INVITATION TO THE NORDIC CONFERENCE

"THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF POST-COMMUNISM II"

BERGEN, 12.-14. SEPTEMBER, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN

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As a follow up to last years meeting in Copenhagen, this conference calls together Nordic anthropologists and students of anthropology who are interested in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics. Our goal is to further promote Nordic research in this field and to debate diverse analytic approaches to the processes of post-communist transformation.

Keynote speakers:

Lazslo Kurti (University of Miskolc, Hungary)
Steven Sampson (University of Lund, Sweden)
Katherine Verdery (University of Michigan, USA)

The remainder of the conference is reserved for presentation and discussion of participant papers. Below three themes are specified for these papers. Proposals that do not fit these thematic sessions are welcome and will be assigned to an open category. Papers should be presented in English.

1) East-West -relations. This session focuses upon both direct encounters between &quoteast" and &quotwest" through development projects, export of goods , migration etc, and, the problem of how &quoteast" and &quotwest" function as opposed symbolic categories. Session co-ordinator: Inger Elin Øye, Dept. of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen.

2) Economic and social change in an anthropological perspective. Anthropological perspectives on economic, social and legal transformations in Eastern Europe are central to this session. We will explore local experiences of formal and economic changes in terms of relevant cultural models and/or analysis of the relation between discourse and practice. Some possible substantial topics are: increased social mobility and changes in symbolic capital, cultural conceptions of money and wealth, corruption as a social strategy, etc. Session co- ordinator: Pernille Larsen, Dept. of Social Anthropology, University of Copenhagen.

3) Accounts of the past, identities of today. Here issues such as changing moralities and religious, ethnic and national revitalization will be addressed. Session co-ordinator: Hulya Demirdirek, Dept. of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo.

4) Open group. Session co-ordinator: Haldis Haukanes, Dept of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen.

Travel support: Student participants giving papers can apply to the conference organizers for a travel grant.

Conference registration deadline: July 1 to Haldis Haukanes, Dept. of Social Anthropology, University of Bergen, Fosswinckelsgt. 6, 5007 Bergen, Norway. E-mail:see below. If you plan to give a paper, kindly include a paper abstract with your registration. Deadline for delivering completed papers: August 12, 1997

Questions concerning the conference should be directed to Haldis Haukanes: Tel. + 47 5558 9259, Fax: + 47 5558 9260, E-mail: Haldis.Haukanes@sosantr.uib.no Questions concerning lodging should be put to Karl Henrik Svensson, Tel. + 47 5558 9256, E-mail: karl.svensson@sosantr.uib.no