Applications are due by January 15, 2016

The Harriman Institute postdoctoral fellowships allow junior scholars to spend a specified term (from one semester to two years, depending on the type of fellowship) in residence at Columbia University in New York. All fellows are assigned a faculty mentor. Postdoctoral fellows are expected to concentrate on their own research and writing; to give a brownbag seminar on their research, and to post a related Working Paper on the Institute’s website; and to be active participants in the Institute’s scholarly community and events. All postdoctoral fellows receive university IDs that provide access to the full range of resources within the Columbia library system, and the Institute makes every effort to provide desk space for all postdoctoral fellows. The Institute provides funds to sponsor workshops, conferences, and special events planned by fellows around their particular interests.

The Harriman Institute has three types of postdoctoral fellowships: general (three positions, two years), the INTERACT Central Asia (one position, one year), Serbian Studies (one position, one year); and Ukrainian Studies (one position, one semester). Candidates should indicate which program(s) they are applying for in their cover letters.

Eligibility for the 2016 competition is restricted to those who have received the Ph.D. between July 31, 2013 and June 30, 2016 and who do not hold a tenure-track position. All fellows must successfully defend and deposit their dissertations prior to the commencement of the fellowship.

Information on each program and application details: http://harriman.columbia.edu/visitor-programs/fellows

University of California, Santa Barbara, March 11 - 13, 2016
Deadline: Dec 20, 2015

CFP for The 5th Biennial Borderlands International Graduate Student Conference
Forging Faith(s) in Global Borderlands

The Borderlands Research Focus Group at the University of California, Santa Barbara invites graduate scholars from all disciplines to submit abstracts for papers addressing the theme of Forging Faith(s) in Global Borderlands. Borderlands are spaces where people of different ethnicities, cultures, religions, political systems, or linguistic traditions come into contact, often without any one authority exercising complete control. We also acknowledge that borderlands needn’t necessarily be physical spaces but can be conceptual or metaphorical areas of contestation, thus allowing a diversity of approaches.

The 2016 Borderlands International Graduate Student Conference seeks papers that address the ways that borderlands encounters have stimulated the creation, definition, and/or adaptation of faith identities among various groups of people. This topic encompasses a variety of inquiry into the role of faith(s) in borderlands, from formal religious affiliations to loosely defined mystical practices, and from folk religions to new age spiritual syncretism. We are interested in how borderlands interactions affect faith communities and how those communities utilize borderlands contexts for the fashioning of group identity. Some topics of interest to the conference organizers include, but are not limited to, belief and practice, persecution and diaspora, orthodoxy and heresy, and conflict and accommodation.

The study of borderlands is well suited to an interdisciplinary approach, thus the conference seeks to include a range of disciplinary perspectives and methodologies. Papers are welcome from scholars in history, anthropology, art history, theology, religious studies, literature, linguistics and all related disciplines. We also encourage, but do not require, papers that engage with theorists whose work has relevance for borderlands studies, such as: Gloria Anzaldúa, Fredrik Barth, Daniel Boyarin, Bradley Parker, Pierre Bourdieu, Gayatri Charkravorty Spivak, Thomas Tweed, and Jeffrey Jerome Cohen.

We welcome proposals for individual papers or full panels that address the conference theme in any geographical region or historical period.

Please send a 300-word abstract to UCSBborderlands2016@gmail.com by December 20, 2015. If you are submitting a proposal for a full panel (3-4 papers) please send all abstracts together. If accepted, each paper presentation should be between 15 and 20 minutes long. Limited travel funds may be available for those who cannot secure funding from their home institution.

This year’s conference theme is inspired by the late Tom Sizgorich (1970–2011), a graduate of UCSB’s history PhD program and professor of history at UC Irvine, whose research focused on the interaction of early Islam and Late Antique Christianity. His 2008 book, Violence and Belief in Late Antiquity: Militant Devotion in Christianity and Islam, argued for a reconsideration of the relationship between these two groups, seeing it as an ongoing conversation about religious identity informed by interaction among neighboring communities. His posthumously published research on the ways in which Muslims and Christians living within the first Muslim empires imagined, fantasized about, and narrated their relationships with each other has been path breaking. Tom’s work and its theoretical trajectories are, we believe, deserving of further consideration in the context of borderlands studies and this conference is meant to recognize and celebrate his efforts.

Deadline: January 31, 2016

The Berlin “International Forum for doctoral candidates of art history of Eastern Europe” already goes into the third round. The previous events (in 2014 and 2015) have shown us that young researchers all over the world working in this field feel the strong need to have a direct and lively exchange on specific conceptual issues and methodological problems of art historical area studies in the region of Eastern, East Central and South Eastern Europe across different epochs.

