Conference "Not just Chernobyl. Ecological Dimensions of the History of Communism"
Poznań, Poland, 21-22 April 2016
Keywords: environmental history, ecology, communist regimes, environmental disasters, green movements, famine
Fields: history, sociology, environmental studies, anthropology, cultural studies
Many social and economic practices had led to various forms of ecological disequilibria in the Pre-Modern, Modern, and Post-Modern eras. Ecological issues are among the most important and yet unacknowledged aspects of the history of communist rule over much of Central and Eastern Europe after 1945. Marxist ideology contained an idea for human domination over nature which, in turn, had an important role to play in legitimizing the communist system. The centralized command–and–quota economy resulted in ecological disequilibria, irrational management of natural resources and environmental contamination. Yet throughout the former Eastern Bloc, neither the planned economy nor policies explicitly concerning the environment were static after 1945.
The post–war famine and the so–called Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature were major stages of the late Stalinist period in terms of ecological impact. In the 1950s and 1960s, alongside the ideology of the communist regimes, scientific and technological revolutions and import substitution in the economy triggered intensified resource extraction and thus environmental damage throughout the region. Both mining and re–cultivation had to do with landscapes and wounded landscapes. Many regional studies highlight the impact of collectivization and the adverse results of experts’ ideas on improving agricultural productivity.
The era following the so–called high–modernity of the post–war decade yet again brought new economic ideas and practices to the former Eastern Bloc (as well as other parts of the globe). The ecological impact of export–oriented Eastern Block economies differed from the effects of trade and production practices in earlier decades, not least because of the use of nuclear energy. Under the communist dictatorships, the ecological results of economic policies were not presented to public opinion or subjected to democratic control. This state of affairs resulted in the catastrophe at Chernobyl on April 26, 1986. After this, the ecological results of the functioning of communist systems openly took on a political dimension. They were subject to the policies of the communist states, and they were part of the political ideas and activities of opposition and dissident groups in the communist societies.
Given the state of the scholarship on environmental history in the region, the aim of the conference is to investigate and analyze the following issues:
• Chernobyl and other ecological disasters in the history of communism;
• the ecological impacts of collectivization and agricultural technology in the former Eastern Bloc;
• the ecological results of different periods of communist economy and polity;
• the influence of the Chernobyl disaster on the development of the opposition in communist states and the legitimization of the communist system;
• the importance of ecological and environmental protection as an issue in culture and counterculture;
• Chernobyl in the international press and public opinion and the popular memory of disasters as represented in movies, video games etc.;
• environmental protection in governmental policies and as part of the endeavors of the various forms of opposition in communist states;
• ecological and environmental protection in Cold War propaganda and ideology.
Abstracts should be sent to: krzysztof.brzechczyn@ipn.gov.pl/brzech@amu.edu.pl and a copy to
rbalogh215@gmail.com
Organizers:
Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute of History
Institute of National Remembrance, Branch Office in Poznań
Institute of Philosophy at Adam Mickiewicz University
Polish Philosophical Associations, Poznań Division
Scientific Board: Péter Apor, Róbert Balogh, Karolina Bittner, Stefano Bottoni, Krzysztof Brzechczyn, Sándor Horváth, Przemysław Zwiernik
Contact Email:
rbalogh215@gmail.com
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Conference "Translating Memory and Remembrance Across the Disciplines"
Translating Memory and Remembrance Across the Disciplines, a year-long conference and workshop sponsored by SUNY’s Conversation in the Disciplines program, seeks to bring together scholars and artists from across disciplines and institutions to generate collaborations, foment new queries, discover new methodologies, and build institutional bridges among scholars of memory, forgetting, and commemoration. Join us for the second and final installment of this conference and workshop.
Session II - March 11-12, 2016 - Venue: SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY
KEYNOTE: Salamishah Tillet, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Department of English, Department of Africana Studies, and Core Teaching and Faculty member of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies
Topics might include but are not limited to:
• How are we approaching the study of memory? What disciplinary limitations and methodological challenges do we face? What are the opportunities and limitations presented by studying memory from interdisciplinary perspectives?
