CALL FOR PAPERS: 18th Biennial Conference on Balkan and South Slavic Linguistics, Literature, and Folklore

Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday, November 18, 2011

The 18th Biennial Conference on Balkan and South Slavic Linguistics, Literature and Folklore will take place at The University of Washington in Seattle, WA, USA, March 29-31, 2012.

The conference organizers are now accepting proposals for papers that treat some aspect of Balkan and/or South Slavic linguistics, literature, and folklore, as well as culture. Abstracts should be maximum one page, including examples and bibliography if needed (12-point font, at least 1" margins), and should be anonymous.

Abstracts should be submitted in PDF format, by email, to Bojan Belic (bojan@uw.edu). The paper title, author name(s), affiliation(s), and contact information should be given in the body of the email.

More information is available at http://depts.washington.edu/slavweb/18BSSLLF/index.php.

Questions about the conference may be directed to James Augerot (bigjim@uw.edu) or Bojan Belic (bojan@uw.edu).

Joint Bulgarian-North American conference: abstract deadline Sept. 15

This is a final reminder that the deadline for receipt of abstracts for the Ninth Joint Meeting of North American and Bulgarian Scholars (BSA-BAN conference), which will be held at the University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA, May 31-June 2, 2012, is **SEPTEMBER 15, 2011**. The deadline will not be extended.

Both members in good standing of the Bulgarian Studies Association (BSA), and any other scholars who join the BSA at this time, are invited to submit individual abstracts for consideration for the conference, which is held in the US every 8 years. Individuals wishing to submit an abstract who are not BSA members at this time may register for membership at http://foreninger.uio.no/bsa/applicat.htm before submitting an abstract. Membership dues may be paid by PayPal at the website.

Papers may be in any discipline and on any topic related to Bulgaria. The abstract must not be longer than 300 words, and must not include the applicant's name or otherwise clearly identify the applicant. The abstract is to be submitted in PDF form, attached to a cover e-mail giving the abstract title and the applicant's full name and email address. The e-mail should be sent to the program committee
c/o vakarel@uoregon.edu. Applicants will receive an acknowledgement of their submissions once they are received and will be informed of the decisions of their abstracts by early November.

A refereed web-published conference proceedings volume is being planned.

Conference activities will include a welcoming reception and a farewell dinner, both with music, and an optional excursion on June 2 to Crater Lake or the Pacific Coast. The amount of conference registration fee will be announced at the BSA website
(http://logos.uoregon.edu/bulgarian/home/index.php) in early October, when the abstract decisions are announced.

For further information on the conference, which will be updated as it comes in, see http://logos.uoregon.edu/bulgarian/home/index.php. Please address any questions to BSA president Cynthia Vakareliyska at vakarel@uoregon.edu.

Albanian Studies program at the University of Munich risks closure

DREJT MBYLLJES - Peizazhe të fjalës: "Katedra e Albanologjisë në Universitetin e Mynihut rrezikon t’i mbyllë dyert, për arsye pas gjase financimi dhe burokratike.

Këtë katedër, ku kanë dhënë mësim në të shkuarën Martin Camaj dhe Wilfried Fiedler, e drejton tani Bardhyl Demiraj, ndoshta albanologu shqiptar më i shquar i brezit të vet.

Në mediat po qarkullon një thirrje, e sinqertë, që autoritetet shtetërore në Shqipëri dhe në Kosovë të mos e lënë katedrën të mbyllet, duke ia siguruar të paktën mbështetjen financiare."

Symposium Call For Papers

THE FIRST FREEDOMS:
MIHAJLOV'S QUEST
FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
HILTON, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, USA, August 4-7, 2011