With the forum we have initiated an open platform for this purpose, and the annual meetings are intended to offer a constant opportunity and space to exchange ideas and experiences, to make contact, to bring together expertise and to establish networks. Moreover, current research projects – and over the years advancements and alterations – can be presented on the homepage of the forum, and PhD students working on similar topics can locate each other and build up networks also via our social media group.

Doctoral candidates dealing with a topic in East European art history (or a neighboring discipline) are cordially invited – explicitly also those who came to Berlin in 2014 and 2015 already. If you are interested in taking part in the event, please send us a paper outlining the subject and issue of your dissertation project as well as possibly the sources it is based on and the methodology applied. Dependent on the thematic focuses resulting from the papers submitted we will select ca. 8 contributions for twenty-minute presentations. The other participants will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and their topics briefly (5 minutes). Important to us is to have plenty of time for discussion and the exchange of ideas. The languages of the conference are German and English.

Ideally, all papers will be available for the participants as printed copies and subsequent to the event will be published with basic contact details on our website.

Please submit your proposal:

• of ca. 4000 characters (including blanks)
• as a doc or docx, no PDF
• indicating your contact details
• and a brief information whether you agree with the publication of your paper

by January 31, 2016 to Prof. Dr. Michaela Marek and Jan Elantkowski

The forum is organized by the Chair of Art History of Eastern and East Central Europe, Humboldt University Berlin and will take place on April 29, 2016, in Berlin, Humboldt Graduate School. Contributors will be granted a travel allowance.

Application deadline: January 15, 2016

Call for Applications

The Berlin-based FORUM TRANSREGIONALE STUDIEN invites scholars to apply for up to ten postdoctoral fellowships within the framework of the research program ART HISTORIES AND AESTHETIC PRACTICES. KUNSTGESCHICHTE UND ÄSTHETISCHE PRAKTIKEN for the academic year 2016/2017.

ART HISTORIES AND AESTHETIC PRACTICES is a research and fellowship program which questions and transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries of art history in a transcultural, global horizon. By creating a space of dialogue for scholars from all continents and regions, it aims to discuss the potentials and contours of a plural history of art. It especially invites scholars from Islamic, Asian, African, Australian, European art histories and those of the Americas to join the program, but also addresses neighboring disciplines such as Archaeology and other fields dealing with the history of visual cultures. ART HISTORIES AND AESTHETIC PRACTICES analyses the connectivity of larger historical spaces in a transregional perspective and investigates artistic and aesthetic practices and the history of artifacts in a comparative approach, experimenting with new methodologies and forms of collaborative research. The concept of AESTHETIC PRACTICES introduced by this program, is an invitation to study artifacts with their biographies as well as processes of transfer and transformation in a transcultural, postcolonial and global perspective. The program has no chronological or geographical constraints. It collaborates with the museums of Berlin, the Berlin universities, as well as other international and national academic partners, and aims at an intense interaction of art historical institutions. Its scholarly environment is designed to enable and encourage both fellows and the wider community to experiment and refine transregional approaches to the history of visual cultures and aesthetic practices.

For more detailed information about the program please visit http://www.art-histories.de/

FOR COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS ON APPLYING, SEE FULL POST

Beginning in the academic year 2016-2017, the Stephen F. Cohen- Robert C. Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship (CTDRF) Program will provide up to six annual fellowships, with a maximum stipend of $22,000, for doctoral students at US universities, who are citizens or permanent residents of the US, to conduct dissertation research in Russia. The Program is open to students in any discipline whose dissertation topics are within 19th - early 21st century Russian historical studies.

The application is now open; the deadline is December 11, 2015. For more information and to apply, see: http://www.aseees.org/programs/ctdrf

FELLOWSHIP RESEARCH SCOPE

• The research topic must be in 19th - early 21st century Russian historical studies; in cases of equally qualified applications, some preference may be given to research on the Soviet era
• The research topic can be in cultural, economic, intellectual, political, or social historical studies
• The geographic focus of the research must be predominantly within the current boundaries of the Russian Federation NOTE: This does not exclude research related to other former Soviet Republics or territories of the 19th c. Russian Empire, but the research topic must still be predominantly a historical study of Russia
• The research must be conducted primarily in the Russian Federation, but the fellowship may be used to conduct research for a briefer period in secondary site(s) in one other former Soviet republic or territory once forming part of the Russian empire (NOTE: The fellowship does not support research in North America)
• The duration of research travel must be at least nine (9) months. Research can be conducted in two trips if the visa situation requires it, but all proposed research travel must be concluded within 15 months from the start of the research travel.