• How does memory get disciplined through institutional (academic, bureaucratic, archival) apparatuses?
• How do gender and sexuality transform our understanding of memory and how are gendered practices determined by remembrance or erasure?
• How can critical race scholarship shed light on what’s remembered and forgotten, by whom, and to what ends? How does memory become a practice of resistance and affirmation for underrepresented groups?
• How do educational materials and processes (textbooks, standardized exams, standardized curricula) facilitate or obstruct remembering and forgetting?
• What is the place of memory in discussions about collective action and social change? In what ways is memory a place for political struggle?
• How do trauma and censorship (subjective and institutional) define people’s understanding of reality?
• How does art become a place of, and provide a language for, practices of remembrance and forgetting, voicing and silence?
Format
The conference will consist of two formats: Themed Panels and Workshops
In the themed panels, participants will give a 15-minute presentation of their work.
In the workshops, participants will present research in progress to receive feedback and generate dialogues with other projects from a variety of approaches to memory studies. These workshops will provide an overview of the range of methods, questions, and literatures for scholars of memory studies.
We invite and welcome submissions by both scholars and artists.
Scholars should submit abstracts of completed projects (for panel presentations) as well as works in progress (for workshops). All submissions should be 250-300 words, must identify the format of interest (panel or workshop), include the name(s) of the author(s) and the title of the project.
Artists should submit a one-page artist statement and 10 images of the work(s) on which their presentation will be focused.
Please send submissions to
translatingmemory@gmail.com by January 15th, 2016.
Applicants will be notified of acceptance by January 30th, 2016. Workshop participants will be
asked to submit preliminary papers before the conference to facilitate discussants’ feedback. We will consider a range of approaches, disciplines and cases to ensure a robust and productive experience for all.
Fee
There will be a $45 registration fee to cover the costs of lunch and refreshments. Details on registration and accommodations will follow on acceptance of your proposal.
Translating Memory and Remembrance Across the Disciplines is supported by the SUNY Conversations in the Disciplines program as well as SUNY-New Paltz.
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PhD and MA Scholarships in Comparative History (CEU, Budapest)
Apply for MA and PhD Scholarships at CEU Department of History
The Department of History at Central European University (CEU) offers students interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives on the history of Eurasia from the late medieval period to the present. It is recognized for its innovative approaches to research and teaching and as a center for outstanding research advancing comparative and transnational history on empirical and theoretical grounds. Our international faculty offers expertise that extends from the history of the Habsburg, Romanov, and Ottoman Empires to the comparative study of totalitarian regimes in the 20th century; from comparative religious studies to numerous aspects of cultural and intellectual history.
CEU is an English-language, graduate university located in Budapest and accredited both in Hungary and the United States. It is committed to attracting talented students and scholars from around the world and take prides in the fact that there is no dominant nationality on campus. Our student/faculty ratio is 6:1, allowing for small, discussion-based seminars and close guidance from faculty members.
Scholarships and Application Deadline
The vast majority of our students receive generous financial aid packages, including full scholarships with stipends. Research grants are also available for all students regardless of nationality. The deadline to apply for admission with financial aid for the 2016-17 academic year is February 4, 2016.
Programs Offered
Master of Arts in Comparative History (One Year)
Master of Arts in Comparative History: From 1500 to the Present (Two Years)
Master of Arts in European Women’s and Gender History [MATILDA] (Two Years)
Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative History
Additional Certificates in Various Specializations
Eastern Mediterranean Studies, Jewish Studies, Political Thought, Religious Studies, and Science Studies.
Selected Areas of Research
• Comparative history of communism
• Comparative history of fascism
• Comparative history of Habsburg, Ottoman, and Russian empires
• Comparative religious studies
• Cultural history
• Early modern history
• Gender studies
• Intellectual history
• Nationalism studies
• Social history
• Urban studies