Bringing Migration and History into the Equation: Re-Imagining Nationhood and Belonging, Jewish Museum Berlin, 5-7 October 2011‏

Migration poses challenges to European societies as we know them today; indeed, the inclusion of immigrants in these societies has become a controversial issue in most European countries.
Both of these statements are reflected in ongoing debates in numerous European countries. All too often, immigrants are seen as "Others" when it comes to constructing national cohesion and patterns of belonging and identity. The "Othering" of immigrants, perhaps best seen as a process of social construction and engineering, is closely interrelated with social, economic, linguistic and, increasingly, religious questions.
However, immigrant inclusion and exclusion cannot be regarded without reference to historical, cultural and symbolic questions. Thus the analysis of identity formation and collective identities in multiethnic societies brings the political scope of identity politics, historical representations and national narratives to the fore. It entails theoretical and practical questions of (newly) constituting nationhood and transcultural belonging, as well as re-positioning ethnic/migrant minorities in the public sphere.
This conference, Bringing Migration and History into the Equation: Re-Imagining Nationhood and Belonging, will address this intersection of migration, identity formation and belonging from comparative and historical perspectives. The emphasis will be on the intersection of history, politics and commemorative practices/strategies. Case studies as well as theoretical contributions are welcome. We invite the submission of papers on the following topics:
- Migrant inclusion and political/historical representation;
- (Re)formation of nationhood and identities under conditions of diversity;
- Writing, teaching and displaying history in immigrant societies;
- Social and cultural practices/strategies of institutions, organisations and communities to represent migrants and their cultures/histories;
- Transnational and mediated public spheres;
- Borders and belongings: From guest workers and refugees to post-migrants;
- Methodological and theoretical contributions with regard to identity formation, identity politics and historical representation of migration;
The conference will be composed of:
- an opening panel for a larger audience, including invited spokespeople from politics and art;
- a keynote opening lecture;
- panels based on academic papers;
- roundtables with short statements to generate new questions and ideas;
Contributions may be either (longer) academic papers or (shorter) input statements for roundtables, focused on innovative and relevant topics. The conference will be framed by the 50th anniversary of the German-Turkish labor recruitment contract in October 2011. Its commemoration raises a number of questions which will be contextualized in a comparative and international framework. The conference will take up the case of fifty years of German-Turkish labor agreements to shed light on more general issues
stated above. A follow-up conference will be held in Essen in spring 2012, focussing on Lieux de mémoire [places/sites of memory] of migration history. The October 2011 conference is open to scholars in the Humanities and the Social Sciences in the widest sense (anthropology, ethnology, geography, history, law, political sciences, sociology etc.). Abstracts for papers or contributions to roundtables will be considered on a competitive basis. The number of speakers for panels will be limited to 25. Limited financial
support for participants to subsidize expenses for accommodation is available upon request.
Submissions of abstracts (max. 600 words) and a short biographical note (not more than two pages) including a list of (selected) publications are welcomed until June 30, 2011. Papers and contributions will be circulated in advance and must be received by September 25, 2011. Please indicate if you intend to give a full paper or wish to participate in a roundtable.
For further information please visit
http://www.network-migration.org/workshop2011 (accessible from June 1, 2011)
or contact ohliger@network-migration.org.
Submission deadline: June 30, 2011
Please send your application to ohliger@network-migration.org
The selection committee will select and notify the participants by early July 2011.