ELIGIBILITY
Applicant must:

• be a doctoral student at a US university
• have a dissertation research topic that falls within the fellowship research scope (see above), but may be in any discipline have language proficiency to conduct research in Russia
• have successfully achieved PhD candidacy (ABD status) by the start of the proposed research travel
• be a citizen or permanent resident of the US
• be a student member of ASEEES at the time of the application submission (Become a member)
• be able to receive and maintain a visa to the Russian Federation (and any other site of research that requires a visa) NOTE: Applicant MUST be able to obtain a visa through an affiliation with a Russian research institution (ASEEES may be able to provide some assistance in establishing institutional affiliation)
• plan to start the research travel within the same calendar year following the receipt of the fellowship (Ex: Upon notification of the fellowship in the spring of 2016, the recipient must start his/her research travel no later than December 31, 2016)
• not have a grant from another organization to conduct the same or similar research project at the same time. NOTE: Applicants may apply for competing grants, however if offered another grant as well as the CTDRF, the applicant must choose between them.

Application deadline: Oct 1, 2015

H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship

The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) is accepting applications for the 2015 H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship. The prestigious fellowship of $50,000 will allow a recent graduate or emerging scholar to study by travel for one year. The fellowship is not for the purpose of doing research for an advanced degree. Instead, the goals are to provide an opportunity for the recipient to see and experience architecture and landscapes firsthand, to think about his/her profession deeply, and to acquire knowledge useful for his/her future work and contribution to society.

For more information please visit: http://www.sah.org/jobs-and-careers/sah-fellowships-and-grants/h-allen-brooks-travelling-fellowship

The workshop for graduate students of Soviet history that the History Department of the European University at Saint Petersburg will be continuing this academic year. The workshop brings together EUSPb students and foreign students currently conducting archival research in Russia and neighboring countries. The primary goal of the workshop is twofold: first, to enrich participants’ research projects and promote an exchange of knowledge about relevant historiographies, theories, methodologies, and archival and other sources; and second, to create a larger and more international academic community for participants, and thus to offer them a network of international contacts on which to draw for intellectual as well as professional ends.

Since the inauguration of the workshop in spring semester 2013, presenters have included doctoral candidates from Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, Georgetown University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Carolina, Stanford University, Rutgers University, the University of Toronto, Cambridge University, the University of Sheffield, the University of Sienna, the European University Institute in Florence, and the EUSPb. We hope the workshop has proved as useful for the presenters as it has for our students and faculty.

Two workshops will be held in the late fall and two in spring semester 2016. Presenters will be asked to precirculate works in progress, in either English or Russian, such as grant proposals, conference papers, or dissertation chapters. Participation is expressly open to students in other disciplines, including art history, sociology, anthropology, political science, and Slavic studies.

Students interested in presenting their work should submit a 300-word English- or Russian-language abstract of their papers and a CV to Anatoly Pinsky by October 1. We also ask that students submit a brief cover letter, identifying the dates they will be in Russia and preferred dates for a presentation at the EUSPb. Funding is available for presenters not based in St. Petersburg for travel within Russia and accommodation near the university. Students who would like to attend the workshop should send along their contact information so we can keep you informed of the schedule and add you to the paper distribution list.

Students interested in learning more about the EUSPb and History Department are invited to visit online at http://www.eu.spb.ru/ and http://www.eu.spb.ru/history

http://www.basees2016.org/

The British Association of Slavonic and East European Studies (BASEES) invites proposals for panels, roundtables and papers for its 2016 Annual Conference. The conference will be held 2-4 April and will be based at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, United Kingdom. The 2015 conference attracted more than 450 people.

Proposals are invited for panels, roundtables and papers for the 2016 Annual Conference.

Panels, roundtables and papers are welcome in the following areas: Politics; History; Sociology and Geography; Film and Media, Languages and Linguistics; Literatures and Cultures; Economics. The conference especially welcomes participation by postgraduate research students and young scholars.

To propose a panel or a paper you will need to fill in a proposal form. There are separate forms for panels/roundtables and individual papers. You should download the appropriate form and fill it in electronically, and send it by email to the appropriate subject stream email AND to the conference email address.

The deadline for panel/roundtable proposals is 2 October 2015, and 18 September 2015 for individual paper proposals.

Postgraduate members of BASEES who present papers are eligible to apply for financial support towards their conference costs. They should download the application form and fill it in, and send to the appropriate subject stream email by 2 October 2015.

