Jews and Gentiles in East Central Europe in the 20th Century
May 26 – June 1, 2014
http://www.prague2014conference.org/
The workshop and conference on Jewish-Gentile relations in East-Central Europe in the twentieth century convene established scholars, young academics and graduate students from four continents in order to enhance the original research on the Jewish life in the countries between Germany and Russia. Both events centre on Jewish-Gentile interactions and on the transformation of these relations in specific local contexts of former Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and Western Ukraine during and after the Second World War. The workshop offers in-depth academic discussions of key issues that shaped the coexistence of Jewish and Gentile communities in East-Central Europe in the shadow of the Nazi extermination campaign and investigates the complexity of these interactions – and changes in them – from beyond a purely political perspective. The conference offers shorter papers and subsequent discussions on the identified key issues for the history of the Jewish presence in the region. Our key aim is to document the similarities and differences in the Jewish-Gentile relations across volatile national borders in the region. By bringing together senior as well as junior scholars from various disciplines (history, political science, sociology and anthropology) both events offer platforms for cross-disciplinary research of Jewish-Gentile relations and facilitate the development of new methodological approaches to the theme. The key issues under consideration will be outlined by eminent scholars who will deliver keynote addresses (Professor Raphael Vago, Tel Aviv University and Professor Omer Bartov, Brown University) and formulate specific research questions to be addressed during the following proceedings. The workshop and conference will establish a wide community of scholars engaged in the discussion of the major research questions under the guidance of established academic authorities. The selected proceedings will be published in Holocaust Studies and also in a book form.
