by Mel O’Brien
Quite a few very interesting conferences dealing with genocide-related topics are upcoming in 2011 and 2012. Following is information about a conference in March 2011, calls for papers for conferences later in 2011 and in 2012, and a call for articles for publication in a conference proceedings. I will be giving a paper at the IAGS conference in July, so look forward to meeting anyone who will be attending that. My paper will be on external influences, such as interviewing techniques, on guilt admissions by génocidaires.
Upcoming Conference- Forgotten Genocides: Silence, Memory, Denial
March
28-29, 2011
Rutgers
University, Newark
Bergen
Community College
Conference Hosts: Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights (Rutgers University, Newark); and Centre for Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation (Bergen Community College). This event is supported by the Bergen Community College Foundation and The Rutgers Newark Alumni Association
When people think of genocide, certain cases
remain exemplary, first and foremost the Holocaust. A perusal of book
publications, course syllabi, and popular discourse suggests a cannon of
cases: the Armenian genocide, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Darfur, the
Holocaust, and Rwanda. Historically, however, there are many cases of
genocide, ranging from mass killings in antiquity through the slaughter
of indigenous peoples, which are rarely described as genocide if they
are remembered at all. In other situations, largely forgotten genocides,
such as the Armenian and Ukrainian cases, suddenly emerge into the
foreground. Drawing on a range of these “forgotten genocides” as well as
relevant bodies of theory, the participants in this interdisciplinary
conference will explore both cases of forgotten genocide and the reasons
for such forgettings as well as their occasional sudden remembrances.
In exploring forgotten genocides, participants will also be concerned
with examining issues of memory, representation, denial, truth,
memorialization, generational transmission, state ideology and
silencing, definition, and diaspora.
Further information on the CGHR website.
Call for Papers- Genocide: Truth, Memory, Justice, and Recovery (IAGS 2011)
Over the last two decades, the field of genocides has rapidly
proliferated. To date, however, the field has not fully addressed the
aftermaths of genocide, including the ways in which post-conflict
societies negotiate issues of truth and memory and seek justice and
recovery.
This focus of the 2011 conference in Buenos Aires is particularly
appropriated given the venue, Argentina, and the fact that this will be
the first IAGS conference ever held in Latin America. During the 1980s
and 1990s, the phrase “truth, memory, and justice” became key watchwords
of resistance and resilience. Despite periodic attempts to focus one of
these issues alone (for example, seeking truth instead of justice),
many people in Latin America have and continue to insist that only the
three pillars together enable individual and social recovery from
collective terror. Truth, Memory, and Justice, are the preconditions for
the fourth pillar, Recovery.
IAGS and CEG-UNTREF welcome papers on all aspects of genocide
studies, devoted to the theme of our 9th Biennial conference; “Genocide:
Truth, Memory, Justice, and Recovery.” Innovative panels, workshops,
and papers that consider the dynamics, causes, and consequences of
genocide, issues of memory and representation, the role of justice and
truth in post-conflict societies and the paths to individual and
collective recovery will be appreciated. Besides panels and papers,
organizers encourage other modes of dialogue, including workshops,
roundtable discussions, book presentations, cultural media, and artistic
works/readings, including forums that relate to policy initiatives,
pedagogy, and education related to the history and prevention of
genocide. Genocide studies cover a wide range of approaches and
theories. Scholars, practitioners, activists, and teachers interested in
genocide studies from all disciplines are encouraged to apply, as are
graduate students working in the field.
Papers (abstracts should include your name, affiliation, and e-mail
address and be no more than 250 words and single-spaced in 12-point
Times New Roman font) will be accepted on a rolling basis either in
English or Spanish language and should be submitted through the IAGS conference registration form. See the IAGS website for further information; call for papers. Deadline for submissions: 15 March 2011.
Call for Papers- Preventing Genocide: Root Causes and Coping Strategies
UCSIA is organising an international workshop on the topic of genocide, root causes and coping strategies on November 24th-25th 2011 at the University of Antwerp, Belgium.
The
organisation committee, composed of the Academic Director of UCSIA,
Christiane Timmerman and project promoters Marc Bossuyt, professor
emeritus international law at the University of Antwerp, member of the
Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and judge at the Belgian
Constitutional Court, professor Stephan Parmentier, Coordinator,
Research Line on Political Crimes, Human Rights and Human Security,
Leuven Institute of Criminology (LINC), Faculty of Law, K.U.Leuven and
Bert Ingelaere, collaborator, anthropological research on the Rwandan
genocide, Institute of Development Policy and Management, University of
Antwerp, has established the programme.
