Thursday, December 17, 2015
March 11 application deadline for Trans-Atlantic Summer Institute (TASI) 2016 to be co-taught by Professor Bernt Schnettler and CHGS Director Alejandro Baer
Trans-Atlantic Summer Institute (TASI) 2016
Reframing Mass Violence in Europe and the Americas: The Holocaust & Global Memory Constellations
June 12-19, 2016, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Graduate Student Fellowship Program
Application deadline: Friday, March 11, 2016
This Summer Institute’s objective is to explore the particular developments and transnational entanglements of memory discourses in societies revisiting their legacies of large-scale political violence. This entails processes of re-interpretation, renaming and reframing of a) the atrocities themselves and b) the (often questioned) transitional justice mechanisms that were adopted in their aftermaths. We place special emphasis on the analyses of practices, rituals and social events that help creating, supporting and disseminating social memories related to mass violence.
For more information see the CGES website.
Presented by the Center for German & European Studies at the University of Minnesota, which is funded by the University of Minnesota and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), in cooperation with Universität Bayreuth (Germany).
Friday, November 20, 2015
Call for Applications: Deadline February 14
UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
New Directions in the Use of Oral Testimonies:
Soviet Experiences of the Holocaust
August 1-12, 2016
Washington, D.C.
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum invites applications for a workshop focused on the use of testimony in the study of the Holocaust in the former Soviet Union, to be held from August 1-12, 2016 at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
This workshop will bring together scholars whose work relies heavily upon oral and written testimonies of perpetrators, bystanders, and victims of the Holocaust on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Participants from North America and the states of the former Soviet Union will discuss research strategies and some of the central issues surrounding the use of testimonies in their work. Discussions will be prompted by pre-circulated synopses of participants’ research agendas, with a focus on their application of testimony to their wider projects. During the workshop, participants also will have the opportunity to engage with the many thousands of oral history testimonies available at the Museum, which include those of the USC Shoah Foundation and Yahad-In Unum. These records are but part of the Museum’s more than 210 million pages of archival material, which includes more than 15 million pages of microfilmed, digitized, and paper documents from the former Soviet Union. The program will culminate in a public presentation by the participants, in which they will discuss current issues and future directions in the use of testimony in research and in the teaching of the topic of the Holocaust in the former Soviet Union.
In addition to scholars from North American institutions of higher education, the Museum welcomes applications from Ph.D. students and scholars at universities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Please note that we are accepting applications from these areas only. Applicants should articulate clearly how they use testimony in their research.
Applications must be submitted in English and include: (1) an online application form; (2) a current curriculum vitae; and (3) a maximum 1000-word summary of the applicant’s current research topic. For details, see the application form available at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jTKrCoycZir2R1yHhU0Cr9GhtOTtdJEoa-AojuF5-es/viewform.
Application materials may be sent by email attachment to Dr. Daniel Newman, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: danewman@ushmm.org. All application materials must be received by February 14, 2016. We will notify applicants regarding acceptance by March 1.
Participants must be in attendance each day of the workshop. Workshop sessions will be conducted in English. Participants will be required to submit a research proposal of 8 to 10 pages in English for pre-circulation by June 30, 2016.
Accepted applicants will receive (1) a stipend toward the cost of direct travel to and from each participant’s home institution and Washington, D.C.; (2) shared lodging for the workshop’s duration; and (3) a stipend toward the cost of meals, local transit, luggage surcharges, and other incidental expenses, which will be distributed after the workshop’s conclusion via international wire transfer. It is the sole responsibility of each participant to acquire the appropriate visa to enter the United States and to pay any costs associated with securing that visa.
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
New Directions in the Use of Oral Testimonies:
Soviet Experiences of the Holocaust
August 1-12, 2016
Washington, D.C.
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum invites applications for a workshop focused on the use of testimony in the study of the Holocaust in the former Soviet Union, to be held from August 1-12, 2016 at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
This workshop will bring together scholars whose work relies heavily upon oral and written testimonies of perpetrators, bystanders, and victims of the Holocaust on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Participants from North America and the states of the former Soviet Union will discuss research strategies and some of the central issues surrounding the use of testimonies in their work. Discussions will be prompted by pre-circulated synopses of participants’ research agendas, with a focus on their application of testimony to their wider projects. During the workshop, participants also will have the opportunity to engage with the many thousands of oral history testimonies available at the Museum, which include those of the USC Shoah Foundation and Yahad-In Unum. These records are but part of the Museum’s more than 210 million pages of archival material, which includes more than 15 million pages of microfilmed, digitized, and paper documents from the former Soviet Union. The program will culminate in a public presentation by the participants, in which they will discuss current issues and future directions in the use of testimony in research and in the teaching of the topic of the Holocaust in the former Soviet Union.
