Conference of the Society for Romanian Studies, Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, 2-4 July 2012‏

Call for Papers for the Conference of the Society for Romanian Studies (SRS)

Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, 2-4 July 2012

SRS is an international inter-disciplinary academic organization based in North America. For information about SRS visit www.society4romanianstudies.org.

Europeanization and Globalization: Romanians in Their Region and the World

More than two decades after the fall of communism and several years after Romania’s

accession to the European Union, Romanians, whether at home, in a growing diaspora around  the world, or by virtue of international economic and cultural networks, are continuing to find themselves integrated into increasingly interconnected European and global institutions and practices. This gradual process of integration into international networks and interaction with foreign powers has been underway for centuries. States that occupied the territory of contemporary Romania and Moldova came under the influence of more powerful neighbors, and stood at the crossroads of both warlike and peaceful migrations. At one point most Romanian boyars spoke Greek, and in the 19th century Romanian students often studied abroad as they are again doing today. In the 1920s and 30s, ethnic and religious diversity contributed both to Europeanization and to domestic and international tensions.  Then, the Soviet model played a major role in the imposition of communism. The proposed focus of the 2012 SRS conference encourages historical, cultural and contemporary inquiries into the place of Romanians and Moldovans in European and global structures, while pondering the implications of these trends for the future.

We welcome proposals for papers, panels and round-tables coming from young and

established scholars working in history, sociology, anthropology, political science, philosophy, law, linguistics, economics, business, religious studies, theater, literature, cinema studies, music, and education. Possible topics might include, but are not limited to:

Romania and the European Union

“Europe’s,” Russia’s, and Romania’s roles in the Republic of Moldova

The social, political, and ideological implications of globalization in Romania and

Moldova

Migration and diaspora within Europe, North America, etc.

Consequences of EU accession

Challenges to European and global integration

Romanian writers abroad

Romanian literature in translation

The global reception of Romanian cinema, literature and art 

The Romanian/Jewish avant-garde in Zurich, Paris, Berlin

Multinational enterprises in modern Romania and Moldova

Minority cultures in Romania and Moldova (Roma, German, Hungarian, Jewish, Russian,

Ukrainian, Gagauz et al.)

The construction of a European memory

Romanian and Moldovan culture in the digital age

The Romanian language mass media system in the panoply of world media models

Journalism and political parallelism

New and old forms of censorship and self-censorship

Romanians’ and Moldovans’ historical encounters with “others”

The image of the Roma/Jew/Hungarian/German among Romanians

Paper proposals should include the title of the presentation, a brief abstract of up to 500

words, a short c.v., and the contact information of the presenter. They should be sent in a single attached Word document by December 1, 2011, to Matthew Ciscel at CiscelM@ccsu.edu.

Proposals for 2-hour panels including 3-4 papers, one chair, and 1-2 discussants should provide a description of the panel topic, abstracts of papers, short c.v.’s and contact information for all participants. Panel participants should be drawn from at least two different universities. 2-hour round-tables of 3-5 participants will also be considered. Participants will be notified of the acceptance of their proposal by January 30, 2012.