Call for Proposals – Bucerius Young Scholars Forum at GHI WEST at UC Berkeley
“Histories of Migration: Transatlantic and Global Perspectives”
The GHI invites proposals for papers to be presented at the 1st Bucerius Young Scholars Forum, to take place at its branch office GHI WEST at UC Berkeley in November 2017. We seek proposals specifically from post-doctoral scholars, recent PhDs, as well as those in the final stages of their dissertations.
The Bucerius Young Scholars Forum is a new annual program designed to bring together a small transatlantic group of ten junior scholars from Germany, Europe and North America to explore new research and questions in the history of migration with a particular focus on questions arising from interlacing the perspectives of migration and knowledge, as these are extremely thorough and open to current debates. The forum is connected to the Annual Bucerius Lecture on “Histories of Migration: Transatlantic and Global Perspectives”, given and commented on by two prominent figures in the field of migration studies. Planing with precirculated papers, in the course of two days, the participants will give short presentations of their individual research projects and - together with their mentors and peers - engage in discussions on the state of the research field.
The knowledge of migrants and their role as producers and translators of knowledge has so far received very limited attention. Existing research on this topic predominantly focuses on the early modern period and colonial history. Consequently, the Bucerius Young Scholars Forum aims to look at this phenomenon from a supra-epochal, transregional and also interdisciplinary perspective.
Questions that we are particularly interested in are: What role did categories such as religion, ethnicity, gender, or age play in building a 'new' life? How important was the transfer, application and acquisition of knowledge in this process? To what extent have migrants introduced their traditional knowledge into their new societies? What knowledge was modified, and what new knowledge did they develop during the migration process? What was the significance of knowledge for their integration into existing social structures and into society as a whole? Which educational concepts did the various migrant groups pursue, and which were imposed on them by the receiving society or by the respective state? How did this correlate with integration or segregation? And lastly, what role did young migrants, who were able to translate between both countries and cultures, play?
While the focus of the forum will be on historic discourses, we also want to encourage young scholars working in the fields of social sciences, political sciences, anthropology, migration and area studies to apply. The workshop language will be English. The organizers will cover basic expenses for travel and accommodation. Please send short proposals (750 words max.) and a one-page CV to Dr. Sarah Beringer (beringer@ghi-dc.org) by February 15, 2017. Successful applicants will be notified by late April 2017.
http://www.ghi-dc.org/events-conferences/event-history/2017/conferences…