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ASEEES Convention 2023 Information!
Please also note:
- A joint social for the Slovak Studies Assoc. & Czechoslovak Studies Assoc. will take place at a restaurant near the convention hotel in Philly. Watch for details on our Facebook Page!
- For those interested in ‘field trip’ options in Philly, please note that the free daily pipe-organ concerts at the historic Wanamaker’s (now Macy’s) Department Store are Monday through Saturday at 12 noon and Monday through Saturday at 5:30 pm. Each concert lasts 45 minutes. For details visit https://wanamakerorgan.com/.
CEU Press: Books with Slovak Themes, Fall 2023
Books with Slovak themes CEU Press
Member Publication–NEW!
Dear Czech and Slovak Friends,
I attach here as a PDF my newest piece, in Slovak, a penetrating look at one of the best-known Czecho-Slovak novels, “The Good Soldier Svejk,” which this year is observing the 100th anniversary of its publication, as well as the 100th anniversary of the death of its author, Jaroslav Hasek. There was little that was good in the making of this novel, as well as in the making of its reputation, largely the work of German poet and playwright Bertold Brecht. The piece, “Jaroslav Hašek a jeho legendárny Švejk Satira vojny či nevhodný žart na pohrebe?” (“Jaroslav Hašek and his legendary Švejk: Anti-war satire or a joker at a funeral?”), appears this month in Historická Revue (Slovak Republic), no. 9 (September 2023): 34-40. Cheers!
Kevin J. McNamara
Managing Director
Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies
Writing Across Boundaries Program
Please complete the program application by *Friday, October 6, 2023*
<https://forms.gle/VhPT8D7Q2yEsigZh6>
To integrate new research and perspectives from underrepresented regions
and groups in English-language publishing outlets in Russian, Eurasian and
East European Studies, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the
Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies at Arizona
State University, and University of Amsterdam are inviting applications for
their Writing Across Boundaries Program
<https://sites.google.com/view/writingacrossboundaries/about>.
Doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, and other early career scholars from all disciplines in the arts and humanities and the social sciences are
encouraged to apply.
Established in 2022, the program introduces early career scholars *based
in, or originating from, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia,
and the Caucasus*, to the academic journal publishing process. The Writing
Across Boundaries Program seeks to provide an inclusive environment where
authors engage each other in conversation about writing, editing, and
preparing a manuscript for submission to an English-language, peer-reviewed
professional journal. The overall goal of this program is to familiarize
authors with different stages of developing a manuscript. These include:
– Identifying journals for publication;
– Interpreting submission guidelines and requirements;
– Working with drafts;
– Structuring effective arguments;
– Understanding the peer review process;
– Conducting revisions and incorporating feedback from reviewers;
– Communicating with editors and editorial staff;
– Interpreting article acceptance and rejection notices.
Through informal conversations and hands-on workshops, participants will
acquire tools to navigate the daunting and time consuming experience of
publishing their research in a professional journal. The Writing Across
Boundaries Program will be conducted virtually through Zoom. The project
team will lead synchronous sessions in late January, April and June. The
expectation is that participants will attend all these sessions and also be
able to commit extended time to writing and revision in the Spring and/or
Summer 2024. The program goal is for all participants to submit a revised
and improved article to a journal by October 2024.
Besides hearing from writing program instructors and moderators, journal
editors and other subject-matter experts, participants will receive
detailed feedback on their first draft; read and respond to their peers’
writing; and have access to office hours and troubleshooting sessions.
Participants can apply for professional copy-editing/proofreading
assistance in Fall 2024 on their submission-ready draft.
Application Requirements:
– Upload your resume or CV
– Upload an advanced draft of your manuscript [unpublished or not
currently under review]. 6,000-8,000 words, with complete references
– Upload statement of purpose (400-500 words) on why you want to
participate in the Writing Across Boundaries program and what your goals
are for this manuscript.
Please complete the program application by *Friday, October 6, 2023*
<https://forms.gle/VhPT8D7Q2yEsigZh6>
You can direct any questions to: writingacrossboundariesprogram@gmail.com
Program organizers:
- Dmitry Tartakovsky (*Slavic Review*)
- Harriet Murav (U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
- Keith Brown (Arizona State University)
- Eva Rogaar (U of Amsterdam)
- Katherine Ashcraft (U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
- Joe Lenkart (U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
- John Randolph (U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
OBITUARY: Owen Verne Johnson (1946-2022)
A tribute by Prof. M. Mark Stolarik
On August 6, 2022, Owen V. Johnson, one of the leading scholars on Slovak history in the USA went to his eternal reward in Bloomington, Indiana. He had taught at the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana University from 1980 to 2014, when he retired as Associate Professor Emeritus.
