Call for Papers for the Critical Approaches to Romani Studies conference at Central European University, in Budapest

Date: May 21-22, 2020

Deadline: February 16, 2020

Venue: Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

The Romani Studies Program (RSP) at the Central European University is pleased to invite scholars to submit paper and panel proposals for the Critical Approaches to Romani Studies conference held on the 21st and 22nd of May 2019, in Budapest, Hungary.

Roma have been an object of academic and policy inquiry for centuries; however, until recently, due to structural discrimination, few Romani people have been allowed to shape the discourses on themselves. The establishment of the Romani Studies Program at CEU represents a turning point in this academic environment by applying a broader definition of scholarship and knowledge production and involving activist-scholars.

The annual conference of RSP brings together Romani and non-Romani activist-scholars embracing critical approaches and methods to Romani Studies. The conference proposes a paradigm shift in Romani Studies and challenges the dominant academic and policy discourse by focusing on the forms of racialization of Roma and the mechanisms and impact of racism and structural discrimination on Roma and Romani identity

We are especially keen to receive papers on the following topics:

· The relevance of Postcolonial studies for Romani studies

· Romani women’s activism and gender politics

· Epistemic and structural violence against Roma

· Applying Critical Race Theory for studying forms of oppression of Roma

· Empirical inquiries into forms of antigypsyism

· Critical analysis of Roma inclusion policies

· Roma representation, self-representation, and cultural appropriation

· Populism and far right discourses on Roma

· The role of new technologies and social media in the empowerment and/or oppression of Roma

· Historical justice: truth, reparation and reconciliation

· Holocaust studies and Roma

· Environmental justice for Roma

Guidelines for authors

Proposals are welcome from researchers at all stages of their careers (including MA graduates and PhD students). Young scholars of Romani origin are particularly encouraged to apply.

Please submit proposals including the author’s name, title, a 500-word-long abstract, a 100-word long biography at http://bit.ly/2qLFXwM. Panel proposals should include three (maximum four) papers, a discussant, and a chair. Panels with at least two Romani and/or female presenters will have a priority. Panel proposals are to be submitted at http://bit.ly/2t3m4St.

Deadline of submission: February 16, 2020. All proposals are reviewed by the academic program committee. Successful applicants will be notified by 28 February, 2020.

Original (not yet published) draft papers are to be submitted by April 30, 2019.

CEU RSP can cover the costs of travel and accommodation of successful applicants who cannot fund the costs of their participation and submit an original (not yet published) draft paper. Emerging Romani scholars will have priority for funding. Junior scholars (MA graduates, junior PhD students) may submit 2000-3000-word-long papers (including critical reviews of books or cultural events, products), whereas senior scholars are expected to contribute 4000-7000-word-long papers. In the case of accepted panel proposals, CEU does not cover the participation costs of the proposed chair and discussant. We encourage the organizers of panel proposals to identify a discussant and a chair based in Budapest having consulted with the conference organizers. Book presentation panels will be considered as well. Please inquire about details by email.

We recommend authors to present their draft paper at the conference. Selected papers might be published - after peer review – in the Critical Romani Studies journal. However, we are accepting submissions from scholars who cannot attend the conference but would like their papers to be considered for peer review and publication.

About the Romani Studies Program at CEU

Central European University (CEU) is a graduate research-intensive university specializing primarily in the social sciences and the humanities, as well as law, business and public policy. It is located in Budapest and Vienna, and accredited in the United States, Hungary and Austria. CEU's mission is to promote academic excellence, state-of-the-art research, and civic engagement. CEU offers both Master's and doctoral programs, and enrolls about 1400 students from 100 countries. The teaching staff consists of more than 180 resident faculty members from over 40 countries, and a large number of prominent visiting scholars from around the world. The language of instruction is English. Further information: https://www.ceu.edu

The Romani Studies Program (RSP) is an academic unit at CEU established in August 2017 and aims to engage scholars, policy makers, and activists in interdisciplinary knowledge production and debate on Roma identity and movement; antigypsyism; social justice and policy making; gender politics; and structural inequality. RSP includes the Roma Graduate Preparation Program, a non-degree program for Roma graduates, the Roma in European Societies Initiative and academic teaching and research. The Roma in European Societies initiative has been launched in 2016 as the first of its kind in higher education, a new interdisciplinary effort to support existing work to improve the situation of Roma in all sectors at local, national, and regional levels through teaching and research, leadership development and community outreach. The initiative is funded by a consortium of grant makers: the VELUX Foundations, the Open Society Foundations’ Roma Initiatives Office and the Roma Education Fund.

Individual paper proposals to be submitted at: http://bit.ly/2qLFXwM Panel proposals are to be submitted at: http://bit.ly/2t3m4St All inquiries should be directed to res@ceu.edu