11 января 2013
Продолжается прием заявок на участие в международной научно-практической конференции "Все еще постсоциализм? Культурная память и социальные трансформации"(19-20 апреля 2013)

Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University

Institute for Comparative Studies of Modernity KFU

Center for Cultural Studies of Postsocialism  

 

is inviting participants to take part in  

 

The International Interdisciplinary Conference

Still Postsocialism?

Cultural Memory and Social Transformations

Kazan, April 19-20, 2013  


Keynote speakers:

Prof. Caroline Humphrey (University of Cambridge, UK)

Prof. Chris Hann  (Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Germany)

Prof. Alexander Etkind (University of Cambridge, UK)

Prof. Jan Kubik (Rutgers University, USA).  

 

More than twenty years have passed since the breakup of the Soviet
Union but we are still living in the so-called epoch of ‘postsocialism’.
Rejecting the preceding political order, its long afterlife
paradoxically keepsthis order alive because of its inability to produce
new, more relevant terms of self-definition. In this precarious sense,
‘postsocialism’ is similar to, but also different from,
‘postcolonialism’ and ‘postmodernism’.

The conference aims to discuss these similarities and contrasts. It
will present a broad spectrum of empirical research focused on the
‘postsocialist’ processes in the countries and regions that share the
socialist past and its memories. In contrast to the optimism of the
reformers of the 1990s,  postsocialism does not seem to comply with a
linear model of ‘transit’ to a universal endpoint. Does this mean that
postsocialism is cyclical and tends to return to a starting point in a
regressive repetition? Or is it an open-ended process of trials and
errors, in which the routes and results are variegated and
unpredictable? The conference will focus on the complex,
multi-dimensional models that are related to cultural memory,
generations, hybridizations, contact zones and, finally, trauma and
catastrophe.  

Reflecting on the current state of postsocialism studies,our concerns
include but are not limited to the following questions: How have the
relations between ‘the Soviet’ and ‘the socialist’ changed through
decades? Which forces are responsible for the successes, failures, and
cycles of the transformation? To what extent could the postcolonial
concepts be applied to the countries of the postsocialist world? Can we
speak about a common postsocialist-postcolonial culture?  

 

Key topics:  

- ‘Soviet’/’socialist’ vs. ‘post-Soviet’/ ‘post-socialist’  

- Postsocialism and postcolonialism  

- The diversity of postsocialisms in a global world

- Cultural studies of postsocialism  

 

We are inviting researchers who are working on the topics of
cultural, political, and social aspects of postsocialism. We look
forward to receiving submissions that examine the empirical cases and
also make theoretical and methodological generalizations. The papers
should relate to Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia.  

The language of the conference is English. The application form and short CV should be submitted to: psconferencekazan@gmail.com by February 4, 2013.  

A limited number of travel grants are available. Those who are
interested in applying for travel grants must send the application form
and СV by January 20, 2013, and indicate their interest. Applicants will be notified about their acceptance no later than February 20, 2013.  

 

The conference is supported by the Open Society Institute.  

 

APPLICATION FORM  

Name:  

Affiliation and position:  

Research interests:  

Title of the paper:  

Abstract (up to 300 words):  

Contact information (address, phone number, e-mail):  

Do you apply for funding to cover travel costs? YES (please, specify)  NO  

Do you apply for funding to cover accommodation costs? YES (please, specify)  NO

Планируемая дата события: 20.02.2013