aaus-list @ ukrainianstudies.org -- [aaus-list] FW: CALL FOR A 2008 ASEN CONFERENCE COMMITTEE (fwd)

[M T Znayenko <znayenko@andromeda.rutgers.edu>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2007 10:04:28 -0400
From: Kevin P. Hallinan <kph2@columbia.edu>
To: "Othereurope \\(othereurope\\)" <othereurope@columbia.edu>,
     ISE List <ise-list@columbia.edu>
Subject: FW: CALL FOR A 2008 ASEN CONFERENCE COMMITTEE


CALL FOR A 2008 ASEN CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
The Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) is a
student-run research institute based at the London School of Economics and
Political Science. Our aim is to stimulate debate on topics related to
Ethnicity and Nationalism through the organisation of seminars, workshops,
lectures and conferences and the publication of two journals, Nations and
Nationalism and Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. For further
information about ASEN, please go to our website  www.lse.ac.uk/asen.
Conference 2008 Committee
ASEN is currently  seeking enthusiastic undergraduate/master/research
students to join a friendly team of three Conference Co-chairs to help with
the organisation of the 18th Annual ASEN Conference on Ethnic and Civic
Nations, which will take place in April 2008. This volunteer position is
open immediately for a qualified student interested in organising a major
international conference in the field of Nationalism and Ethnicity. Please
find more details about the theme of the conference below.  Being a member
of the ASEN Conference Committee is a  very rewarding  and exciting
experience. The Conference Committee is chaired by three main organisers who
are responsible for co-ordinating the work of the Committee including tasks
related to the Conference's publicity, registration, catering, exhibition,
logistics and publishers. If you find this work appealing to you, please let
us know that you are interested in becoming a Conference Committee member by
sending us an email to asen@lse.ac.uk.
If you would like to find out more about what organising the conference
involves, please contact us at asen@lse.ac.uk .
This position is a great opportunity for academic experience and will be a
nice line on your CV.
18th Annual ASEN Conference Proposal
Civic and Ethnic Nations
An assessment of ethnic and civic conceptions of nationhood
  Dates for the conference: 22-24 April or 15-17 April
It has long been standard in the field of nationalism studies to classify
nations according to which principle serves to unify the nation. The most
influential of such classifications between two ways nationalism conceives
of national identity and membership, who is to be included and who excluded
from the nation. The dichotomous classification which is best known today is
that between civic and ethnic nationalism. The distinction between the
Western, political type of nationalism, and Eastern, genealogical
nationalism as systematised by Hans Kohn in 1945 has been used, extended and
adjusted by scholars of nationalism to conceptualise a framework of
"inclusive" nationalism based on citizenship and territory and "exclusive"
nationalism based common ethnic ties and descent. This conference seeks to
assess the continuing relevance of this dichotomy in its various forms: its
contribution to theoretical work on nationalism, its usefulness for
historical interpretation and its value for contemporary policy-making.
Themes
§       Assessment of Kohn's original typology, focusing on the debate about
the differences between west and east European national trajectories (the
role of class differences, religious cleavages and political traditions on
the evolution of nations in both areas).
§       The theoretical refinements and development of the ethnic-civic
dichotomy  in terms of the treatment of national citizenship rather than
types of nation formation, as a way of considering different aspects of
particular cases rather than of classifying cases.
§       Expanding the initial scholarly focus on the European experience, we
aim to explore whether the conditions and forms of Western national
identities are unique or Asian, African or Latin American forms of
nationalism can be distinguished. The impact of multiculturalism and growing
levels of immigration on the classic ethnic-civic division in nationalism
theories and whether this transcends, undermines or reinforces civic/ethnic
dichotomies.
1st day: Theory
The first day explores the use of the classical dichotomy of civic and
ethnic nationalism in theoretical works on nationalism, national identity
and nation formation. This includes normative theory (e.g. whether
nationalism and liberalism in the form of civic nationalism have a necessary
rather than contradictory relationship), interpretative theory (e.g. whether
the distinction is useful as a way of grasping ideas and experiences) and
explanatory theory (e.g. whether the distinction helps explaining the
origins, development and outcome of different forms of nationalism and
nation formations.
2nd day: Historical Perspectives
The second day looks at the historical dimension of nationalism. By
considering historical case studies, the development, interaction and
conflict of ethnic and civic types of nationalism will be analysed.
Historical critiques of and alternatives to dichotomous types like the
civic/ethnic/East/West will also be considered.
3rd day: Contemporary Debates/Current Affairs/Multicultural Policies
On the last day of the conference, the framework of civic and ethnic
nationalism will be explored by focussing on contemporary nationalism and
approaches to citizenship and immigration. Do the challenges to traditional
nationalism resulting from migration and the attempt to accommodate
minorities also challenge the theoretical framework of the civic and ethnic
forms?