Folklore Conference in Ukraine

[Natalie O. Kononenko]

Dear Seelangers,
        I am posting this message on behalf of Bill Noll, Lidia
Lykhack and Mykola Korienko.  I would appreciate it if you
would contact them directly for additional information,
registration forms, or whatever.  If you have problems getting
through to Ukraine or using the Belton, Missouri address, you
can use me as a fallback.  If you want me, you can contact me
at nkm at virginia.edu.

Natalie Kononenko

FOLKLORE CONFERENCE IN UKRAINE

The Kyiv based Center for the Study of Oral History and
Culture, the journal Rodovid, and the Cherkasy Ethnographic
Museum invite you to take part in an international conference
in Cherkasy, Ukraine as well as to conduct fieldwork (if you so
wish) in central Ukraine in August 1998.

The conference is "Problems in Oral History Research on East
European Villages of the 1920's- 1940's." It will take place
August 4-7, 1998 in the Cherkasy Ethnographic Museum.  An
optional additional activity is to conduct fieldwork in
villages under the guidance of local ethnographers of the
Center and the Museum.  Field trips begin August 8, the
duration of the fieldwork is up to the scholar and can continue
for as many days as you wish. Both the conference and the
fieldwork opportunity are geared to be of interest to
ethnographers of all stripes (anthropologists,
ethnomusicologists, sociologists) as well as to folklorists and
historians.

One of the most serious lacunae in Soviet era ethnography is
oral history: not only its collection but its interpretation as
well. What few oral history projects were undertaken were
seriously flawed by the ideological distortions of the time.
This was particularly true during the time period in question
when Stalinism made any but the blandest research project
impossible. From the 1950's to the 1980's little of lasting
interest was accomplished in this area, and only in the last
few years has competent research been undertaken. Thousands of
now elderly victims/participants still live in village Ukraine
who can speak to the specifics of this time period. Whatever
your area of specialization, if you have an interest in the
collection and interpretation of oral history, or if you have
experience in oral history/ethnography that touches on the
problems of this time period, we hope that you will consider
joining us in August. This includes those who have conducted
research in other parts of Eastern Europe and can offer a
comparative view to research undertaken in Ukraine. This is,
among other things, an opportunity for you to conduct
comparative research in village Ukraine.

Conference Schedule
The conference languages are Ukrainian and English. Papers
should be no more than twenty (20) minutes in length, with ten
minutes for questions and answers immediately after each
presentation. Interpreters will be available at the conference
and you may read your paper in English. In such a case we
request your English text in advance (by July 1) in order to
assist the interpreter. Such papers will be allowed up to
fifteen minutes extra (i.e., thirty-five minutes for your paper
with ten minutes for questions).

You should send a one page double spaced abstract of your paper
(either English or Ukrainian) to us along with your application
and registration payment. Please send to the USA Rodovid
address shown below. The abstracts will be published in the
conference prograrn and will be available before the conference
begins. Selected papers will later be published in Ukrainian in
the journal Rodovid.

The general conference schedule follows below. A more detailed
schedule will be available by July 1.August 4
Tuesday         arrival in Kyiv; transportation by car to
Cherkasy free of charge
August 5 Wednesday              plenary sessions, morning and
afternoon
August 6 Thursday               separate sessions, panels on:
a) changes in social structure and civil society of the time
        b) transformations in expressive culture
        c) repression of ethnographers and cultural activists
August 7 Friday         plenary session (morning) and excursion
(afternoon)
August 8 Saturday               transportation from Cherkasy to
Kyiv (free of charge)

or begin fieldwork project
If you wish to remain in Kyiv a longer time, we can assist you
in finding accommodations.

Accommodations in Cherkasy

Hotel accommodations cost from $45 to $90 per night (the former
for a double, the latter for a single room). Alternatively we
can place you in a private apartment for $20 a night (one or
two persons to an apartment: most apartments have only one
bed). One other option is to live with an English speaking
family for $20 a night per person. For no additional fee we
will pick you up at the Boryspil' airport in Kyiv and transport
you to Cherkasy, and later back to the airport.
Fieldwork Option
For those wishing to stay on and conduct fieldwork, this option
can begin the day after the conference - Saturday August 8 -
and last as many days as you wish. It costs $30 per day,
inclusive of all transportation, all meals, housing, and an
accompanying ethnographer from the Center or from the Museum.
if you require an interpreter the cost is an additional $10 per
day. The accompanying ethnographer will take you to
representative villages in Cherkasy Oblast'. Those intending to
conduct fieldwork should contact us with details as to your
research interests at least by July 1 (but the earlier the
better) in order for us to plan an itinerary for you. We have a
wide range of specialists who work in either or both the Center
and the Museum and we can accommodate most research requests.

Application: Registration Fee and Registration Form
Registration fee is $90 (USD only please). Please complete the
accompanying registration form and mail it with your one page
abstract and your registration fee of $90 to the USA address
immediately below. We need to receive your application no later
than July 10, 1998 in order to process it in due time. Please
make checks or money orders payable to "Rodovid," and send to:

Rodovid
18200 5. Mullen Road
Belton, MO 64012 USA

Other Fees and Payments
All other fees and charges for accommodations, etc. should be
paid in cash on-site in Ukraine (preferably either Ukrainian
hryvnia, US or Canadian dollars, or DM). We cannot accept in
Ukraine travelers checks, money orders, personal checks, or
credit cards.

Visa Requirements
Citizens of all states outside of Eastern Europe are required
to have a visa to enter Ukraine. We can furnish you with a
letter of invitation which you will need to acquire a visa.
Because visas can take up to two weeks to be processed, we must
have your request for the visa and your payment of the
registration fee no later than July 10, 1998. Upon payment we
will send you a letter of invitation. Please contact the
Ukrainian Embassy in your country for details on visa
applications.

If you have any questions, please contact either William Noll
of the Center or Lidia Lykhach of Rodovid in Kyiv at tel.Ifax
(+380-44) 295-4064 during normal office hours, or send a fax at
any time. Or you may contact us by E-mail:
pito at gonchar.freenet.kiev.ua

We look forward to hearing from you soon, and seeing you in K~v
and Cherkasy in August.


Sincerely, William Noll, Director, Center for the Study of Oral
History and Culture
Lidia Lykhach, Director, Rodovid
Mykola Kornienko, Research Director, Cherkasy Ethnographic
Museum

(The Registration Form is not included in this message.  Please
contact Natalie Kononenko at nkm at virginia.edu, or Rodovid at
the Belton, MO address.)