Student Conference: Reckoning with the Past in Post-Dictatorial Societies, Romania

Deadline: 30 March 2011
Open to: students of social sciences,  political science, anthropology, sociology, and law
Costs: partial funding for travel and accommodation costs is needed
Venue: 13-14 May, Bucharest, Romania

The conference is organized in partnership with Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, The Policy Center for Roma and Minorities, Bucharest; Europe Direct CENTRAS, Bucharest.

About

The student conference organized by the Department of Political Science, University of Bucharest, in collaboration with the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (Bucharest) and Università di Bologna -Forlì ( the European project  Me 2 EU : From Memory to Europe), is an invitation to reflect upon the different choices and methods of reckoning with the past in post-dictatorial societies.

Original theoretical and empirical studies are welcome, individually or collectively conducted, which are able to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue on the following (but not restricted to) themes:

* Memory and democracy: Dealing with the recent past in post-communist European societies;
* Transitional justice mechanisms  and practices;
* The role of different socio-political actors in the enactment and enforcement of transitional justice mechanisms  and practices (political parties, civil society, historical commissions, etc.);
* Policies, practices, instruments, and institutions administering the relation with the recent past;
* Policies and politics of memory. The political stake in administering the recent past;
* Historical narratives about the recent past (in the public discourse, history handbooks, programs of political parties, jurisprudence, etc.)
* Memorials and lieux de mémoire;
* The nostalgia of the former regime. Explanations and interpretations;
* The status of minorities in post-dictatorial societies
* The relation between the legal systems of the former and current regimes:
* The problematic of the victim in transitional justice.

The conference will take place at the Political Science Department, University of Bucharest: 8, Spiru Haret Street, 010175, Bucharest (District 1), Romania.

Eligibility

Contributions of students are welcome, especially students  enrolled in the final years of BA and MA studies in social sciences: political science, anthropology, sociology, and law.

How to Apply

For participation, please submit an abstract (in English or French) of no more than 300 words, and a brief  CV  to fspubconference@gmail.com, by March 30 . Mention if partial funding for travel and accommodation costs is needed (currently available funding is very limited).

The selected papers (cca. 20, 000 – 25, 000 characters )  should be submitted by May 7th. The languages of the conference will be English and French. However, the final paper can be written in Romanian, English, or French.

 

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