In addition to scholars from North American institutions of higher education, the Museum welcomes applications from Ph.D. students and scholars at universities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Please note that we are accepting applications from these areas only. Applicants should articulate clearly how they use testimony in their research.
Applications must be submitted in English and include: (1) an online application form; (2) a current curriculum vitae; and (3) a maximum 1000-word summary of the applicant’s current research topic. For details, see the application form available at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jTKrCoycZir2R1yHhU0Cr9GhtOTtdJEoa-AojuF5-es/viewform.
Application materials may be sent by email attachment to Dr. Daniel Newman, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: danewman@ushmm.org. All application materials must be received by February 14, 2016. We will notify applicants regarding acceptance by March 1.
Participants must be in attendance each day of the workshop. Workshop sessions will be conducted in English. Participants will be required to submit a research proposal of 8 to 10 pages in English for pre-circulation by June 30, 2016.
Accepted applicants will receive (1) a stipend toward the cost of direct travel to and from each participant’s home institution and Washington, D.C.; (2) shared lodging for the workshop’s duration; and (3) a stipend toward the cost of meals, local transit, luggage surcharges, and other incidental expenses, which will be distributed after the workshop’s conclusion via international wire transfer. It is the sole responsibility of each participant to acquire the appropriate visa to enter the United States and to pay any costs associated with securing that visa.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
March 11 Deadline: Bernard and Fern Badzin Graduate Fellowship in Holocaust and Genocide Studies
The University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Department of History invite applications from current doctoral students in the UMN College of Liberal Arts for the Bernard and Fern Badzin Graduate Fellowship in Holocaust and Genocide Studies for the academic year 2015-16.
The Badzin Fellowship will pay a stipend of $18,000, the cost of tuition and health insurance, and $1,000 toward the mandatory graduate student fees. All application materials must be received by the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies electronically at chgs@umn.edu, no later than 3:00 pm on Friday, March 11, 2016.
Eligibility:
An applicant must be a full-time student in a Ph.D. program in the College of Liberal Arts, currently enrolled in the first, second, third, or fourth year of study, and have a doctoral dissertation project in Holocaust and/or genocide studies.
The fellowship will be awarded on the basis of the quality and scholarly potential of the dissertation project, the applicant's quality of performance in the graduate program, and the applicant's general scholarly promise.
The Badzin Fellowship is an exclusive award. It may not be held concurrently with another award or teaching responsibilities.
Required application materials:
1) A letter of application (maximum 4 pages single-spaced) describing the applicant's intellectual interests and dissertation research and the research and/or writing which the applicant expects to do during the fellowship year
2) A current curriculum vitae for the applicant
3) An unofficial transcript of all graduate work done at the University of Minnesota
4) TWO confidential letters of recommendation from U of MN faculty, discussing the quality of the applicant's graduate work and dissertation project and the applicant's progress toward completing the degree, sent directly to the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
The Badzin Fellowship will pay a stipend of $18,000, the cost of tuition and health insurance, and $1,000 toward the mandatory graduate student fees. All application materials must be received by the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies electronically at chgs@umn.edu, no later than 3:00 pm on Friday, March 11, 2016.
Eligibility:
An applicant must be a full-time student in a Ph.D. program in the College of Liberal Arts, currently enrolled in the first, second, third, or fourth year of study, and have a doctoral dissertation project in Holocaust and/or genocide studies.
The fellowship will be awarded on the basis of the quality and scholarly potential of the dissertation project, the applicant's quality of performance in the graduate program, and the applicant's general scholarly promise.
The Badzin Fellowship is an exclusive award. It may not be held concurrently with another award or teaching responsibilities.
