Call for Papers: The Year 1989 as Caesura in the History of Communism
Jahrbuch für Historische Kommunismusforschung 2009, JHK (Yearbook for Historical Communist Studies)
Call for Papers: Deadline, 31 October 2007
The year 1989 as caesura in the history of communism: The publishers of the JHK invite historians to make contributions addressing this theme to be published in the 2009 edition. Of particular interest are studies devoted to the development, collapse and/or transformation of communist parties and systems before and since 1989. The focus need not only be on the history of East-Central Europe; equally welcome are analyses of communist systems outside of the immediate sphere of Soviet domination, not least China and also communist parties and organisations in the western hemisphere, such as in the "second" and "third" world.
To what extent was the year 1989 the apex of a process of decay of communist ideology as stamped by Moscow, whose self-confidence was already fundamentally shaken in 1956 and was, in the following years, eroded step by step under the influence of rival left-wing political and social models, and of global social, societal and economic developments? Is there a communism after the end of the communist system in Eastern-Central Europe or can we only speak of a post-communist history of communism, with communism tied to a particular epoch? Which prototypes are in the process of crystallising since 1989 in the transformation on the European and worldwide scales? How is left-wing populism, which at the beginning of the 21stC is being unexpectedly celebrating its success in South America and is also developing in Europe, to be included in the history of communism?
Twenty years after the peaceful revolutions of 1989, the JHK wants to invite contributions to the drawing of an interim appraisal of the "archive revolution", which accompanied the upheaval of that year. The opening of the archives in (East-)Berlin, Moscow and in other places have - despite all the continuing limitations (on researchers) - made available to researchers files that cannot be overlooked in the history of communism. Where does research in to communism stand 20 years after the great changes (of 1989), and 90 years after the foundation of the German Communist Party? Where, as before, are the gaps (weisse Flecken) that still need filled? Which research questions can be answered after the opening of the archives? And which still cannot be answered?
Which outcomes bring about interim national and international efforts to index and, in part, to digitalise these archival holdings? One this basis the fundamental question is posed regarding the extent to which our understanding/image of communism has been changed though 1989 and since 1989? In this way, how have perspectives - and in no way only research perspectives - changed our (overall) evaluations.
The foci described here do not exclude other topics. The 2009 edition of the JHK also welcomes other critiques, miscellaneous studies and biographical sketches on other topics. With a view to the 2010 edition of JHK, the publishers welcome proposals for contributions dedicated the inter-relationship between communist movements and religion, especially Islam.
Proposals for publication in the 2009 edition of JHK are invited in the form of a short expose (c. 2500 characters), including details concerning the author. The deadline is 31 October 2007. If the proposed contribution is accepted, contributions are, as a rule, not longer than 25,000 characters long and should be submitted by June 2008. They can be written in English or German.
JHK was founded in 1993 by Professor Dr Hermann Weber and, in collaboration with the Stiftung Aufarbeitung, is edited by Ulrich Mählert, Bernhard H. Bayerlein, Horst Dähn, Bernd Faulenbach, Ehrhart Neubert, Peter Steinbach, Stefan Troebst und Manfred Wilke. The editors are assisted by an advisory council, which included the following members: Bülent Bilmez (Istanbul), Thomas Wegener Friis (Odense/DK), John Earl Haynes (Washington), Stefan Karner (Graz), Norman LaPorte (Pontypridd), Krisztián Ungváry (Budapest), Krzysztof Ruchniewicz (Wroclaw), Brigitte Studer (Bern), Oldrich Tuma (Prague), Alexander Vatlin (Moscow)
Contact:
Jahrbuch für Historische Kommunismusforschung,
Dr. Ulrich Mählert
Stiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur, Otto-Braun-Straße 70-72, 10178 Berlin
Tel.: (030) 23 24 72 07, Fax: (030) 23 23 72 10
[mailto]u.maehlert@stiftung-aufarbeitung.de[/mailto]
[url]http://www.stiftung-aufarbeitung.de[/url]
Dr. Ulrich Maehlert
[url]http://www.stiftung-aufarbeitung.de/die_stiftung/geschaeftsstelle_umaeh…]
Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur
Otto-Braun-Str. 70-72
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Tel. 030 / 23 24 - 72 07
Fax 030/ 23 24 - 72 10
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