Call for Papers

Jews in a Multi-Ethnic Network
Deadline May 31 2004
For an international conference organized by the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development, Bucerius Institute for Research of Contemporary German History and Society, University of Haifa, Chair for Jewish Studies, University of Erfurt, Chair for Jewish History and Culture, University of Munich.
To be held at the University of Haifa
19th-20th December 2004

One of the methodological developments that have occurred in the second half of the twentieth century in the historiography of inter-ethnic relations in modern Eastern and Central Europe involves historians’ tendency to increasingly need the theoretical tools offered by those social sciences that deal with the study of ethnic groups and identity. In this context, the reference is first and foremost to two ancillary areas, viz. ethnic studies and cultural studies. On the one hand, under the influence of ethnic studies, many historians have gained an understanding of ethnic awareness not as a product of external forces – socio-economic, political or linguistic – but rather as an independent factor or element in its own right. Against this background, the “ethnic group” is perceived as a basic category of social affiliation with roots which are deeply implanted in human history. In the spirit of the primordialist school of ethnic studies, many historians presuppose the objective existence of ethnic groups as hermetic entities characterized by relative internal homogeneity in all matters relating to their supposed members’ awareness. On the other hand, the constructivist approaches of cultural and identity studies have increased historians’ awareness as to the possibility of the existence of complex identities, along the lines of hybrid or “hyphenated” identities which run counter to the logic of ethnic uniformity or unity.

The tension between the ethnic-primordialist view and its cultural-constructivist counterpart – a tension which has largely remained unresolved in the social sciences that study identities – has carried over to historical research also. In light of this tension, social scientists and historians alike are confronted by a thorny challenge, involving the need not to apply unifying ethno-centric terms to multi-ethnic and multicultural identities and affinities. Such a challenge, together with the difficulties related to dealing with it, are strikingly revealed in the historiography of inter-ethnic relations between Jews and their multi-ethnic surroundings in Eastern and Central Europe in the era of modern nationalism. On the one hand, under the influence of the ethnic-primordialist approach, historians tend to increasingly emphasize the aspect of the continuity of particular ethnic identities, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. On the other hand, in light of the cultural-constructivist perspective, researchers are simultaneously discovering a whole range of diverse “jigsaw” or mosaic identities, such as “German-Jewish”, “Polish-Jewish”, “Czech-Jewish” and so on. The primordialist-constructivist tension persists, together with the temptation to solve it by shifting the emphasis from the complexity of multi-ethnic identities in the direction of their particular ethnic components, including endorsing simplistic dichotomous paradigms of “Jews” versus “others”.

The present research project, which is the outcome of scientific cooperation between the universities of Erfurt, Haifa and Munich, under the auspices of the German-Israel Foundation, seeks to investigate the issue of inter-ethnic relations in modern Eastern and Central Europe by examining inter-ethnic meeting points in social life and day-to-day existence. We aspire, therefore, to avoid the obstacle of the primordialist-constructivist tension by focusing special attention on the “seam lines” or boundaries between various ethnic groups and cultures. In so doing, we adopt two basic perspectives – micro-historical and macro-historical, each of which combines both a theoretical and an empirical stage. To date we have focused on the micro-historical examination in studying the Czech-German-Jewish triangle in the Czech lands in the 1880-1938 period, looking at the following three issues:

(1) Ethnicity: Neighbors and Strangers in a Multi-Ethnic Environment;
(2) Intimacy: Intermarriage as Encounter and Estrangement;
(3) Sociability: The Resort as a Place of Inclusion and Exclusion.

The macro-historical study of multi-ethnic Eastern and Central Europe, which will take place in the framework of the forthcoming conference on “Jews in a Multi-Ethnic Network”, to be held at Haifa University in December 2004, is intended to encourage a multi-disciplinary approach and expand the theoretical dimension of ethnic studies, as well as to establish a comparative framework for examining interactional and inter-ethnic patterns. We are pleased to announce this call for papers and invite members of the research community of all disciplines of the social sciences and humanities to present their research at this upcoming conference. Geographically speaking, papers should focus on multi-ethnic areas of Europe, and should be limited to the chronological framework of the 19th and 20th centuries. In light of our special interest in facilitating an encounter between the new theoretical approaches and specific historical analyses, we welcome both theoretical research and case studies.

Please send abstracts (of maximally 500 words) until the end of May 2004 to:
Dimitry Shumsky at dshumsky@study.haifa.ac.il

Dr. Yfaat Weiss, University of Haifa
Prof. Andreas Gotzmann, University of Erfurt
Prof. Michael Brenner, University of Munich