Call for Papers

[Tony Qualin]

Call for Papers

The Russian Language and Area Studies Program at Texas Tech University
announces a conference on "Society, Language, and Culture in Post-Communist
Russia, the Other Former Republics of the Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe."

The demise of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe has ushered
in a mass of changes in nearly every aspect of the lives of the people in
these nations.  There have been changes not only in the political system,
but also in the way the people of these nations lead their everyday lives
and perceive their place in the world.  The fall of communism has altered
the way the people in former communist countries work, shop, rest, travel,
etc.  These changes in day-to-day life combined with the removal of state
control over literature and the press have affected the way the people of
these nations write and the way they read.  Profound differences in
language, style, and content can be found in the works of leading literary
figures and in the pages of any newspaper.  Similar changes have taken
place in other spheres of art and life.  How do the people of former
communist countries deal with decades of a communist cultural legacy?  Do
they attempt to return to their pre-communist heritage, hoping to adapt
these older cultural values to a modern world?  How do these nations deal
with the deluge of social , material and cultural imports from their
long-time capitalist foes?  How do they cope with the collision of
traditional, communist and mass culture and to what degree are elements of
each present in their culture today?

The conference will be held April 2-4, 1998 at Texas Tech University.
Depending upon our resources we hope to downlink the conference to other
sites around the nation.  We also hope to publish a volume of selected
papers from the conference.

Papers and panels from all disciplines and areas are welcome.  The deadline
for proposals is Jan. 15, 1998. Please address proposals on language to
Erin Collopy, proposals on literature to Anthony Qualin, and proposals on
society, politics, or culture to Lewis Tracy at:

Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas 70409-2071

Proposals will also be accepted by e-mail at:

Prof. Collopy (language): pveri at ttacs.ttu.edu
Prof. Qualin (literature): pvton at ttacs.ttu.edu
Prof. Tracy (society, politics, or culture): pvlew at ttacs.ttu.edu