http://www.jis3.org/symposium2011.htm

All friends, colleagues, students, and admirers of Mihajlo Mihajlov (1934-2010) are cordially invited to participate in a re-assessment of his life, work, and legacy whose significance reaches well beyond Tito's Yugoslavia, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. Mihajlov's quest for democracy and human rights is an inspiration for all who strive for an open society, pluralism, and tolerance. An indefatigable human rights champion, Mihajlov's example contributed to the rise of dissent, civic culture, and civil society which ushered in momentous changes culminating in the peaceful revolution in Eastern Europe and the demise of Soviet rule. Mihajlov's first freedoms–speech, thought, press, assembly, association, philosophical, political and religious persuasion--remain a continuing challenge, East and West, North and South. Curiously, Mihajlov's thought offers a conceptual bridge between Westernizers and Slavophiles, while his universalism helped him befriend dissidents of all ethnic groups. Indeed, Mihajlov's was a universal message of individual freedom and social justice. His undogmatic spirituality and central conception of human dignity drew on Russian religious philosophy. The question arises: Can the quest for global democracy and basic human rights and freedoms be realized in a world of competing socio-economic, political, and ethno-national interests and ideologies? Can equality be reconciled with liberty? And, can science and technology be harnessed to serve, rather than enslave, humanity?

KEYNOTE: "MIHAJLO MIHAJLOV: HOMELAND IS FREEDOM"
Maria M. Ivusic, Washington (Mihajlo's Sister & Translator)

International Journal of Balkan Policy Research

The new International Journal of Balkan Policy Research (IJBPR) is a double-blinded peer-reviewed Journal published by Universum University College in Kosovo with the financial support of the US Embassy in Kosovo and the US State Department.

It is edited by an International Editorial Board (please see below) which consists of prominent Academics, Scholars and Practitioners from the field and led by the Editor-in-Chief Dr. Adrian Treacher from the University of Sussex in the UK.

IJBPR is a gateway to key policy research on the Western Balkan region and individual countries. Of interest to policy-makers, scholars, and readers of Western Balkan affairs, it aims to address theoretically-informed and empirically-tested economic, legal and political issues which directly shape policy and attitudes in the region.

The review process ensures that the academic quality of the published articles is approved by experienced scholars/practitioners from the relevant field.

Call for Papers

With the purpose to promote comprehensive research and policy options in the Western Balkans, IJBPR invites scholars, researchers, public policy practitioners, and graduate students at advanced stages of research, to submit papers to be published in the first issue of the Journal in November 2011 or in subsequent issues.

Deadline for submission of Abstract Proposals: July 15, 2011
Deadline for submission of Full Paper: September 15, 2011
All contributions together with a short biography of the author(s) should be sent by email to editor@balkanpolicyjournal.net.

Guidelines for Authors

Articles submitted to IJBPR should be double-spaced, be in Times New Roman 12-point font and have a margin of 1.5 inch on both sides. The numbering of pages, tables and figures is required. Tables and figures, besides being set in the text, should be provided separately to the Editor. Every table and/or figure should have a title or header, as to show its function within the article's context.

Articles should also have a title as well as the author(s) name(s), affiliation(s) and highest academic qualification where applicable. In addition, an abstract of up to 200 words should be submitted. The name(s) and other details of the author(s) will be deleted by the Editor, prior to the paper being sent for peer-review.

Referencing system: the IJBPR recommends and encourages that its authors use the University of Chicago Style B system of referencing. For more information on citations click here.

Editorial Team
Editor in-chief:
Dr. Adrian Treacher, University of Sussex, UK

Managing Editor:
Alejtin Berisha, Universum University College, Kosovo

Editorial Board:
Prof. Franz-Lothar Altmann, State University of Bucharest, Romania

Prof. Edna Andrews, Duke University, USA

Prof. Margaret Beissinger, Princeton University, USA

Kujtese Bejtullahu-Michalopoulos, Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland

Prof. Horst Brezinski, University of Freiberg, Germany

Prof. David Chandler, University of Westminster, UK

Prof. Lenard Cohen, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Prof. Rory Conces, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA

Prof. László Csaba, CEU and Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary

Dr. Anna Di Lellio, New School University, USA

Prof. Donald Dyers, University of Mississippi, USA

Dr. Arolda Elbasani, Wissenschaftszentrum fur Sozialforschung, Germany

Dr. Adam Fagan, Queen Mary, University of London, UK

Prof. Kevin Featherstone, London School of Economics, UK

Prof. Danica Fink Hafner, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Prof. Tom Gallagher, formerly with the University of Bradford, UK

