemoration and place/space, ecology and the environment
– Post-war memory
– Post-war commemoration and trauma
– Commemoration in relation to post-war displacement, migration, settlement and belonging
– Diasporic / exilic post-war commemoration
– Post-war commemoration and the body
– Comparative post-war commemoration

‘Post-war’ can relate to any conflict and we welcome submissions addressing commemoration across cultures and time periods. AV equipment will be available and you are welcome to use PowerPoint.

In addition to the presentations, the day will offer two sessions designed to explore how creative and practical activities can extend and transform academic thinking:

Three of our Series poets-in-residence, Susie Campbell, Mariah Whelan and Sue Zatland, will lead a Poetry Workshop, in which they will read their own poems and invite you to think about how the cognitive processes involved in creating poetry might be applied to academic research and writing.

Dr Justine Shaw (University of Oxford) will lead a Candle-Pouring, in which you will create your own memory candle scented with ‘rosemary for remembrance’ (Hamlet). As you do so, you will be invited to explore ways in which an understanding of the senses and the body might contribute to your own academic practice.

The day is FREE to attend and will include lunch and refreshments.

A number of small travel bursaries (up to £50) will be available. If you wish to apply for a travel bursary, please include a short paragraph (max. 300 words) in your application, detailing how your work fits with the themes of the Series and how your research will benefit from attending the Postgraduate Forum.