The Russian, East European and Eurasian Center, University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, announces the following summer training
workshop for junior scholars as part of the 2006 Summer Research
Laboratory.
Russian–Jewish Studies Training Workshop for Junior Scholars “From the Pale to Moscow: Russian-Jewish and Soviet-Yiddish
Studies”
June 12–16, 2006
Workshop Moderators Gennady Estraikh, Visiting Associate Professor, Jewish Studies,
New York University Harriet Murav, Professor and Head, Department of Slavic Languages
and Literatures, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign David Shneer, Director, Center for Judaic Studies; Associate
Professor, Department of History, University of Denver
Workshop Goals
The goal of this five-day workshop is to bring together advanced graduate
students, junior faculty, and professionals who work in various
disciplines on Russian–Jewish–Soviet–Yiddish studies (with a primary
focus on the 20th–21st century) to discuss their research and
current issues in the field. The increase in publication in this field in
recent years, the opening of new faculty positions, the discovery of new
archival materials, and shifts in basic conceptual paradigms in
humanities and social sciences have created new opportunities for
scholarly research. However, rarely do scholars have the opportunity to
exchange their ideas in a forum that is devoted exclusively to
Russian–Jewish studies and brings together an array of multidisciplinary
theoretical and methodological approaches to issues and questions in the
field.
This workshop will provide scholars with an opportunity to present their
work on topics including, but not limited to:
Language in conflict: Hebrew and Yiddish in the Soviet Union; Russian
as a language of Russian-Jewish culture; language policy and culture
Re-assessing ethnicity, nationality, religion, and citizenship as
categories of analysis in Russian–Jewish studies; the viability of models
of multi-linguistic, multi-ethnic identity in the Soviet and post-Soviet
era
The contribution of current critical theory and cultural studies
approaches to Russian-Jewish studies: post-colonial studies,
post-socialist studies, gender, sexuality, the body, trauma
Historicizing the shift away from state and society approaches
Approaching anti-Semitism and interethnic conflict as cultural
phenomena and/or state policies
Holocaust studies; genocide studies
The cultural turn: literature and other forms of cultural production,
including visual culture, film, photography, and theater; revisiting the
question of socialist realism
Frames of reference: 1917, 1938, 1952, 1991 how the use of
these dates shapes the analysis of history, culture, and identity
Workshop Format
Workshop sessions will be devoted to a discussion of the participants’
research; investigation of current literature and paradigms; and a
presentation of scholarly resources, including relevant databases by
staff specialists from the Slavic and East European Library. Time will
also be available for research in the UI Libraryone of the largest
Slavic and East European collections in the U.S. Participants may stay
beyond the workshop dates to conduct individual research.
Eligibility
The workshop is open to doctoral students and junior faculty in any
discipline and professionals who specialize in the workshop-related
areas. To be eligible for the workshop housing and travel grants, which
are funded by a Title VIII grant from the State Department, participating
scholars must be US citizens/permanent residents and must state the
policy relevance (broadly defined) of their research in the application.
Very limited housing grants may be available for international scholars.
Those who are not eligible for financial support may take part in the
workshop at their own expense, if selected and pending space
availability.
Housing and Travel Grants
Participants who are eligible for the workshop may also apply for
additional research housing grants a total of up to 14 days for graduate
students; 8 for all others. Graduate students (US citizens/permanent
residents only) may also apply for domestic travel grants of up to $200.
Deadline
15 April 2006 for U.S. citizen/permanent resident applications
1 April 2006 for international applications (limited housing grant
only)
Application
All participants are considered Summer Research Lab associates and must
submit a Summer Lab application and registration fee (submit fee upon
acceptance). To apply, applicants must submit a one- to two-page research
proposal that includes a statement clearly indicating the policy
relevance of the proposed research. For more information on this
issue please click on
"
proposal
information" in the side bar of the website below. Workshop
space is limited.
To download an application form go to
www.reec.uiuc.edu/srl/srl.html and click on “how to apply” in the
navigation bar. To request a paper application form contact:
Summer Research Lab
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
104 International Studies Building
910 S. Fifth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-1244; fax (217) 333-1582 reec@uiuc.edu www.reec.uiuc.edu
Lynda Y. Park, Assistant Director
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center
University of Illinois
104 International Studies Building, MC-487
910 South Fifth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-6022, 333-1244; fax (217) 333-1582
lypark@uiuc.edu
http://www.reec.uiuc.edu