Dr. Josip Glaurdic, University of Cambridge, UK

Dr. Eric Gordy, SSEES UCL, UK

Dr. Bersant Hobdari, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

Prof. Leslie Holmes, University of Melbourne, Australia

Dr. Soeren Keil, University of Kent, UK

Dr. James Korovilas, University of the West of England, UK

Prof. Satoshi Mizobata, University of Kyoto, Japan

Dr. Klejda Mulaj, University of Exeter, UK

Prof. Neill Nugent, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and College of Europe, Belgium

Dr. Dimitris Papadimitriou, University of Manchester, UK

Prof. Slavo Radosevic, SSEES, UCL, UK

Prof. Xavier Richet, University Sorbonne Nouvelle, France & CEFC-CNRS, Hong Kong

Prof. Marcello Signorelli, University of Perugia, Italy

The Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History

The Reginald Zelnik book prize is for any genre of history and does include Eastern and Central Europe as well as Eurasian studies. The deadline for submission is May 6.

Rules of eligibility for the Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History competition are as follows:

• The copyright date inside the book must list the previous calendar year as the date of publication (the book must have been published in 2010 to be eligible for the 2011 competition)
• The book must be originally in the form of a monograph, preferably by a single author, or by no more than two authors
• Authors may be of any nationality as long as the work is originally published in English
• Works may deal with any area of Russia, Eastern Europe, or Eurasia
• The competition is open to works of scholarship in history
• Textbooks, collections, translations, bibliographies, and reference works are ineligible

Nominating Instructions
Send one copy of eligible monograph to each Committee member (see addresses below) AND to the ASEEES main office. Nominations must be received no later than May 6, 2011.

Submissions should be clearly marked "Reginald Zelnik Book Prize Nomination." If you would like to receive an acknowledgment that your nomination was received please enclose with the copy mailed to the ASEEES main office a note with your e-mail address or a self-addressed stamped envelope or a postcard.

Henry Reichman, California State University East Bay; Committee Chair, 2009-2012
(mailing address):
Henry Reichman
1507 Beverly Place
Albany, CA 94706

Alice Freifeld, University of Florida; 2009-2011
(mailing address):
Alice Freifeld
Department of History
University of Florida
POB 117320
Gainesville, Florida 32611-8525

Marianne Kamp, University of Wyoming; 2009-2011

(mailing address):
Marianne Kamp
University of Wyoming
Department of History, Dept 3198
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, WY 82071

New Book: Theodora Dragostinova, Between Two Motherlands

Cornell University Press

http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=9922

Between Two Motherlands
Nationality and Emigration among the Greeks of Bulgaria, 1900-1949
Theodora Dragostinova
978-0-8014-4945-1
45.00

In 1900, some 100,000 people living in Bulgaria—2 percent of the
country’s population—could be described as Greek, whether by
nationality, language, or religion. The complex identities of the
population—proud heirs of ancient Hellenic colonists, loyal citizens
of their Bulgarian homeland, members of a wider Greek diasporic
community, devout followers of the Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul,
and reluctant supporters of the Greek government in Athens—became
entangled in the growing national tensions between Bulgaria and Greece
during the first half of the twentieth century.

In Between Two Motherlands, Theodora Dragostinova explores the
shifting allegiances of this Greek minority in Bulgaria. Diverse
social groups contested the meaning of the nation, shaping and
reshaping what it meant to be Greek and Bulgarian during the slow and
painful transition from empire to nation-states in the Balkans. In
these decades, the region was racked by a series of upheavals (the
Balkan Wars, World War I, interwar population exchanges, World War II,
and Communist revolutions). The Bulgarian Greeks were caught between
the competing agendas of two states increasingly bent on establishing
national homogeneity.

Based on extensive research in the archives of Bulgaria and Greece, as
well as fieldwork in the two countries, Dragostinova shows that the
Greek population did not blindly follow Greek nationalist leaders but
was torn between identification with the land of their birth and
loyalty to the Greek cause. Many emigrated to Greece in response to
nationalist pressures; others sought to maintain their Greek identity
and traditions within Bulgaria; some even switched sides when it
suited their personal interests. National loyalties remained fluid
despite state efforts to fix ethnic and political borders by such
means as population movements, minority treaties, and stringent
citizenship rules. The lessons of a case such as this continue to
reverberate wherever and whenever states try to adjust national
borders in regions long inhabited by mixed populations.

Theodora Dragostinova is Assistant Professor of History at The Ohio
State University.