What’s New, What’s Next? Innovative Methods, New Sources, and Paradigm Shifts in Jewish Studies

We invite scholars working in Jewish studies to propose panels for the international interdisciplinary conference “What’s New, What’s Next? Innovative Methods, New Sources, and Paradigm Shifts in Jewish Studies.” The aim of the conference is to explore new directions in the study of East and Central European Jews.

12-15 October 2020

At the heart of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is a multimedia narrative exhibition that draws upon the best recent scholarship in a broad range of disciplines. Scholars in Poland, Israel, and North America collaborated on the creation of an open historical narrative that begins in the 10th century and comes forward to the present.

The exhibition raises many of the methodological and theoretical issues central to Jewish studies today and serves as the inspiration for “What’s New, What’s Next? Innovative Methods, New Sources, and Paradigm Shifts in Jewish Studies”.

What constitutes Jewish studies today and in which direction should we be heading? Which paradigms are guiding the field today? How are theoretical and methodological developments in the humanities and social sciences shaping Jewish studies? How are scholars working in a broad range of disciplines – history, social sciences, literature, visual and performing arts, and other disciplines – contributing to the field? What are interdisciplinary approaches contributing to the field? What is the impact of studies of Jewish life in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on a wider understanding of world history?

We invite proposals for:

Deadline for submitting proposals: 30 April 2020

Contact: whatsnewconference@polin.pl

 

Keynote speakers include:

  • Francois Guesnet, “The beauty of small differences: about Jewish studies and Jewish area studies”
  • Havi Dreifuss, “Beyond traditional methods”
  • Marcin Wodziński, “What’s Next? Prospects and challenges”.

Academic Committee:

  • Prof. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Ronald S. Lauder Chief Curator, POLIN Museum Core Exhibition, Academic Committee Chair ;
  • Prof. Antony Polonsky, POLIN Museum;
  • Dr. Michał Trębacz, POLIN Museum;
  • Dr. hab. Artur Markowski, POLIN Museum, Conference Convener;
  • Prof. Andrzej Żbikowski, Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute;
  • Dr. Enrico Lucca, Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and Culture–Simon Dubnow;
  • Prof. Hubert Strouk, Mémorial de la Shoah;
  • Prof. Genevieve Zubrzycki, University of Michigan;
  • Dr. Scott Ury, Tel Aviv University;
  • Prof. Dan Michman, Yad Vashem;
  • Prof. Jonathan Brent, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research;
  • Dr. Lisa M. Leff, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum;
  • Dr. François Guesnet, University College London.

Information for conference speakers: 

The conference is organized by Museum of the History of Polish Jews

 

Source: https://www.polin.pl/

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