MINELRES: ASN 2004 Convention Program on the Web

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Dominique Arel <darel@uottawa.ca> 


ASN 2004 WORLD CONVENTION (COLUMBIA U, 15-17 APRIL 2004)
PRELIMINARY PROGRAM NOW ON THE WEB (www.nationalities.org).

The  preliminary program of the ASN 2004 World Convention is now
available on the web site, at www.nationalities.org. The program
features 110 panels, including nine video presentation and several
special sessions. The Convention boasts the most international lineup of
panelists, with slightly more than half of the 325 scholars who will be
delivering papers (51 percent, from 36 countries) currently based
outside of the United States. The participation of scholars from
disciplines such as history, anthropology, and sociology is also notably
on the rise.

***A preregistration form can be downloaded from the web site. For all
information regarding our Convention at Columbia University, please
contact our Executive Director Gordon Bardos at gnb12@columbia.edu, 212
854 8487***

The Convention is truly honored to host a distinguished guest, The Hon.
Rolf Ekeus, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, who will
be delivering a special address in the session preceding the opening
reception on the first day, Thursday April 15.

The Convention is also unveiling a new section, "Theories of
Nationalism," focused on theoretical and reflective work conducted in
the burgeoning field of comparative nationalism studies, a field which
has engendered several scholarly journals in the past decade, but which
lacked a large scholarly gathering. The section's debut lineup features
16 panels, including special sessions on the recent books by Valery
Tishkov, Roger Petersen, Anthony Marx, and Liah Greenfeld, as well as a
panel based on a original paper by Walker Connor. Paper-givers and
discussants in the Nationalism section include David Laitin, Ron Suny,
Paul Brass, Mark Beissinger and Ian Lustick.

As always, the Convention offers a strong lineup of panels in the
regional sections of Ukraine, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia/Turkey,
Central Europe and the Balkans. The Program Committee, facing a record
number of proposals this year, had to be more selective than ever in
devising the lineup. The response has been particularly strong regarding
Central Eurasia, with 22 sessions for Central Asia, Caucasus and Turkey
combined, and the Balkans, also with 22 sessions, literally twice as
many as in last year's event. The program is constructed in such a way
that for virtually each session every regional or thematic section is
represented by at least one panel, minimizing the inevitable conflicts.

The Convention, for the fifth consecutive year, has a section featuring
brand new video presentations. This year, for the first time, most of
the presentations come from academics who are using the video medium as
part of their research.  Confirmed presentations thus far include
DOSTUM: LIVING WITH A WARLORD IN EASTERN TURKESTAN, by Brian Williams
(UMass, US); IN TRANSIT, by Berke Bas (Istanbul Biligu U, Turkey), on
international migrants transiting in Turkey on their way to the West;
WAR FOR PEACE, by Koca Pavlovic (Montenegro), on the siege of Dubrovnik;
CRUCIBLE OF WAR, by Leon Gerskovic (US), on life after ethnic cleansing;
SHAPES IN THE WAX: TRADITION AND FAITH AMONG FOLK MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS
IN RURAL UKRAINE, by Sarah D. Phillips and Timothy D. Miller (Indiana U,
US); and TERROR IN MOSCOW, by Dan Reed (UK), on the October 2002 hostage
crisis in Moscow.

LOCATION. The convention will be taking place in the International
Affairs Building (IAB) of Columbia University, 420 W. 118th St. (metro
station: 116th St., on the Red Line). Registration will be on the 15th
Floor of IAB and the panels will be held on several floors.

REGISTRATION. $45 for ASN Members, $60 for Non-Members, and $30 for
Students. Preregistration payments are non-refundable. A registration
form can be downloaded from the ASN  web site
(http://www.nationalities.org/) or requested from Daria Vaisman
(dhv2002@columbia.edu). People who plan to attend the convention are
strongly encouraged to pre-register, since places are limited.

SCHEDULE. Registration will begin at 11 AM, Thursday April 15, on the
15th Floor of IAB. People who sent preregistered will need to pick up
their name tag and the convention program. On the Thursday, the panels
will run from 1 PM-7.30 PM. On Friday and Saturday, from 9 AM to 7 PM
PM. The convention will end on the Saturday evening, April 5.

ACCOMMODATION. The convention does not have arrangements with a
particular hotel. A list of nearby hotels can be found on the ASN web
site.

ASN MEMBERSHIP. People can now directly join a fast growing ASN on the
convention pre-registration form. In addition to getting a significant
discount at the ASN convention, ASN members receive annually four
issues of Nationalities Papers, the field's leading journal; four
issues of the Analysis of Current Events, containing up-to-the-minute
analyses of ongoing events; and two issues of ASNews, the
association's newsletter. An annual membership costs a remarkably low
$60 annually-$35 for students.

BONUS FOR ASN MEMBERS. ASN members have also the option of subscribing
to Europe-Asia Studies (formerly Soviet Studies), which publishes
eight issues a year, for $60, almost a hundred dollars less than the
regular subscription price. Convention panelists can take advantage of
this offer directly on the convention registration form.

BOOK EXHIBIT/SALE OF PAPERS. Publishers will exhibit their wares in
the exhibit room, located in the spacious Dag Room on the 6th floor.
Convention papers will also go on sale for $1 apiece. At least 20
copies of each paper will go on sale in the book exhibit on Friday,
April 16, at 11.15 AM.

We very much look forward to seeing in April at the Convention!

Yours,
Dominique Arel (darel@uottawa.ca), ASN VP Conventions
Gordon Bardos,  Director
Troy McGrath, Program Chair
on behalf of the ASN Convention Program Committee