Polish-American connections across time and space.

THE 15th PROFESSOR ANDRZEJ BARTNICKI FORUM FOR THE ADVANCED STUDIES OF THE UNITED STATES

Bialystok, June 28-July 1, 2018

POLISH-AMERICAN CONNECTIONS
ACROSS TIME AND SPACE
Call for Papers

On behalf of the organizers of PROFESSOR ANDRZEJ BARTNICKI FORUM FOR THE ADVANCED STUDIES OF THE UNITED STATES  (hereafter THE AMERICAN FORUM), I would like to invite you to participate in its 15th edition entitled “POLISH-AMERICAN CONNECTIONS ACROSS TIME AND SPACE”. The conference will be held at the University of Bialystok on June 29-July 1,  2018.
The general aims of the event have remained unchanged:
a) to provide an academic environment for Ph.D. students to present their research projects in American history, culture, and politics;
b) to enable both young and established American History and American Studies scholars to present fragments of their current research work;
c) to commemorate Professor Andrzej Bartnicki, the “founding father” of the American Studies Center at the Warsaw  University and the new Polish school of American history.

The year 2018 is very special for the history of modern Polish statehood as the 100th anniversary year of Poland’s rebirth after World War I. It is thus a proper time for Polish Americanists to celebrate, rethink and redefine the role of the United States in the restoration of the Polish republic, particularly President Woodrow Wilson’s vision of the post-war world and the role of the Americans in assisting the Polish nation in building a new state. The Polish-American relations at that time were important and essential for the reborn Polish republic and resulted in Poland’s fascination with America, its values and democracy during the interwar period.  
Although the hundred years of bilateral state relations since post-WWI till the present day have been crucial in Polish-American political and cultural relations, the contacts between the two states and societies have a  much longer prior history extending as far back as the Jamestown settlement. The encounters between the Poles and the Americans were taking place for a variety of reasons and in many circumstances: personal curiosity and adventure; seeking religious and political freedom; economic opportunities; duty and obligation etc. Many outstanding individuals - Polish, American and Polish-American - impacted significantly on the type and quality of contacts between Poland and the United States across time and space: politicians, diplomats, educators, soldiers, writers, musicians, scholars and journalists.  

Hence, two types of contributions are encourages. Firstly, those connected with the breakthrough year 1918 and its aftermath:

• Wilson’s messages (particularly on January 8, 1918) and their impact on the internationalization of so-called Polish cause and on the final decisions of the Paris Peace Conference on Poland’s borders, government, economic and humanitarian aid
• United States as a champion and defender Polish independence and the democratic republican form of government of reborn Poland
• the USA as advocate of Poland’s economic and financial rehabilitation after the years of partition and the war Polish-American relations during the inter-war period fascination with America in Poland and Central Europe after the Great War World War II and Polish-American relations various aspects of post-1945 Polish-American relations, including the Cold War period and current bilateral cooperation.

Secondly, presentations on pre-1918 areas and instances of Polish-American relations are also welcome,  such as:

• the first contacts of Poles with America
• the colonial period and the American Revolutionary War
• the Poles in the Civil War (Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski, Adam Gurowski)
• great international artistic careers (Helena Modrzejewska, Pola Negri)
• outstanding  members of Polish-American diaspora
• images and representations of America (Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, Sygurd Wiśniowski, Henryk Sienkiewicz, reportage, novels etc.)

The outline program of the 15th Forum:

• Day 1  (Friday, June 29) – inauguration and keynote speakers.
• Day 2  (Saturday, June 30 – presentations and discussions of the outlines of Ph.D. and post-doc. projects (habilitacja); a plenary panel related to the Forum’s leading      theme.                                      
• Day 3 (Sunday, July 1) - presentation of papers related to the Forum’s leading theme.     

                     
The papers should be delivered in ENGLISH, whereas the Ph.D. and post-doc. projects and methodological discussions may be presented either in POLISH or ENGLISH, according to individual preference.
All types of papers and presentation proposals should be submitted by May 1, 2018 to the following e-mail address: halka@uwb.edu.pl

Prof. Halina Parafianowicz
Chair of the Organizing Committee