Balkan Connection, University of Sussex, 2-3 June 2011

Below is the programme for the conference. Please do not hesitate to circulate it.
All the best,
On behalf of the Organization Committee,
Ali Huseyinoglu
Balkan Connections Conference
June 2-3, 2011
Venue: Global Studies Resource Centre (Arts C)
University of Sussex (Brighton)
Programme
Thursday
Welcome tea and coffee: 12:00-12:30
Opening remarks (12:30-13:00)
Dr. Eugene Michail: Balkan histories: Key themes and alternative paths (University of Sussex)
Session I: Representing the Balkans (13:00-14:30)
Ana Živković Snowley: Splits and changes in discourse on Montenegro in the nineteenth century British writing: From denigration to glorification (University of Brighton)
Dr. Katerina Gachevska: Criminal identities and mafia images: Crime and political reform in post-communist Bulgaria (Birmingham City University)
Andy Anderson: A Map of the Vilayet of the Danube 1869 (Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS))
Tea and Coffee Break: 14:30-15:00
Session II: Echoes of the Ottoman Empire (15:00-16:30)
Dr. Clemens Hoffmann: Debating the Balkanization of Ottoman rule (University of Sussex)
Kerem Nisancioglu: Rethinking Ottoman decline: Uneven and combined development and the modern nation-state (University of Sussex)
Vesselina Ratcheva: Affects of the post-Ottoman: Narrating the present through the past (University of Sussex)
Break: 16:30-17:00
Keynote speaker: 17:00-18:30
Prof. Russell King: Geography-Migration-Albania (University of Sussex)
Dinner with keynote speakers (open to all participants): 19:30 at Ottoman Cuisine (BN2 3HQ)
Friday
Tea and coffee reception: 8:30-9:00
Session III: Trauma and Violence (9:00-10:30)
Marika Djolai: Community cooperation and adaptation strategies: The shaping of post-conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina (University of Sussex)
Andrea Szkil: Forensic specialists’ work in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina (University of Sussex)
Kalina Yordanova: Trauma transmission in the former Yugoslavia (UCL)
Break: 10:30-11:00
Keynote speaker: 11:00-12:00
Prof. Jane Cowan: A critical journey from the Balkans to Geneva (University of Sussex)
Lunch break: 12:00-12:45
Session IV: ‘Minorities’ in the ‘Balkans’ (12:45-14:15)
Emina Demiri: Social inclusion of Croatian ethnic minorities in the context of EU accession (University of Sussex)
Sebahattin Abdurrahman: Homogenization, integration or segregation: Minority rights in education of Western Thrace Turks in Greece (SOAS)
Ali Huseyinoglu: A missing ‘fourth’ actor?: Education of the Turkish minority in Greece through the lens of Brubaker’s Triadic Nexus Theory (University of Sussex)
Deniz Duru: Homogenization and New Diversities in Burgaz, the Princes Islands, Istanbul (University of Sussex)
Tea and coffee break: 14:15-14:45
Session V: NGOs, Nations-states, and EU Integration (14:45-16:15)
Marko Stojic: The changing nature of Serbian political parties’ attitudes towards the EU (University of Sussex)
Piotr Goldstein: Who are the 'NGO People' in Mostar and Novi Sad (University of Manchester)
Closing reception: 16:15-16:30
Closing remarks: 16:30-17:00
Dr. Dimitris Dalakoglou: Balkan (Dis)connections: Re-approaching the Balkan questions in the age of capitalist crisis (University of Sussex)
Dinner with keynote speakers (open to all participants): 18:30 at the Lion and Lobster pub (BN1 2PS)
Balkan Connections: ‘Balkan Connections’ is an initiative by a number of doctoral students at Sussex University. As a continuation of our respective research interests, we decided to create a platform to promote this area of regional studies at our university and to connect with other relevant departments throughout the UK and beyond

2nd International Conference- Matter and Materials in/for Cultural Heritage, Craiova, Romania, 24-28 August 2011‏

