Call for Papers: The Second Decade of Post-communism <REGION>

Tue Jun 7 11:08:30 UTC 2011

Dear colleagues,

The regional studies journal <Region> invites the submission of original 
manuscripts on topics relevant to the Aims & Scope, as illustrated below. The 
very first issue of <Region> will be devoted to the theme “The Second Decade 
of Post-communism” (see the enclosed description). We encourage interested 
researchers to submit papers reporting and analyzing political, historical, 
social, and cultural transitions in the post-Soviet period, with a focus on the 
recent ten years. If you prefer to write about something other than this 
specific topic, you are also welcome to submit a paper to be published in one 
of the subsequent issues.  

Aims & Scope

<Region> will be a peer-reviewed international journal that explores the history 
and current political, economic, and social affairs of the entire former Soviet 
bloc. In particular, the journal will focus on various facets of transformation at 
the local and national levels in the aforementioned regions, as well as the 
changing character of their relationships with the rest of world in the context 
of glocalization. The following topics will be most prominently featured:

- Regional identities in globalized societies
- Communication and transmission of information
- Migration and boundaries
- Transition: politics, economy, society, and culture
- Theories and methodologies of regional studies in the context 
of “glocalization”
- Imagined territories: cyber space, urban vs. rural, center vs. periphery, etc.
- Inter-regional cooperation
- Identities in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, memories, and nostalgia

This journal will be distinguished from others in similar fields by its (g)locally 
oriented perspective. This journal will also regularly give a certain portion of 
space to articles on concrete local issues written by local Eurasianist 
scholars.        

Editorial Board

Editors-in-chief
      Siegelbaum, Lewis (History, Michigan State Univ., USA)
      Hong, Wan-Suk, (Politics, Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies, Korea)

Managing Editor
      Jung, Hakyung (Slavic Linguistics, Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies, Korea)

Editors
      Avdokushin, Evgeny (Economy, Moscow State Univ., Russia)
      Clowes, Edith (Literature, Univ. of Kansas, USA)
      Dobrenko, Evgeny (Literature & Film, Univ. of Sheffield, UK)
      Epstein, Dan (Politics, Colgate Univ., USA)
      Goldman, Marshall (Economy, Harvard, USA)
      Golosov, Grigory (Politics, European Univ., Russia)
      Goscilo, Helena (Literature & Film, Ohio State Univ., USA)
      Guihai, Guan (Politics, Pekin Univ., China)
      Hong, Wan-Suk (Politics, Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies, Korea)
      Kononenko, Natalie (Folklore, Univ. of Alberta, Canada)
      Krylov, Mikhail P. (Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia)
      Lovell, Stephen (History, King’s College London, UK)
      Petrov, Nikolai (Politics, Carneigi Moscow Center, Russia)
      Raleigh, Donald J. (History, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA)
      Ransel, David (History, Indiana Univ., USA)
      Sakwa, Richard (Politics, Kent Univ., UK)
      Siegelbaum, Lewis (History, Michigan State Univ., USA)
      Strukov, Vlad (Culture & Film, Univ. of Leeds, UK)
      Tangalycheva, Rimma K. (Sociology, St. Petersburg State Univ., Russia)
      Watchtel, Andrew (Literature, American Univ. of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan)

Article Submission Guideline

There is no absolute length requirement for manuscripts but the preferred 
length is 8,000-10,000 words. An abstract of no more than 150 words should 
be provided at the beginning of the article. If possible, manuscripts should be 
prepared in MS Word using Times New Roman 12 point font. Double-space 
abstracts, manuscripts, notes, and indented quotations. Number pages 
consecutively. Articles should be submitted to Dr. Hakyung Jung (the 
managing editor) at hakyungj at gmail.com.

Call for Papers  

We are now accepting papers for the first and subsequent issues of <Region>. 
As expressed in the Aims & Scope, <Region> will cover a broad range of topics 
related to any of the former Soviet bloc countries in general. However, the 
first issue of <Region> will be devoted to the theme, “The Second Decade of 
Post-communism,” as introduced below. Following the publication of the first 
issue, there will be no thematic restrictions. Manuscript submission for the first 
and the second issues is due on July 31st, 2011.

The Second Decade of Post-communism (the 1st issue)

The overarching theme of Region’s first issue will be ‘The Second Decade of 
Post-communism.’ Since the fall of the Soviet Union on December 25th of 
1991, ‘transition’ has been the most popular keyword of academic discussions 
regarding the post-communist period. The advent of democratic institutions 
and market economies has been accompanied by radical changes of political, 
economic, and social landscape in the former Soviet bloc countries during the 
first ten years, where many transitional phenomena were rapid, chaotic, and 
unpredictable. The direction and nature of transitions during the second 
decade of post-communism (2001-2011), however, dramatically differ from 
those of the first decade in various aspects.

In Russia, while the first decade is characterized as centrifugal and chaotic, 
the most notable features of the second decade are centripetal tendencies 
and order, mostly due to Vladimir Putin’s policies aimed at creating a “strong 
Russia.” In social dimensions, the second decade has simultaneously witnessed 
the growth of the middle class and an increasing gap between the rich and 
the poor. The burst of migration from the CIS countries reinforced the multi-
ethnic and multi-cultural aspects of the society. The most distinctive cultural 
trope of the last ten years would be ‘nostalgia,’ harking back to the Soviet 
period. Under the regime of Putin, the sentiment of nostalgia and its 
commercialization have in turn supported the revival of authoritarian 
tendencies in political and social spheres. Compared to the ‘liberal’ Yeltsin 
period, the past ten years have seen a restriction on the rights of freedom of 
speech and media, as well as a constriction of competition.

The former CIS and Balkan states have experienced drastic political changes, 
some described as color revolutions, such as the Orange Revolution in Ukraine 
(2004), the Rose Revolution in Georgia (2003), and Kyrgyzstan's Tulip 
Revolution (2005). These non-violent revolutionary waves against corrupt 
authoritarian regimes constitute an interesting contrast with the retro-trends 
of the Russian Federation.    

Alternatively, Eastern European countries have continued and expedited 
changes of their own with an affinity to the west in various facets of their 
societies. One of the most outstanding events was when former Soviet bloc 
countries such as Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, 
and the Baltic states entered the EU in 2004, followed by Romania and 
Bulgaria in 2007. The shifting dynamics between Eastern Europe and the 
Russian Federation (as well as the US) are also notable in terms of the WMD 
issue in Eastern Europe.  

Overall, in order to gain a general understanding of the post-communist 
period, estimate the direction these societies are heading, and anticipate how 
their relations with the rest of the world will evolve, the nature of the second 
decade of post-communism must be explored and highlighted from a 
comparative perspective. As that second decade is drawing to a close by the 
end of this year, the journal <Region> will dedicate its first issue to the 
examination of transitions during this critical period. 

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We hope that you will be interested in sharing your academic interests and 
achievements with other colleagues in the field through <Region>. If you have 
any questions, please do not hesitate to let us know (hakyungj at gmail.com). 

--
Hakyung Jung
Ph.D., Slavic Linguistics
HK Professor
Managing Editor, <Region>
Institute of Russian Studies
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Seoul/Yongin, Korea
Email. hakyungj at gmail.com
Office. +82-31-330-4698
Mobile. +82-10-5487-1622

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