Required application materials:
1) A letter of application (maximum 4 pages single-spaced) describing the applicant's intellectual interests and dissertation research and the research and/or writing which the applicant expects to do during the fellowship year
2) A current curriculum vitae for the applicant
3) An unofficial transcript of all graduate work done at the University of Minnesota
4) TWO confidential letters of recommendation from U of MN faculty, discussing the quality of the applicant's graduate work and dissertation project and the applicant's progress toward completing the degree, sent directly to the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
HGMV Talk by Maria Hofmann (GSD) "Recent Genocide Documentaries between Return and Respite of Trauma"
Wednesday, December 9, 4:00 PM 710 Social Sciences
MARIA HOFMANN, German, Scandinavian & Dutch (UMN)
"Recent Genocide Documentaries between Return and Respite of Trauma"
Recent Genoc ide Documentar ies between Return and Respite of Trauma Documentary film has undergone a development in the past 15 years that complicates the notions of fact and fiction in this genre. These ostensibly binary opposites have been discussed extensively in the 1970s and 80s. The scholarly work of historian Hayden White and the contributions of Eva Hohenberger and others in regard to documentary film have revealed that any kind of narrativization of events (including in historiography and other non-fictional genres) is a form of mediation that employs similar strategies as fiction. This exposed the claim of an objective or true history as an unattainable ideal and an unmediated representation of reality as impossible. Despite these academic realizations, documentary filmmakers continue to treat their films as purely non-fictional, clearly delineating themselves and their work from fiction. One reason for this continuous adherence to a more traditional definition is the danger of relativization, of ultimately undermining any truth claim when the difference between fact and fiction is completely dismissed.
Recent documentary films, however, have started to embrace and welcome the similarities to fiction instead of forcefully denying their proximity. These films employ fictionalizations as their core strategy in order to address and reflect upon a media situation in which the medium itself has become precarious, and images have lost their immediate "evidentiary power" (Nichols).
MARIA HOFMANN, German, Scandinavian & Dutch (UMN)
"Recent Genocide Documentaries between Return and Respite of Trauma"
Recent Genoc ide Documentar ies between Return and Respite of Trauma Documentary film has undergone a development in the past 15 years that complicates the notions of fact and fiction in this genre. These ostensibly binary opposites have been discussed extensively in the 1970s and 80s. The scholarly work of historian Hayden White and the contributions of Eva Hohenberger and others in regard to documentary film have revealed that any kind of narrativization of events (including in historiography and other non-fictional genres) is a form of mediation that employs similar strategies as fiction. This exposed the claim of an objective or true history as an unattainable ideal and an unmediated representation of reality as impossible. Despite these academic realizations, documentary filmmakers continue to treat their films as purely non-fictional, clearly delineating themselves and their work from fiction. One reason for this continuous adherence to a more traditional definition is the danger of relativization, of ultimately undermining any truth claim when the difference between fact and fiction is completely dismissed.
Recent documentary films, however, have started to embrace and welcome the similarities to fiction instead of forcefully denying their proximity. These films employ fictionalizations as their core strategy in order to address and reflect upon a media situation in which the medium itself has become precarious, and images have lost their immediate "evidentiary power" (Nichols).
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Eye on Africa: Will we only care about Burundi if it is called a genocide?
by Wahutu Siguru
A few things have been happening in Burundi this year. The president, Pierre Nkuruzinza circumvented the constitution and ran for a third term. The result of this has been on-going conflict from April. Burundi was not a surprise though. Journalists I spoke to earlier this year all stated that regional coverage of Burundi had pointed to something being afoot as early as last year. None-the-less, here we are, with yet another unfolding atrocity, several deaths, an ever growing numbers of displaced and plenty of hand-wringing by the international community.
There are reports of massive numbers of refugees already running to Rwanda in anticipation of violence at a massive scale. A Kenyan journalist I spoke to in March painted a really grim picture of politicians getting ready to cause havoc. These concerns have now been confirmed by reports emanating from Burundi. The police are engaging in a campaign of brutal suppression of protesters. Several dissenting voices have been thrown in jail accused with the ever nefarious charge of "endangering internal and external state security." Protesters have been charged, by the state prosecution, with the offence of "participation in an insurrectionary movement." Not to forget the continual assassinations and assassination attempts by both sides of this unfolding atrocity.
Despite all of this though what is happening in Burundi is not genocide nor is Burundi going to be another Rwanda. Sometimes it feels as though every atrocity in Africa is often seen as the next Rwanda. This does not mean that the government in Burundi is not heinous nor is it in any way excusable. Indeed in May, the International Criminal Court saw it necessary to warn the Burundi’s leaders of possible prosecution should the court deem it necessary. While the word genocide is emotive and seen as necessary whenever world opinion needs to be influenced, it complicates the situation on the ground as well. In Burundi, this complication is been based on how to define the perpetrators and victims; if it’s a genocide, who is the targeted group and who exactly is the perpetrator of said genocide?