We are pleased to inform scientists and professionals in the field of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage as well as anybody interested in this area, about the 2nd International Conference "Matter and Materials in/for Cultural Heritage" (MATCONS 2011) to be held on 24-28 August 2011 in Craiova, Romania.
The first International edition of MATCONS was organised in Craiova in 2009 and its great success convinced us to maintain the same structure consisting in Plenary Sessions on general interest topics, Parallel Sessions on specific conservation and restoration subjects, training modules, a Round Table and a thematic excursion.
During the conference, the traditional National exhibition of restored heritage objects from workshops and laboratories across Romania will be displayed.
We cordially invite you to participate in this highly stimulating and practically oriented event and would be glad to welcome you to MATCONS 2011 in Craiova.
Scope
The Conference is aimed at providing a platform for presentation and discussion on the capabilities of Chemistry, Physics, Engineering and Technology to answer specific conservation-restoration needs raised by the conservation-restoration community. The Conference will focus not only on the scientific research and its direct application to the treatment and analysis of cultural heritage but also on the practical problems of intervention facing conservators and restorers and innovative possibilities for the conservation practice. It will offer the opportunity to share methods, studies and strategies regarding conservation, to deepen the interdisciplinary aspects, as well as the development of research and education in heritage conservation, bring out the activity of young conservation professionals and encourage networking.
Plenary lectures will provide the state-of-the-art of the international research in the field of conservation and restoration.
The official languages of the Conference are English and Romanian. A simultaneous interpretation service will be provided during the Conference.
Registration
The Registration Form must be returned by e-mail to the Conference Secretariat matcons2011@yahoo.com .
Deadline for the registration is June 10th, 2011.
The registration is valid only if accompanied or followed by the copy of the Registration Fee payment.
Registration fee
Regular participant EUR 150.00
Students (Certificate required) EUR 75.00
Registration fee includes:
• Attendance to all Scientific Sessions, Round Table, Training Course, National Exhibition of Restauration
• Conference material
• Social events
• Lunches, dinners and coffee breaks
Deadline for the registration fee payment is July 1st, 2011.
Social Programme
A Piano and Opera Arias Concert will be given by Master students of the National University of Music of Bucharest.
Group visits will be organised on request at:
• Casa Baniei, the ethnographic section of Oltenia Museum
• Historical churches in Craiova
A thematic excursion will be organised on 27 and 28 August at UNESCO and protected national sites in Oltenia.
Details on social and excursion programme will be made available soon.

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The Florida Stormwater Association’s Scholarship Program, 2011 in USA

Applications will be accepted from graduate students in colleges or schools of engineering, natural science, public administration that have an interest in storm water science, engineering or finance.
- Eligibility is limited to students in good standing that are currently enrolled on a full-time basis in a graduate program at a Florida college or university, and plan to attend classes in the Fall 2011 semester on a full-time basis,
Scholarship Description: The Florida Stormwater Association’s Scholarship Program awards financial assistance to qualified students attending Florida colleges and universities whose education interest is in storm water research, management or finance. Applications are accepted annually from graduate students in colleges or schools of engineering, natural science, public administration that have an interest in storm water management or finance.
-Eligibility is limited to students in good standing that are enrolled in a graduate program at a Florida college or university.
How to Apply: Post
Scholarship Application Deadline: 12 Aug 2011
Further Scholarship Information and Application

Japan Masters Scholarship at Nottingham University, UK

You can apply for this scholarship if you are a national of (or permanently domiciled in) Japan AND are classed as an overseas student for fee purposes AND already hold an offer to start a full-time Masters degree programme (including MRes) at Nottingham in 2011 – any subject area (excluding MBA)

Scholarship Open for International Students: No
Scholarship Description: Applicants for competitive International Office scholarships must first have applied for and obtained an offer of study at Nottingham for September 2011.
-Applications may be submitted up until the closing date for each scholarship – applications close at 12 midnights (UK time) on the dates shown.
-It is very important you complete your form correctly before you submit it – we are not able to change your online application once you have submitted it.
How to Apply: Online
Scholarship Application Deadline: 3 June 2011
Further Scholarship Information and Application

Postdoctoral Fellowships in Deutsche Forschungsgemeinchaft, 2011 in Germany

German researchers from all disciplines who have completed their academic qualifications (doctorate) International researchers from all disciplines who have completed their scientific training (doctorate) provided they have been resident in Germany for several years and have completed at least three years of scientific work as a doctoral or postdoctoral researcher in the German research system and state that they wish to continue to pursue their research in Germany in the future.
Limitations apply to young researchers who, at the time of application, are abroad. As an exception, senior researchers holding a doctorate may submit proposals to allow them to dedicate themselves to a research project of particular importance.
Scholarship Open for International Students: Yes
Scholarship Description:To enable researchers at an early stage of their scientific career to carry out a clearly defined research project at a place of their choice abroad or to acquaint themselves with new scientific research methods.
Basic fellowship plus monthly lump sum payment to cover maintenance and travel costs
Where applicable:
-Foreign allowance
-Travel allowance
Benefits for fellowship recipients with children:
How to Apply: Online
Scholarship Application Deadline: Proposals may be submitted at any time.
Further Scholarship Information and Application