The deadline for submission of applications is set for May 15th 2011.
Candidates should send in the completed application form, accompanied
by an academic curriculum vitae and an outline of the proposed paper.
The selection of participants will be communicated before mid-June. Full call for papers available here.
The
organizer takes on charge all costs pertaining to participation and
stay in Antwerp of all selected participants, while travel arrangements
and costs are incumbent on participants themselves.
The
selected participant will present her/his paper in a panel session (20
minutes in English) and will afterwards send in an article to be
considered for publication (which will be submitted to careful
selection). The aim of the organizer is to publish a selection of
articles presented at the workshop.
Call for Articles/Texts- Nazi Ideology and Ethics
As a follow up to a conference on „Nazi Ideology and Ethics“ that took
place in Dresden, November 2010 we are looking for additional texts to
be published in the conference proceedings.
The conference looked into competing and complimentary explanations for
morally relevant (contested) behaviour during the reign of Nazism and
examined the ideological and ethical arguments used to justify Nazi
racial politics as morally acceptable. It explored the moral
considerations and justifications of Nazi perpetrators and the cultural,
political and religious ramifications of their actions, including the
role of ideological indoctrination, group dynamics and personal motives
and interests. Philosophical and ethical considerations were combined
with studies of individual and institutional cases of moral challenges.
In particular, we are looking for papers on the following subjects (subjects open to modification):
Jewish ethics as the target of Nazi anti-Semitism
The ethical code of the SS
Working through the moral catastrophe of Nazism: Ethical responses to Nazism in the immediate post-War period
The response of post-Holocaust ethics to Nazism and the Shoah
Nazi Ethics in Gender Perspective
Deadline for submissions: June 2011
Length: up to 10.000 words
Language: English or German
For further information please contact
Dr. Wolfgang Bialas
bialas@hait.tu-dresden.de
Call for Papers- The Trial of Adolf Eichmann: Retrospect and Prospect
September 9-11, 2012
Conference at the Monk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
Sponsors: University of Toronto and the German Historical Institute Washington
Conveners:
Doris Bergen (University of Toronto), Michael Marrus (University of
Toronto), Derek Penslar (University of Toronto), Rebecca Wittmann
(University of Toronto), and Richard F. Wetzell (German Historical
Institute, Washington DC)
Coinciding with its fiftieth anniversary, this conference will examine
the origins, course and implications of the trial of Adolf Eichmann,
captured by the Israelis in Argentina in May 1960, brought before the
Jerusalem District Court in April 1961, sentenced, and finally hanged in
May 1962. Our goal is to assess the very considerable scholarship
conducted on the subject over the years, to assemble leading authorities
and showcase new research, and also to review the legal significance of
the trial, particularly the doctrine of universal jurisdiction as one
of its main contributions to the evolution of international law. Key
scholars from Europe, Israel, and North America have already made
preliminary commitments to participate.
Extending over two
years, the Eichmann Trial was an electrifying event in Israeli society
and a significant contributor globally both to understanding the
Holocaust and to the development of international law. The trial also
occasioned considerable debate and gave new prominence to what was only
just becoming known as "the Holocaust." In this regard, the trial became
a focal point for what was subsequently denoted as a "coming to terms
with the Holocaust." Our conference intends to examine just how
effectively and with what lasting results this "coming to terms"
transpired. We will look at the trial itself and its historical context,
but also consider the legal, historical and cultural perspectives such
as the evolution of war crimes proceedings, the role of broadcast media,
and the transformation of historical consciousness about the Holocaust.
We plan to assemble researchers who have thought and written
about the Eichmann Trial from many different vantage points, in order to
engage with one another. Our academic organizing team includes
Professors Doris Bergen, Michael Marrus, Derek Penslar, and Rebecca
Wittmann (all of the University of Toronto) and Richard F. Wetzell
(German Historical Institute, Washington DC).
The organizers hope
to cover expenses for travel and accommodation for those who will be
presenting papers. We are seeking proposals to do so from specialists
internationally. Our intention is to circulate papers beforehand for
commentary and discussion. We are particularly interested in hearing
from younger scholars whose work relates to our subject.
Kindly email your proposals, which should be no more than 300 words, together with a short (max. 2-page) curriculum vitae, to
Ms. Baerbel ThomasThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
before July 30, 2011. Please write
"Eichmann Conference" in the subject line and attach your proposal and
c.v. as a combined file, preferably in pdf format. Applicants will be
notified by September 2011. More information on the GHI Website.