First Call for Papers

The International Association for Hungarian Studies
and the “Babeş–Bolyai” University
organise a conference for PhD-students
on the 27^th of August, 2010,
entitled

Border Crossings

Location:
The Faculty of Letters, BBU, 31 Horea St. .

The premise
The management of the International Association for Hungarian Studies has decided to make scientific work in the periods between congresses continuous. In this regard, in 2005 a post-graduate conference has preceded the 6^th International Congress of Hungarian Studies, in Budapest. The PhD students’ conference was entitled “The Workshops of Hungarian Studies. A Conference for Doctoral Schools”. The event was to become a tradition, and was followed by the next conference in 2008, entitled “The Self-Interpretations of Hungarian Studies”. (The papers presented during these conferences can be downloaded from the Association’s homepage: http://www.nmtt.hu/doktorkon.html.)

The aim of the conference
The main purpose of the conference is invariably to promote the new scientific generations for the International Association of Hungarian Studies. The conference for Doctoral Schools offers a regular international forum for PhD-students and young researchers interested in Hungarian Studies in the periods between two congresses. This international scientific event should also increase international students’ interest in Hungarian studies, facilitating the development of the PhD-schools working in Hungarian studies abroad and the inter-disciplinary collaboration between Hungarian and international workshops of Hungarian studies. It also may contribute to the perspective and methodological renewal of Hungarian studies. Last but not least, it can develop stronger and more organised relationships between the Association, the universities and the new researcher generations, respectively. The conference for Doctoral Schools wishes to contribute professionally to the preparation of the 7^th International Congress of Hungarian Studies in 2011.

The main theme of the conference

Border crossings.
The multiple meanings of the border crossings concept may be grasped through association of ideas. Understood word by word, its meaning regarding Hungarian studies is obvious: the borders of the Hungarian culture and language are not identical with those of the Hungarian state. In the recent past many borders have opened up and have become crossable during the regime changes in Eastern and Central Europe. However, it’s not this self-evident meaning that the title of the present conference wishes to primarily exploit, although it does not want to overlook it, too. On the contrary, it sets out to stimulate the crossing of boundaries between languages and cultures. The questions these approaches raise stem from the widest range of domains. How can be borders drawn between science and politics, science and ethics, science and fiction, and within arts, between word, image and sound? The timeline is a border, as well: how do period schemas and period boundaries accepted or debated within several disciplines define the possibilities of scientific discourse? The organisers would prefer if participants were to open up inter-disciplinary scientific dialogue through the simultaneous use of historical and theoretical approaches.
Boundary crossing is a subversive action in itself, implying the possibility of risks, as well. At the same time, the threshold associated to the boundary is a promise, too, alluring us with the possibility to re-create ourselves by overstepping it – both where our own scientific disciplines are concerned, and existentially, too. While a border might be alienating for one researcher, another might find it a threshold inviting to be overstepped. There are many boundaries within the Hungarian studies, and outside it as well, that are now worth seen as thresholds. It is the other perspective, the view of the other that is needed in order for the Hungarian studies to continuously create and re-create itself. Scientific research, as long as it becomes an event, is able to make boundaries flexible and crossable. It is our hope that this conference will become the opportunity and place for the encounter and intersection of scientific ideas.

The working format of the Conference
First of all, we would like to create the opportunity for genuine debate, exchange of ideas and scientific dialogue, following a small number of presentations. After the conference the dialogue shall be continued, and to this end the webpage and mailing lists of the International Association of Hungarian Studies will offer a permanent online electronic publicity for the presentation made available and the comments they generate.

Application
Applications containing the abstract of the presentation should be sent either by regular mail (postal address: MTA-KAB Association, 400306, Cluj Napoca, Ion Ghica St. 12, Romania) or electronically to the office@kab.ro; address. For the sake of being informed, applicants are kindly requested to send their abstracts to the Association’s office too: nmtt@iif.hu. The deadline for application is: the 1st of May, 2010 (postmark date).