The congress also welcomes proposals for postgraduate posters. The poster will be displayed throughout the conference. Please fill in the proposal form and email it as an attachment to the conference email address info@basees2016.org AND the conference organiser, Dr Matthias Neumann by 1 December 2015.

General enquiries about the conference are welcome at info@basees2016.org

The Malevich Society is pleased to announce its call for 2015 grant applications.
Based in New York, the Malevich Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge about the Russian artist Kazimir Malevich and his work.
In the belief that Malevich was a pioneer of modern art who should be recognized for his key contributions to the history of Modernism, the Society awards grants to encourage research, writing, and other activities related to his history and memory.
The Society welcomes applications from scholars of any nationality and at various stages of their career. Graduate students are welcome to apply after completing at least one year of dissertation research. Proposed projects should increase the understanding of Malevich and his work, or augment historical, biographical, or artistic information about Malevich and/or his artistic legacy. The Society also supports translations and the publication of relevant texts.
Application forms and instructions may be requested by telephone at 1-718-980-1805, by e-mail at info@malevichsociety.org, or may be downloaded from the Society’s website: www.malevichsociety.org.
Applications and all supporting documents should be submitted via e-mail to applications@malevichsociety.org.
Deadline: September 30, 2015.

Universität Heidelberg, July 26 - 31, 2015
The deadline has been extended until June 14, 2015
For further details of the programme and how to apply, visit the Summer School website: http://www.asia-europe.uni-heidelberg.de/en/summerschool

Summer School “Walking the line - Art of border zones in times of crisis”

The Cluster of Excellence “Asia and Europe in a Global Context” welcomes applications for the Summer School “Walking the line - Art of border zones in times of crisis.” It will take place from July 26 to 31, 2015 at Heidelberg University in Germany.

The summer school will engage with the production, circulation and the disruption of art and visual practices as they navigate the (thin) line between creative and destructive impulses in times when wars, struggles for national independence and conflicting ideologies result in border contestations and territorial partitions. These crises produce both immediate and enduring physical, economic and political consequences for persons living within affected regions, including flight from one’s homeland, traumatic histories left unprocessed between generations, and the elaboration of repressive political systems and surveillance. Art might be used as a propaganda weapon that affirms and enforces demarcations or it could be a creative path to transgress contested borders, a space to envision alternatives. The notion of the border will be explored both as a divisive force and as a zone of crossing by discussing larger questions about the complex and often seemingly contradictory relation between trauma and visual/aesthetic practices on the one hand, and complex issues of space and politics that (in-) form these practices on the other.

The summer school is organised around three themes dealing with Partitions, Art and Civil Society, and Trauma and Memory. In particular, it will examine narrative modes and structures which emerge when the raw history that inhabits subjects is transformed into representation, or its refusal. While artistic articulations in conflicted border zones often explicitly reflect upon collective as well as individual experiences, they might equally be marked by the attempt to gloss over the existence of wounds and political and social divides. Artistic strategies become necessary as expressions in/on border zones. The complex spatial dimensions involved call on disciplines such as art history and anthropology to develop critical approaches for analyzing these artistic negotiations as striking aesthetic and cultural practices. Eschewing an understanding of art as a looking glass to view cultures in terms of geo-political units, the discussions will encourage critical ways of locating transregional and transcultural relationships within a discursive field of knowledge production and disciplinary practice.

We welcome advanced graduate students and junior researchers to apply and present their research on the relation between art and border/political/societal conflicts or crises. The summer school provides a unique opportunity for learning through participant-oriented discussions and a hands-on approach to writing. Instruction will be delivered through individual lectures, a plenary forum and interactive afternoon sessions consisting of guided group workshops. Participants will bring their own written and visual material for dialogue with an international community of peers and distinguished scholars present at the summer school, with the objective of developing individual visual essays relevant to the participants’ research project or new trajectories for future work.

The keynote address will be delivered by Iftikhar Dadi - art historian, artist and curator (Cornell University) - who has extensively researched Islamic Modernism and is currently investigating new avenues of civic participation among emergent urban publics in South Asia.

Confirmed guests include art historian and independent curator Eckhart Gillen who will discuss the impact of the East-West division on art production in post-War Germany, Raminder Kaur (University of Sussex) who will focus on issues of censorship and cultural regulation in South Asia, Friederike Wappler (Ruhr University Bochum) who will question the productive use of trauma as a concept for analyzing modern and contemporary art, and Patricia Spyer (University of Leiden) who will elaborate on the circulation of Muslim jihad VCDs in Indonesia in the 2000s. Contributing scholars from Heidelberg include Christiane Brosius and Cathrine Bublatzky (Visual and Media Anthropology), and Monica Juneja and Franziska Koch (Global Art History).