Owen Johnson first came to my attention in 1978, when he was working on his Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Michigan concerning the establishment of Slovak education in post-war Czechoslovakia. I recruited him into the Slovak Studies Association that same year. In 1980 he joined the Editorial Board of the scholarly annual Slovakia. In 1988 Owen was elected President of the Slovak Studies Association and served until 1990.
Johnson made his name with the publication of his revised dissertation (1978) Slovakia 1918-1938: Education and the Making of a Nation (Boulder: East European Monographs, 1985). In this seminal work, he argued that Anton Štefánek, the first Minister of Education after the creation of Czechoslovakia, in spite of his pro-Czechoslovak leanings, established a solid education system in Slovakia which, ironically, led to the rise of Slovak nationalists to the forefront of Slovak culture and politics. The rest, as they say, is history.
Owen received several awards and scholarships during his many years in academia. These included Fulbright Scholarships in Czechoslovakia in 1973-74 and in Warsaw in 2009-10; IREX Scholarships in Slovakia in 1982 and 2003-04; and in Moscow in 1991; he also received a large American Council for Learned Societies grant to hold an international scholarly conference on journalism in East Central Europe at Indiana University in 1983. Your editor, as well as Madelaine Korbel Albright (!) participated in this conference.
Professor Johnson was also a journalist and Professor of Journalism at Indiana University. In this capacity he wrote two books on the American war correspondent Ernie Pyle, and many articles on journalism, whether in East Central Europe and elsewhere. He also taught numerous students of journalism, whether at the undergraduate, M.A. or Ph.D. level.
Owen Johnson was a prolific publisher. He published four books on Ernie Pyle or East Central Europe and 37 articles and many book reviews in professional journals. He also published many dozens of articles in popular journals and newspapers. He appeared numerous times on radio, including PBS. He also attended dozens of scholarly conferences, especially the ASEEES, where he usually presented a paper on some topic related to Slovak history or to the history of journalism in East Central Europe. We will sorely miss him. May he rest in peace!
Scholarship Funds Available
The Chair in Slovak History & Culture at the University of Ottawa will again offer scholarships to scholars who wish to study or do research in Slovak history in the extensive Archives and Special Collections of the University of Ottawa in the summer of 2023. For information on Slovak archival holdings feel free to contact Veronique Paris, Archival Technician at arcs@uottawa.ca. Scholars who wish to apply for scholarships up to $5,000 (CDN) should contact the Chairholder in Slovak History & Culture, Prof. Roman Krakovsky: roman.krakovsky@uottwa.ca or Prof. M. Mark Stolarik, Chairholder Emeritus: stolarik@uottawa.ca.
Seeking Article Submissions:
Ján Golian of the Catholic University in Ružomberok invites contributions of articles and reviews in English to the journal Kulturné dejiny (Cultural History).
David Muhlena of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa welcomes article submissions for their bi-annual journal Slovo. He writes: Slovo is received by the NCSML’s members; the writing style is similar to what you find in Smithsonian Magazine, so less academic but still rigorous. Let me know if you have questions or need clarifications. Contact: dmuhlena@NCSML.org
SLOVAKIA TO CEASE PUBLICATION
The scholarly annual Slovakia, which has been published by the Slovak League of America from 1951 through 2021 will cease publication as of now. The Slovak League of America was founded in 1907 to promote autonomy for the Slovak nation within the Kingdom of Hungary and, after 1918 within Czechoslovakia. After 1945 it supported Slovak independence. Once independence was achieved in 1993, interest in, and financial support for the Slovak League began to decline to the point that the League can no longer subsidize the publication of its scholarly annual. Slovakia was initially edited by Filip Hrobak, the editor of the weekly Jednota. After his death in 1964 Jozef Paučo, the former editor of the daily Slovák in Slovakia (1939-1945) took over until his death in 1975. After that the late Michael Novak edited it until 1982, when M. Mark Stolarik took over. He edited it through 2021. This was the only English-language scholarly annual devoted exclusively to Slovak history in existence. It will be sorely missed.
Slovak Studies Association 