In
arguments about the current refugee crisis, East European heads of state have
repeatedly claimed that their countries have never been perceived as desirable destinations;
therefore, they shall never be such. We would like to take the occasion of the
2016 Annual Convention of the Leibniz Graduate School at the Herder Institute
for Historical Research on East Central Europe to investigate this claim.
“The
Knowledge Factor” offers an opportunity to discuss the history of refugees in, not
from, Eastern Europe and the role knowledge inherent to or associated with refugees
has played in the interaction with host societies. The focus lies on the twentieth
century from the Balkan Wars of 1912 until its ultimate end in 2001.
For the
purpose of this convention, we consider a refugee a person who
involuntarily
had to leave home due to political persecution, war, violence,
breakdown
of a political and social order as well as natural catastrophes. We are interested
in the region that was once considered the Eastern bloc, i.e. East Central Europe
and the successor states of the Soviet Union. Papers should interrogate the perception,
integration, and adaptation of professional, scholarly, scientific, artistic and
cultural knowledge and skills. They are not limited to but should seek answers
to such questions as:
• When
and why is knowledge specific to refugees appreciated, adapted or
dismissed?
Under which circumstances are refugees recognized – formally and informally –
as professionals and experts? Which policies are enacted to deal with such
recognition? In how far do these policies reflect geopolitical, ilogical and
cultural concept
• How do
relations and interactions with the majority society impact the
knowledge
of refugees? How did the understanding of knowledge of and by refugees change
between their departure and arrival in the host country? To what extent, for
instance, were intellectuals seen as ‘native informants’ about their countries
and regions of origin, disregarding the professional knowledge and expertise
they had brought with them?
• What
strategies do refugees pursue to integrate their knowledge into, adopt practices
from or guard it against the majority society? How does knowledge allow
refugees to maintain or advance their social status? And, by the same token,
when does their refugee status disadvantage them regardless of level of skills
and knowledge?
• What
are the trajectories of interaction of the refugee knowledge with the knowledge
of different groups in the host countries? Does this interaction take place in
preexisting spaces or produce new ones?
• Under
which circumstances does the refugee knowledge challenge accepted norms,
stereotypes and prejudices in their host society? What does the interaction
between the majority and refugees say about preexisting knowledge and its
norms?
Critical
analyzes should emphasize the historical dimension of this topic; the conference
aspires to contribute to the history of science, post-colonial studies, and the
socio-political as well as cultural history of the twentieth century. Whereas
case studies should focus on Eastern Europe as destination and host country, we
explicitly welcome papers on the global entanglements of the region and the
inherent interdependence of its composing parts.
PhD
students and Post-doctoral scholars are encouraged to apply.
The
Herder Institute provides accommodation; travel expenses will be partially
or fully reimbursed. Participants, particularly from North America, are encouraged
to seek additional funding.
