April 09, 2009
First International Graduate Students' Conference on Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Students driving the future of genocide scholarship to gather at Clark
The Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University will present the first ever international and interdisciplinary doctoral students' conference on Holocaust and Genocide Studies, April 23-26.
Dozens of students and faculty, from Clark and as far away as Australia, Canada and Denmark, will convene to present original research on such diverse topics as children during the Holocaust, collective memory, law and the concept of genocide, genocide against Native Americans, relations between Jews and non-Jews, and others.
The first and only institute of its kind, the Strassler Center is home to a uniquely rich undergraduate program and the world's first doctoral program in Holocaust History and Genocide Studies. The Center sets the standard of excellence for the education and training of future scholars in this field. The young scholars presenting their research at the conference represent the future of the discipline of genocide education around the world.
One of the world's foremost Holocaust historians, Professor Yehuda Bauer, will inaugurate the opening session with a public lecture, "Holocaust and Genocide: Two Concepts or Part of Each Other?" on April 23. Bauer is Professor Emeritus of Holocaust Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Academic Advisor to Yad Vashem, and a member of the Israel Academy of Science. He is also the Honorary Chairman of the International Task Force on Holocaust Education. He has authored 14 books and some 90 articles on the Holocaust.
The graduate student conference also will celebrate the centennial anniversary of Sigmund Freud's visit to Clark University. Freud, who fled Nazi persecution, delivered five lectures at Clark, the sole American university where he lectured. The three-day doctoral conference in April will honor Freud's visit as well as an important milestone for the Strassler Center. This year, the Center celebrates its 10th anniversary of doctoral education. This conference aims to mark the occasion and call attention to the importance of graduate studies, just as Freud's visit to Clark did in 1909.
The plan for a doctoral student conference organized by and for students was collectively envisioned by the Center's current Ph.D. candidates.
"The faculty and staff of the Strassler Center have embraced this student initiative, and from the outset supported and guided the Center's graduate students as they began to organize this conference," writes doctoral student Raz Segal, an organizer of the program and presenter. "Even though our doctoral program leaves little free time, everyone joined the planning committees that have been working on this event for almost two years. For me, the organization of the conference proved part and parcel of my doctoral training, as I learned to prepare a budget, communicate with applicants, and work closely with my fellow graduate students at the Strassler Center who have since become good friends."
The Strassler Center's commitment to doctoral study ensures that Holocaust history and genocide studies are energized by new research. The mandate is clear: to train the next generations of scholars who will investigate archives, combat denial with well established facts, educate the public about historical genocides, and monitor current genocidal events around the globe. Since its inception, the Strassler Center has been at the forefront of Holocaust and genocide studies; this conference carries the program forward to the next level. The aim of the student organizers shines bright: to forge strong scholarly ties among a far-flung cohort – a cadre of professionals who will take the field in new directions in the decades to come.
The conference call for papers prompted more than 125 proposals grounded in original research on topics dealing with the Holocaust and genocide. Applications came from a host of countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Namibia, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
The Strassler Center seeks to foster an international community of future scholars by hosting student participants for the three-day meeting. Clark faculty and visiting scholars from the Center's partner program at the Danish Institute for International Studies will moderate the panels.
A diverse panel of scholars with expertise in comparative genocide, Holocaust history, and memory will close the meeting. They include Professors Ben Kiernan, Yale University; John Roth, University of Washington; Andrea Smith, University of Michigan; and Eric Weitz, University of Minnesota. They will assess the results of the conference panels within the broader context of future research and scholarship. The scholars invited for the opening and closing sessions will also serve as panel moderators.
The Louis and Ann Kulin Endowed Fund is sponsor of the conference, which is organized in cooperation with the Danish Institute for International Studies, Department of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Copenhagen. The Buster Foundation sponsors the keynote address, in honor of Dr. Richard '71 and Libby '72 Cohen. The Asher Family Fund, Rosalie and Sidney Rose, and the Cutler Charitable Foundation has generously provided additional support.
For details about the conference, contact the Strassler Center at 508-793-8897, e-mail CHGS@clarku.edu, or visit http://www.clarku.edu/departments/holocaust/.
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