Association for Belarusian Studies

[curt fredric woolhiser]

Dear Colleagues:

In 1991 the International Association of Belarusianists (IAB/MAB) was
established to promote international cooperation and dialogue between
scholars with an interest in Belarus and to heighten awareness of
Belarus and Belarusian studies within the academic community. Under
the aegis of the IAB, national and regional associations have been
created to further the goals of the organization within their
respective countries. The North American Association for Belarusian
Studies (NAABS) is the newest of these IAB affiliates, joining
already existing affiliates in Belarus, Poland, Russia, Ukraine,
Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Germany, France and
Great Britain. NAABS is a non-profit scholarly organization which
promotes teaching, research and publication in all areas of
Belarusian studies, including history, language, literature and the
arts, sociology, anthropology, politics, economics and international
relations. NAABS seeks to foster communication and interdisciplinary
collaboration between scholars engaged in Belarusian studies by
sponsoring conferences, panels and workshops at the regional,
national and international levels.
        As acting President and Vice-President of NAABS, it gives us
great pleasure to invite you to join NAABS and contribute to the
growth of Belarusian studies in North America. NAABS will be having
an organizational meeting at the AAASS convention in Denver this
November, where we will hold elections for officers (President,
Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, and a
five-member Executive Council), discuss and vote on a draft the
Association's by-laws, and plan our future activities. We will also
discuss the possibility of publishing a newsletter and the related
issue of membership dues. The meeting has been scheduled for Session
11, Sunday, November 12, 10:15-12:15; Director's Row G. We encourage
all those who have an interest in Belarusian studies and who will be
in Denver for AAASS to take part in this meeting and to make their
voices heard. If you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague
for any leadership position in NAABS, please contact Curt Woolhiser,
Acting President, or Maria Paula Survilla, Acting Vice- President
(see contact information below) before October 30, 2000. Potential
members of NAABS who will not be attending the AAASS convention but
would like to participate in the elections may vote by absentee
ballot.
        Current acting officers (terms expire on November 12) are:

President: Dr. Curt Woolhiser, Dept. of Slavic Languages, University
of Texas (Field: Slavic Linguistics; Research interests: Belarusian
historical linguistics, dialectology and sociolinguistics; language
attitudes and language ideologies; language planning and policy)

Vice-President: Dr. Maria Paula Survilla, Dept. of Music, Wartburg
College (Iowa) (Field: Ethnomusicology; Research interests:
Belarusian traditional and urban music; music and national identity)

Secretary-Treasurer: position currently vacant

Newsletter Editor: position currently vacant

Acting Executive Council:

Dr. David Marples, Dept. of History, University of Alberta
(Field: History; Research interests: History of Belarus (20th century
emphasis);the impact of Chernobyl; health and social-demographic
issues; contemporary Belarusian politics)

Dr. Zina Gimpelevich, Dept. of Slavic Languages, Waterloo University (Canada)
(Field: Slavic Studies; Research interests: Belarusian language and
literature; the works of Vasil Bykau)

(+ 3 additional members to be elected at organizational meeting in November)


If you would be interested in joining NAABS, or would like any
further information about our organization, please contact us. We
would like to request that all potential members send us an e-mail or
postcard listing their name, affiliation, and areas of interest (this
information will be forwarded to AAASS in connection with our
application for AAASS affiliate status; please note that AAASS
requires that a significant percentage of affiliate members belong to
AAASS).
        We would also like to take this opportunity to encourage you
to join the International Association of Belarusianists (IAB/MAB).
For membership information, please contact Dr. Adam Mal'dzis at:

Respublika Belarus' 220050
Minsk, vul. Revaliucyjnaja, 15
Kamitet HA "MAB"

Tel.: 375 (017) 220 76 04
Fax:  375 (017) 220 93 50
Email: mab at lingvo.minsk.by

Dues-paying members of IAB/MAB receive the Association's bimonthly
bulletin "Kantakty i dyjalohi," each issue of which includes an
extensive international bibliography of new publications in all areas
of Belarusian studies (an English-language version of "K&D" is
currently in the planning stages). A condensed, on-line version of
"Kantakty i dyjalohi" is also available at:
http://www.lingvo.minsk.by. In the latest issue of "K&D" you will
find a report on the First Session of the III International Congress
of Belarusianists, which was held in Minsk, May 22-24. The Second,
Fall Session of the III Congress will take place in Minsk on December
5-6, 2000.
        We very much hope that you will consider participating in
NAABS, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Curt Woolhiser                          Maria Paula Survilla
Acting President, NAABS                 Acting Vice-President, NAABS
Vice-President (2000-2004), IAB


 ==============================================================================

Curt Woolhiser                                  Maria Paula Survilla
Dept. of Slavic Languages                       Department of Music
and Literatures                                 Wartburg College
Calhoun 415                                     222 Ninth St. N. W.
University of Texas                             Waverly, IA 50677
Austin, TX 78713-7217

Tel. (512) 471-3607                             Tel: (319) 352-8343
Fax: (512) 471-6710                             Fax: (319) 352-8501
Email: cfwoolhiser at mail.utexas.edu              Email: survilla at wartburg.edu
http://www.dla.utexas.edu/depts/slavic/         http://www.wartburg.edu/musdept

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