Call for Conference Papers: "RUSSIA'S INTERNAL COLONIZATION"

[Dirk Uffelmann]

Call for Papers: RUSSIA’S INTERNAL COLONIZATION
Conference in Passau (Germany), 23-25 March 2010

There’s a Russian saying that any new idea begins with the response that “It
can’t be so,” and ends with the assertion that “Everyone has always known
that it is so.” We believe that the idea of Russia’s internal colonization
has reached the middle point of this process.  At this conference, we intend
to construe the concept of internal colonization as a new interdisciplinary
paradigm for Russian Studies. Some of the questions that will frame this
debate will be: Was Russia an empire and what constituted its colonies? How
did the relationship between internal and external colonization change
throughout Russian imperial history? How did the Russian Other oscillate
between the not entirely estranged Svoi and the not entirely assimilated
Chuzhie? What do the peculiar rhetoric and grammar of Vasilii Kliuchevskii’s
famous phrase, “The history of Russia is the history of a country that
colonizes itself”, actually mean? How does the conceptual framework of
Postcolonial Studies change when tested against Russian cultural history?
What are the implications of the idea of Russia’s internal colonization for
contemporary Russia? What are its implications for contemporary theory?
By launching this conference, we intend to stimulate a free exchange between
ideas and personalities across disciplinary borders. We are inviting Russian
and Western historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, philosophers,
and other colleagues who study Russia of any period. Contributions on
specific authors, historical periods, genres of culture, etc. are welcome,
as are theoretical papers. Please be advised that the conference will be
held in Russian and the volume of its materials will be also published in
Russian. 
The conference will be held in Passau, Germany. Passau is situated on the
Danube river, in the region where Bavaria, Austria and the Czech Republic
meet. The closest international airport in Munich is approximately 2 hours
away from Passau. The proceedings of the conference will take place on the
23rd, 24th and 25th of March 2010; the 22nd is reserved for arrival, while
departure is planned for the 26th.  This will give speakers the opportunity
to continue to the Annual BASEES conference at Cambridge scheduled for the
27th-29th of March 2010.
We will be able to cover the costs of your accommodation as well as
breakfast, lunch and coffee during the conference. Additionally, we have
sufficient funding to contribute towards your travel expenses if needed.
Details will be negotiated individually.
If you are interested in participating in the conference, we would
appreciate it if you would let us know via e-mail to ae264 at cam.uk.ac and
uffelmann at uni-passau.de by 31 May 2009. Please include a preliminary title
of your contribution, an abstract of 200-300 words, and a short CV.
Finalists will be contacted by the end of June. A Russian version of this
call for papers can be found on the conference webpage: 
http://www.phil.uni-passau.de/slavische-literaturen-und-kulturen/konferenzen/vnutrenniaia-kolonizatsiia-rossii.html

Alexander Etkind (Cambridge, UK) and Dirk Uffelmann (Passau, Germany)

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