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Annual Minority Seminar 2021

Annual Minority Seminar 2021

Minority Experiences and European Narratives:
Contemporary and Historical Perspectives

April 14-16, 2021 at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

The minority research profile at Åbo Akademi University, together with the Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives (EuroStorie) at the University of Helsinki, invite you to a joint annual seminar that will take place in Åbo/Turku, Finland, from April 14th to 16th, 2021.

The seminar Minority Experiences and European Narratives: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives aims to explore the multifaceted links between minority experiences and European narratives, both in the past and in the present. By shifting the focus from official to minoritarian narratives of Europe the seminar will primarily contribute to a more complex picture of Europe and Europeanness. What is the meaning of Europe in minoritarian narratives and can we talk about narratives of minoritarian Europeanness?

At the same time, the seminar will also discuss how the idea of Europe has developed with reference to minority experiences in the official narratives of the policy papers produced under the auspices of the Council of Europe and the European Union. How have some minority experiences following World War I been Europeanized in official narratives, whereas other minority experiences have been excluded or marginalized as not belonging in Europe or in the European mainstream/master narrative?

The seminar will focus on topical issues, including but not limited to:

  • multiplicity of accounts and experiences of othering, exclusion, racialisation and minoritization in Europe
  • minoritization and decolonial perspectives on European narratives
  • pan-European and extra-European narratives of Europe
  • regional and local perspectives
  • minoritized v. official narratives of Europe

Confirmed keynote speakers at the seminar are:

Marie-Claire Foblets (Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology) – title TBC
Manuela Boatca (Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg) – title TBC
Huub van Baar (Justus Liebig University Giessen, University of Amsterdam) – The European Roma and their Search for Representational Space: Claiming History and Challenging the Borders of Europe

Guide for contributors:

Interested participants should submit abstracts no longer than 400 words to eurostorie@gmail.com by November 15th, 2020 (submission has closed).
Due to the Covid-19 situation and global uncertainty it causes, we strive to organize the conference as a hybrid event and make it accessible both face to face and online. This hybrid model gives us flexibility in case the pandemic will continue to impact opportunities for traveling and face-to-face participation. We will provide more information on the possibilities for online participation in early 2021. The organizers are unfortunately unable to aid in either travel or accommodation arrangements or the cost of travel or accommodation.

Important dates:

Deadline for submission: November 15th, 2020 (submission has closed)
Notification of acceptance: January 15th, 2020
Deadline for registration: March 31st, 2021
We look forward to seeing you in Åbo! 
 

For enquiries concerning abstracts and conference presentations please contact: Magdalena Kmak (magdalena.kmak[at]abo.fi) and Pamela Slotte (pamela.slotte[at]abo.fi)

For other inquiries, please contact: Heta Björklund (heta.bjorklund[at]helsinki.fi) and Mats Wickström (mats.wickstrom[at]abo.fi)

Updated 18.11.2020