Deadline: January 7, 2024
June 5-6, 2025. Mikkeli, Finland
We call for papers examining and exploring various aspects of memory and war. We understand war broadly from world wars to civil wars and regional clashes. Proposed papers can range from individual case studies to methodological considerations. Possible themes include, but are not limited to:
• controversial war memorials and places of remembrance
• the role of history teaching or textbooks in memory conflicts
• populist parties using narratives of war or their aftermath
• postcolonialism and conflicting memories of war
• intersections of memory cultures and politics related to war
• art and literature concerning war and post-war remembrance
• examples of post-war reconciliation
The official conference language is English. The conference is planned as an in-person event.
Keynote speakers: Georgiy Kasianov (Maria Curie-Sk?odowska University, Lublin), author of Memory Crash: Politics of History in and around Ukraine, 1980s–2010s (2022) and Michalinos Zembylas (Open University of Cyprus), author of Emotion and Traumatic Conflict: Reclaiming Healing in Education (2015).
Applications should include an abstract (300 words) indicating the theme and approach of the proposal (20-minute proposal format), along with a short biography (100 words). Applications should be sent via this google form: https://forms.gle/KWZTEm8jSK9CSWQH6
We also welcome other types of contributions like complete panels, roundtables, small workshops and other types of input. In such cases, please contact the organizers directly.
The deadline for submissions is January 7th, 2025. Decisions will be announced in the second half of January.
The conference venue is Muisti – The Center of War and Peace in Mikkeli (https://muisti.org/en/muisti-centre-of-war-and-peace/), focusing on preserving and displaying experiences of war and promoting peace. During the Second World War, Finnish army headquarters were located in Mikkeli leaving many sites and museums still to be visited. The town of Mikkeli is located in beautiful lakeside Finland and easily accessible by trains from the Helsinki airport.
There will be a modest conference fee to cover lunches and coffee breaks. The fee will be waived for presenters in case new funding opportunities open up.
More information about the conference can be found on the conference website: https://sites.uef.fi/war-memories/
The convenors: Simo Mikkonen and Tamara Polyakova, University of Eastern Finland. Contact e-mail: warmemories2025@gmail.com