Friday, September 11, 2015
Minneapolis Film Society Screens Pretty Village
By Erma Nezirevic
On Saturday, October 17th, 2015, the Minneapolis Film Society screened Pretty Village at St. Anthony Main theater, a documentary depicting the experience of Kemal Pevranic and his village during the war in Bosnia (1992-95). Pevranic, the main subject of the film, is also the producer and a human rights activist who works to raise awareness and to rebuild his community in Bosnia by working on reconciliation efforts, particularly with young people of all three ethnicities in Bosnia. The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies co-sponsored the film screening event, in which I participated as the moderator of the post-screening discussion.
Pretty Village is a powerful documentary centered on Pevranic’s home village of Kevljani located in Northern Bosnia in the municipality of Prijedor. The Muslim village became a target during the war by the surrounding Serb villages. Most of the men in the village were either killed or taken into the nearby Omarska concentration camp. Labeled an “investigation center,” Omarska was only revealed as a concentration camp by the media after serious denial on the part of the Serb forces. In the film, we see Pevranic return to Omarska to face the horrific memories, as well as his torturer, who just so happened to have been his high school teacher. In the scene where Kemal directly asks the teacher about the camp, we see a kind of denial on the part of the perpetrator that just makes us cringe as we watch the hypocrisy in the interaction. It makes us wonder if facing one’s torturer cannot bring closure, what can? As one of the village residents and torture victim states in the film, hating one’s torturers can also become a kind of torture in itself, as it is exhausting to hate someone with such intensity.
On Saturday, October 17th, 2015, the Minneapolis Film Society screened Pretty Village at St. Anthony Main theater, a documentary depicting the experience of Kemal Pevranic and his village during the war in Bosnia (1992-95). Pevranic, the main subject of the film, is also the producer and a human rights activist who works to raise awareness and to rebuild his community in Bosnia by working on reconciliation efforts, particularly with young people of all three ethnicities in Bosnia. The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies co-sponsored the film screening event, in which I participated as the moderator of the post-screening discussion.
Pretty Village is a powerful documentary centered on Pevranic’s home village of Kevljani located in Northern Bosnia in the municipality of Prijedor. The Muslim village became a target during the war by the surrounding Serb villages. Most of the men in the village were either killed or taken into the nearby Omarska concentration camp. Labeled an “investigation center,” Omarska was only revealed as a concentration camp by the media after serious denial on the part of the Serb forces. In the film, we see Pevranic return to Omarska to face the horrific memories, as well as his torturer, who just so happened to have been his high school teacher. In the scene where Kemal directly asks the teacher about the camp, we see a kind of denial on the part of the perpetrator that just makes us cringe as we watch the hypocrisy in the interaction. It makes us wonder if facing one’s torturer cannot bring closure, what can? As one of the village residents and torture victim states in the film, hating one’s torturers can also become a kind of torture in itself, as it is exhausting to hate someone with such intensity.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Interview with Sam Grey, Fulbright Scholar
Written by Joe Eggers
This year, the University of Minnesota will be hosting Sam Grey, a Fulbright Scholar from Canada. Sam comes to campus to continue her research in the field of reconciliation, specifically in settler-colonial states. While in Minnesota, Sam will be exploring the resistance to reconciliation in Minnesota a century and a half after the Dakota conflict of 1862.
Coming from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Sam is well suited to exploring Minnesota’s relationship with its indigenous communities. Her doctoral research focuses on political theory and comparative politics, primarily from a non-western political perspective. Sam’s research interests have included, in addition to indigenous rights, gender equality, food politics and solidarity politics. As a Canadian scholar in Minnesota, Sam is in a unique position to compare Canada’s recently completed Truth and Reconciliation process with the United States’ own attempts to understand its own relationship with its indigenous population.
For context, the CanadianTruth & Reconciliation Commission issued its final findings in June after seven years of examining the legacy of the country’s residential school programs. Unlike other Truth & Reconciliation Commissions, Canada’s held no legal power, which meant that it couldn’t offer amnesty for alleged perpetrators of abuse at the residential schools in exchange for testimony. The result was a commission that primarily focused on recording victim experiences. Following the conclusion of hearings, the commission published an extensive report of its findings. The report outlined many of the challenges that indigenous people continue to face in Canada as a result of the residential schools and outlined a plan for reconciliation. Most famously, commissioner chair and Canadian Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin labelled the residential schoolsystem cultural genocide .
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