Over the past decade, the Summer School of Leipzig’s Graduate School Global and Area Studies has established itself as an important meeting place for the interdisciplinary discussion of transnationalization and transculturalism as well as new trends in the research of globalization in general. The 2019 edition, which again is organized in close cooperation with the Centre for Area Studies, the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) and the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 1199: “Processes of Spatialization under the Global Condition” addresses the consequences of 1989 as a caesura and cipher in a global perspective.
With its thematic focus, the summer school takes up the theme of the conference “Revolutions and Transformations in a Global Perspective, 1989—2019” and provides an arena for early researchers more specifically to present their ongoing research related to 1989 to 2019: ruptures and ciphers in a global perspective.
The Summer School is meant to provide the PhD candidates of the Graduate School with an opportunity to an intense exchange with fellow PhD candidates and Postdocs from abroad on topics of common interest and to network across disciplinary as well as geographical boundaries. Thus, we heartily invite young researchers from all over the world whose research interests are related to the focus of this year’s Summer School.
Thematic Focus of the Summer School
“1989” can be interpreted as a watershed in global history, with huge implications in all world regions, not only for political and economic orders, but also for infrastructure, communication, cultural entanglements, migration regimes, and the like. We are interested in the entanglements and path-dependencies that developed in various world regions from “1989”, and connections between “1989” and increasing levels of political, economic and cultural global interdependence. We wish to relate “1989” to structural changes in the world economy along the lines of winners and losers of globalization, including processes of regionalization, as well as the integration of zones of production in transregional commodity chains and processes of financialization and digitalization. Are there links to be drawn between “1989” and the third wave of democratization in Africa in the early 1990s and the many revolutions, from Central Asia to the so-called Arab Spring, that have taken place in the last decade?
Participants will reflect on how the proliferation and growth of international organizations under conditions of increasing levels of violent conflict, the readjustment of the relations between state and non-state political actors, and the securitization of international relations emerged out of the economic, social and cultural changes triggered by “1989”. What processes of differentiation emerged between post-socialist societies? How did different rescaling of relations between sites of industrial production and the many forms of service industries, including the growing financial sector, occur? Can the rise of a global middle class be linked to “1989”?
Sequence of Events of the Summer School
The Summer School is organized into panels of 3–5 presentations each. Additionally, invited keynote speakers will introduce main aspects of the general theme. At the end of the Summer School, a round table with reports from the panels will bring the major findings together and integrate them into a final conclusion.
Panels will be organized by young researchers who are invited herewith to submit applications containing a 1-page description (300 words) of the panel’s main goals and its relevance to the overall topic of the Summer School, plus a list of possible speakers with an indication if they have already agreed or have to be contacted after the acceptance of the panel. The selection of the panel will be undertaken by a committee of the Graduate School where supervisors as well as PhD candidates and Postdocs are represented.
Individual time slots will be assigned by the organizers of the Summer School, but preferences of participants will be taken into consideration. In addition, active participation in the discussions of the Summer School is expected.
Application
Early researchers interested in the topic are cordially invited to submit either a proposal for a panel or an individual paper by application to the Summer School. The application should include:
- Personal details, as well as academic status, including relevant academic affiliation.
- An abstract of 300 to 500 words, together with an explanation of its connection to the ongoing dissertation/project as well as its relevance to the overall topic of the Summer School.
via e-mail to:
Leipzig University, Graduate School Global and Area Studies
Dr. Martina Keilbach
Emil-Fuchs-Str. 1
04105 Leipzig
E-mail: phd@uni-leipzig.de
Application deadline: 30 April 2019
Authors of accepted papers will be informed no later than 10 May 2019. A maximum of 20 papers will be selected. In order to prepare for academic commentary, submission of the actual paper (10 pages) is expected by 1 June 2019. The paper will be pre-circulated and should fit within a presentation between15–20 minutes.
Organizational Issues
The participation fee is 50 Euro. This fee covers all costs for conference material, refreshments during the breaks, lunch meals, as well as participation in the welcome reception and the cultural events that will be held during the Summer School.
Upon request, reasonably priced accommodations in Leipzig will be arranged by the conference office.
With successful participation in the Summer School, it will be possible to receive a certificate from the Graduate School Global and Area Studies. Further information can be found under: https://home.uni-leipzig.de/~gsgas/
ECTS: You can also earn ECTS credits for the Summer School (3 ECTS for the continuous participation in the Summer School). The acceptance of credits is the responsibility of your home university.
Childcare For all events, childcare will be provided. Registration is requested (by 1 June 2019) at the above-mentioned address.