Memory in Poland of the rescuers and the rescued from the Holocaust. International Conference, 11-12 June 2015
CALL FOR PAPERS
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Warsaw, 11-12 June 2015
Memory in Poland of the rescuers and the rescued from the Holocaust.
On the 30th anniversary of granting the title of the Righteous Among The Nations to Sugihara Chiune, Japanese Consul in Lithuania
In 1940 Sugihara Chiune, Japanese Consul in Lithuania, in cooperation with Dutch Honorary Consul Jan Zwartendijk, issued over 2,500 visas to Polish Jews who in 1939 found refuge in and around Vilnius. Thanks to these visas, up to 6,000 people escaped the Holocaust by crossing the Soviet Union and entering Japan, and from there resettling in other countries. For his actions, in 1985 Sugihara was awarded the title of Righteous Among The Nations. On the 30th anniversary of the award, and 75 years after the rescue actions commenced, we wish to engage in a wider reflection on heroic actions of those who saved Jews from the Holocaust, as well as the ways they have been recognised by different institutions around the world.
The conference’s main aim is to bring together scholars interested in public memory and commemorations of Sugihara’s actions, and of similar rescue operations. We encourage participation by academics from various fields as well as museologists, archivists, community leaders and public figures, in order to promote a dialogue and a constructive discussion between the academics and the broader public.
The conference will be structured around the following 4 main areas:
· Memory of Sugihara and Zwartendijk in Poland, Lithuania, Japan, the Netherlands, and the countries of settlement of Polish Jews saved by him.
· The perspective of the rescued: personal testimonies of people saved by The Righteous, and their descendants (this session will include online connections with those who can’t attend in person).
· From remembrance to celebration: various forms of commemorative practices of Holocaust victims, survivors and saviours.
· The Righteous Among the Nations: Contemporary dilemmasand problems associated with the award.
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The conference has received the patronage of:
Honorary Committee:
Prof. Janusz Balicki, Director, Inter-institute Unit for Migration Research, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland
Prof. Andrew Jakubowicz, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Mr Jakub Nowakowski, Director, Galicia Jewish Museum in Cracow, Poland
Dr Grazyna Pawlak, Director, Prof. Moses Schorr Foundation in Warsaw, Poland
Mr Krzysztof Czyżewski, Director, Bordelands Foundation, Sejny, Poland
Organizing Committee:
Aleksandra Hadzelek, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, P.O.Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia, tel. +61 2 95147686, Aleksandra.Hadzelek@uts.edu.au
Olga Barbasiewicz, Institute of Political Science, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, ul. Woycickiego 1/3, building no. 23, room no.112, tel. +48 668946552, obarbasiewicz@gmail.com
Joanna M. Guzik, Institute of Middle and Far East Studies, Jagiellonian University,
30-387 Krakow, ul. Gronostajowa 3, room no.127, tel. +48 126645415,
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The conference will be hosted by Inter-Institutes Migration Research Unit (University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski in Warsaw).More details of the conference can be found at: http://migracje.uksw.edu.pl.
Please send 2-to-3-page session proposals and/ or one-page individual paper abstracts, and one-page CVs as a word doc or a pdf to: o.barbasiewicz@uksw.edu.pl
Deadline for submitting proposals is Sunday, 22 February 2015.
