CFP Environment, territory, mobility: 43rd Annual Conference of the Irish Association for Russian, Central and East European Studies

Jennifer Keating Announcement
Announcement Type
Call for Papers
Subject Fields
Eastern Europe History / Studies, Environmental History / Studies, Immigration & Migration History / Studies, Modern European History / Studies, Russian or Soviet History / Studies

Call for papers

ENVIRONMENT, TERRITORY, MOBILITY

The 43rd Annual International Conference of the Irish Association for Russian, Central and East European Studies

7-8 May 2020, University College Dublin

 

From the frontiers of empires to the Iron Curtain and the (re)definition of nation states, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia have long been defined by boundaries and borders. At the same time, the societies and communities of the region have deep and long-standing inter-relations - which often under-cut or at the very least, complicate, our notions of nationally bounded space - fostered for instance by shared experiences of empires; flows of people, objects and ideas; common environments; the political transformations of the twentieth century; and the intellectual umbrella of area studies. Exploring the theme ‘Environment, territory, mobility’, the 43rd Annual International Conference of IARCEES focuses on the ways in which the physical spaces of Russia, Eurasia and Central/Eastern Europe intersect with wider aspects of social, political, economic and cultural change. Attentive to the specificities of local places and contexts, while accommodating broader patterns and frames of analysis, we invite papers that address topics broadly associated with human-nature relationships; mobilities and migrations; and territorial identity, organisation and re-constitution. The conference is intended to contribute to the further growth of the field by opening up new avenues of research, both within and across disciplines, and by encouraging collaboration and intellectual exchange.

We invite proposals for individual papers, or preferably panels of three to four papers, and particularly encourage explorations of one – or more – of the following themes: 

  • Environmental histories of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia.
  • Natural resources and post-Communist transitions.
  • Environmental and territorial aspects of the (re)formation and break-up of empires and nation states.
  • Connections between identity and environment and/or territory.
  • Movements of people, materials, ideas and so forth between, within and beyond Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia.
  • Migrations and socio-political change.
  • Territories beyond the nation-state.
  • Borders and frontiers, past, present and future.
  • Imaginative, intellectual and cultural representations of environments and territories.
  • Comparative, regional, transnational and global perspectives on the conference theme.

Scholars from all disciplines and at all career stages are eligible to apply. We particularly encourage submissions from postgraduate students and early career academics, although regrettably cannot offer any financial support towards travel or accommodation in Dublin.

IARCEES strives to provide a forum for scholars of Russian, Central and East European Studies in Ireland and abroad. IARCEES members and academics from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and Russia, are particularly welcome to submit proposals, and a special section will be dedicated to showcasing the work of current IARCEES members, especially those based in Ireland, irrespective of fit with the conference theme.

Individual paper proposals should be no longer than 300 words (paper length 20 minutes). Panel proposals should include an overall rationale of up to 300 words, alongside short paper abstracts of 200 words, and a suggestion of a chair and/or discussant. Round table and book panel proposals are also welcome, and should follow the same structure. 

Further information regarding conference registration and schedule will be provided to participants upon acceptance. 

Please submit your paper or panel proposals, together with a biographical statement of up to 150 words for each presenter, to iarcees2020@gmail.com. The deadline for the submission of all proposals is 10th January 2020.   


For more information, please contact:
Dr Jennifer Keating, Assistant Professor of Modern East European History, University College Dublin, jennifer.keating@ucd.ie