Conference on the Contemporary Russian-Speaking Jewish Diaspora

Sun Mar 7 21:58:26 UTC 2010

Call for Paper Proposals

Conference on the Contemporary Russian-Speaking Jewish Diaspora
November 14–15, 2011, at Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, with the 
cooperation of the American Councils for International Education and the Russian 
Foundation for Humanities , invites submissions of paper proposals for an international 
conference on the Russian-speaking Jewish diaspora that has been formed over the past 
four decades.

The emigration of about 1.5 million Jews from the former Soviet Union (FSU) in several 
large waves since the mid-1970s—more than three times as many as those who remain—
has affected Jewish life in its successor states and in the host countries. The post-1989 
migration of Jews from the FSU, for example, constitutes the single largest immigration 
in the sixty-two-year history of Israel and the largest group of Jews to come to the United 
States and to Germany since the early twentieth century.

This conference will focus on how Russian-speaking Jews in the late 20th–early 21st 
centuries have affected the cultures, politics, and economies of Israel, the United States, 
and Germany, as well as the "sending" countries of the FSU. Conferees will consider 
whether Russian-speaking Jewry constitutes "a global community," and how this recent 
migration challenges the larger concepts of identity and "diaspora" across geographic and 
national borders.

Suggested Themes

We are interested in papers from a range of disciplinary perspectives that address the 
history, evolution, and future of Russian-speaking Jewish communities, cultures, and 
identities. We encourage papers that move beyond the description of particular 
populations or institutions and introduce analyses of the problems, paradoxes, 
contradictions, and challenges involved in thinking about the Russian-speaking Jews.

The following themes are suggested as guides for the formulation of topics for paper 
proposals:

Globalization, Transnationalism, and Ethno-Cultural Diasporas in the 21st Century. How is 
our understanding of the migration of Soviet Jews in the late Soviet and post-Soviet 
periods enriched by theories of transnationalism, globalization, and diaspora studies? How 
can we introduce the study of Russian-speaking Jews into broader paradigms of academic 
analysis?

Political Behavior, Social Mobility, Commercial Activities, and Cultural Endeavors. Paper 
presenters will be asked to address the political behavior, social mobility, commercial 
activities, or cultural endeavors and impact of the émigrés. For example, is it true that 
the majority of Russian-speaking Jews in the United States has gravitated to conservative 
politics much more than other American Jews, and that in Israel they support right-of-
center parties? If so, why? Can these trends be explained and analyzed in light of Soviet-
era politics? How are the activities of Russian-speaking Jews who are engaged in business 
and technology affecting the economic landscape of their host country as well as their 
country of departure? We also encourage analyses of how the massive out-migration of 
Jews from the former Soviet Union has affected the family dynamics, cultural activities, 
and political thinking and behavior of those who stayed in the FSU.

Definitions of Jewishness. Definitions of Jewishness are a contentious issue. They have 
been complicated by the presence and experiences of Russian-speaking Jews outside of 
the FSU, many of whom are of only partial Jewish ancestry, most of whom are not 
religious, and few of whom are familiar with Judaism, Jewish culture, and Jewish history. 
In Israel, how have immigrants dealt with religious authorities who govern issues of 
marriage, conversion, and burial? How have Russian-speaking Jews in America related to 
the largely synagogue- and tradition-based model of Jewishness in the United States? 
What has been the role of Russian-speaking Jews in Germany, whose Jewish community 
has expanded exponentially? In a country which was responsible for the murder of about 
2.5 million Soviet Jews in World War II, there are likely to be some profound 
ambivalences and uncertainties about rebuilding public Jewish life. What might these be, 
and what do they tell us about the future of Russian-speaking Jews there?

Cultural Expressions of Russian-Speaking Jews. How have the experiences of emigration 
and of settling in host countries shaped the forms of cultural expression produced by 
Russian-speaking Jews in film, music, art, and the performing arts? What new literary 
trends have emerged and what do they tell us about their writers and their target 
communities? What role has cultural memory played in the emergence of new forms of 
cultural expression? How do literature, music, and art produced outside the countries of 
the former Soviet Union by émigrés figure into the larger paradigms of contemporary 
Russian-language culture? In turn, how—if at all—does the world-wide availability of 
Russian-language culture produced in the countries of the former Soviet Union shape and 
influence cultural and literary trends abroad?

Media and Communications. Many forms of media—print, broadcast, and internet—play a 
role in defining identities across national borders, consolidating political opinion and 
forms of cultural expression, and maintaining connections between diasporic and non-
diasporic Russian-speaking Jewish communities. In what languages do immigrants get 
news about Russia and the former Soviet Union? What role do media play in re-
connecting younger immigrants with the language, culture, and current affairs of their 
home countries? What are the patterns of communication between émigrés and those who 
stayed, and how have such communications influenced Jewish life in the former Soviet 
Union?

Future of the Russian-Speaking Jewish Diaspora. Some have speculated on the longevity 
of the "Russian-speaking Jewish diaspora." Will the children of immigrants stop speaking 
Russian within a generation or two, as has happened in many previous immigrations? And 
if they do, will the Russian-speaking Jewish diaspora community cease to be a discrete 
entity, or will other cultural or ideological features continue to bind them to each other 
and to their home countries in the former Soviet Union?

Papers will be considered on any other themes relevant to the contemporary Russian-
speaking Jewish diaspora. Note that the working language of the conference is English: all 
papers must be submitted and presented in English.

Submitting a Proposal

Junior and senior scholars in the humanities and social sciences, as well as others 
working in relevant areas, are eligible to apply, irrespective of citizenship or country of 
residence. Proposals should be submitted via the online application.

Submissions must include:

A completed online application form
A project abstract of approximately 250 words
A 2-page curriculum vitae (CV) listing education, publications, fellowships and awards, 
and recent work and teaching experience

The deadline for submitting proposals is May 14, 2010. All materials must be submitted in 
English. Decisions will be announced by July 1, 2010. Presenters must submit their final 
conference papers by September 1, 2011. Selected papers will be considered for 
publication in an edited volume.

Harvard University and cooperating funders will cover presenters' expenses for travel, 
lodging, and meals. A modest honorarium will also be provided (contingent on presenter's 
eligibility to receive payment).

Please write to diaspora at fas.harvard.edu if you have questions about submitting a 
proposal.

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