From: Andreas Umland

CfP: 'Regional identities under dictatorship and democracy in East
Central Europe', Berlin 18.-20.4.2012
European Network Remembrance and Solidarity, Warsaw; in cooperation
with Federal Institute for Culture and History of Germans in Eastern
Europe, Oldenburg; German Association for East European Studies,
Berlin; Johann Gottfried Herder Research Council, Marburg; Nation´s
Memory Institute, Bratislava 18.-20.04.2012, Berlin, Embassy of the
Slovak Republic Deadline: 30.11.2011

The conference will focus on particular cultural and historical
factors for the formation of identities and on the current identity
discourses with their regional codes since 1945. For an analysis it
seems to be appropriate to compare regions still present in memory as
well as suppressed ones and nowadays rediscovered historical regions
such as Galicia, Prussia, Silesia, Zips, Transylvania and Banat. The
demarcation of borders and the divisions that these regions
experienced in the 20th century stimulate a transnationally
orientated view on differing national historical narratives.

The conference is divided into three parts according to subjects and
chronology.

1. Deconstruction of regions - political and social structural
fracturing The regions in East Central Europe have experienced major
changes as a result of World War II. New borders, new political and
social systems and above all the loss of ethnic variety caused by the
Holocaust as well as by differently motivated migration and
translocation of certain groups of population affected radically the
lives of individuals and societies. Questions here included are:
Which strategies for the political reorganization of regions did the
communist rulers pursue? How have these interventions "from above"
affected historical areas and their populations? What were the social
relations between people of different backgrounds? How did
integration and assimilation of the newcomers, their adaptation to
the new environment and to the geographical, climatic, social and
cultural characteristics of a region proceed?

2. Continuities and discontinuities - mobility and regional awareness
The forced process of industrialization and structural changes in
agriculture were connected with dynamic social changes and migration
from rural areas to cities. Especially in the socialist states of
East Central Europe regional differences and particularities were
steadily or more or less explicitly pushed into the background,
regional awareness was undermined and even suppressed by the
centralized state. Yet, historically grown regional awareness
continued to exist and could develop socio-political pressure in the
late socialist societies. In this context the following questions are
of vital interest: Did the communist authorities tolerate, maintain
or promote regional cultural traditions? What was the scope of self-
determined action for the local ruling elites? To what extent did
migration from rural areas to cities, social changes and the
atheistic state doctrine affect religious and traditional customs
(loyalty versus disloyalty to the ruling authorities)? How did
regional identities develop in cities in comparison to rural regions?
What kind of relevant connecting factors did a stable peasant culture
offer to the preservation of regional cultural heritage?

3. Renaissance or construction of regional awareness? Inspite of
political pressure the regions of Eastern Europe have preserved
various elements of their historically grown identity, new elements
have been added, old identities redefined after 1989. More than
twenty years after the peaceful revolution it is interesting to see
how regional awareness has been shaped over the last two decades,
especially that of the younger generation. How significant are
remembrance and maintenance of the culture and history (including
that of the Germans), early multi-ethnicity and other elements in the
different regions of Eastern Europe? Have former conflicts been
revitalized, e.g. by regional autonomy efforts? Which features of
identity are remembered, which are suppressed? What role does the
material cultural heritage play for shaping identities in the region?
What is the significance of historico-cultural locational factors in
the competition among the regions (e.g. the annual choice of the
European capital of culture and its visibility)?

Speaking time shall not exceed 20 minutes. Conference languages are
English and German.

Please send us an abstract (approx. 2400 characters) of your
(unpublished) exposé and a short CV until 30th November 2011.

A publication of the papers is planned.

Please send your proposals by email to:
Dr. Gabriele Freitag and Dr. Burkhard Olschowsky
freitag@dgo-online.org,Burkhard.Olschowsky@enrs.eu