Call for Papers
THE BALTICS AS AN INTERSECTION OF CIVILIZATIONAL IDENTITIES
Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
June 11-14, 2009
The Baltic region with its immensely rich and historically formed traditions of multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural cities, and also with the trajectories of consciousness that link this region to Northern, Western, Eastern, and Central Europe, has always been, and continues to be, the place of the intersection of civilizational identities. This region has been home for Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and modern Western cultures. The Baltics, unthinkable without and inseparable from its German, Scandinavian, Russian, Jewish, and Polish legacies, is a perfect place to analyze diversity in small countries at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Last but not least, the conference will take place in 2009, the year that marks the millennium of the first mention of Lithuania in European historical annals.
The conference will feature panels in the following disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas:
History, Memory and Identities
Political Science, International Relations and Law
Sociology, Anthropology, Gender Studies
Economics and Enviroment
Media, Communication and Technologies
Linguistics and Literature
Ethnology, Folklore and Religion
Philosophy, Culture and Arts
Advancing Baltic Studies
The conference aims at bringing together representatives of academic communities who share an interest in exploring the Baltic region from multiple perspectives. Baltic region studies are considered as a particular historical, political, linguistic, social, cultural and ideological contact zone where the meanings of identities, languages, and relationships are renegotiated.
Paper proposals should include:
Registration form and abstract of 500 words.
The conference programme will consist of invited plenary lectures, paper presentations, round table disscusions, and social events.
Selected papers will be published in one of the following publications: "The Journal of Baltic Studies", Routledge; "Darbai ir dienos", Vytautas Magnus University Press; "Regional Studies", Vytautas Magnus University Press.
Abstracts and registration form should be submitted by the 1st of February 2009.
Notification deadline – the 20th of February 2009.