9th SIEF CONGRESS
University of Ulster, Magee Campus
Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland
16-20 June 2008

TRANSCENDING .EUROPEAN HERITAGES.:
LIBERATING THE ETHNOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

Conference Announcement and Call for Panels
 
Internationally, the field of ethnology and folklore is undergoing considerable transformations in terms of theory, methodology, subject matter, and practical outlook. At the same time, it remains a small field even in countries where it is a relatively well-established academic subject, experiencing the same resource pressures as other small subjects. The varied titles of institutes and courses (European ethnology, folklore, empirical cultural studies, ethnography, Volkskunde etc.) signal a shifting disciplinary identity. In some places links are being forged with neighbouring fields like cultural or media studies, cultural history, archaeology, religious studies, or literature. Elsewhere, the maintenance of a rigorous disciplinary canon is favoured.  Ethnology and folklore are uniquely placed to at once contribute to and critically evaluate current endeavours surrounding the shaping of a .European identity., the marketing of regional and national heritages, and associated !
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tivities. In its combinations of historical with social scientific methods, and of historical with contemporary topics, the field is well placed to address key questions for the future. The assets and dangers of such contributions require the critical reflection of our fields. own Eurocentric heritage. The challenges facing the field need to be assessed carefully, fresh approaches explored and new horizons of ethnological inquiry boldly mapped out. In order to move beyond or transcend the various European heritages it is concerned with, and to develop a vision of Europe and its constituent elements that is at once global and rooted, the ethnological imagination needs to be liberated. 
	The 9th SIEF-congress will aim to encourage in particular boundary-crossing explorations of new epistemologies and the proactive shaping of the field.s research agendas through a broad range of sub-themes, panel discussions, posters, workshops, and keynotes by leading international scholars. It will include workshops dealing with region-specific issues in developing the field (the emerging Baltic ethnology, the effort in Great Britain to launch a European ethnology, the reconfiguring of the field in Central Europe and the Balkan states, and so forth), with historiographic examinations of the circumstances that have shaped and, perhaps, limited the ethnological imagination, and with the public role of ethnologists and folklorists in specific contexts, for example, divided societies. The Congress programme will present academic and professional interests in an integrated format, and encourage debate between different traditions. There will also be a forum for MA- and PhD-stud!
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ts, and workshops looking at practice-based research in ethnology and folklore. Congress delegates will have an opportunity, both as part of the programme and on their own, to visit innovative local organisations of special interest for ethnologists and folklorists. For example, two venues where workshops will be held, the Nerve Centre in the multimedia field and the Verbal Arts Centre in the area of oral traditions, are both important outlets for public folklore. A wide spectrum of community initiatives represents the different indigenous and immigrant cultural groups in the host region. After the congress, there will be an opportunity to explore the region through half- and full-day excursions; destinations will include the Ulster-American Folk Park and the Sperrins, Lough Derg, the Donegal Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area), and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
 
Format
Following the opening event, the programme will run over four full days, with the final day being dedicated to excursions. As a reflection of the aspiration of .liberating the ethnological imagination., the programme will comprise a wide range of sessions in different formats.
 
Sub-Theme Panels
 
Each day a specific theme is introduced by a keynote speaker and discussed further in a series of paper sessions, some of which may run in parallel. The themes are:
 
Day 1:	European Heritages
A field that is often called .European ethnology. needs to have a fair idea of what it means by .European.. In practice, however, this is far from clear. Not only have different regional traditions been influenced to varying degrees by more or less non-European approaches, but the meaning and constituent elements of .Europe. itself are wide open to debate. Under this sub-theme, we are looking in particular for panels that link critical reflections on specific .European. heritages, including but not limited to our own various research traditions, with aspects of European identities and heritages as they are lived out and thus continuously interpreted in everyday life at the grass-roots level.
 
Day 2:	Transcending Theories and Practices
The .crisis of representation. affects ethnology and folklore more than other fields, due to the importance of ethnographic texts and museum displays. Critical engagement with the methods and theories we use is called for, to assess not only where improvement and change is needed but also how reflexivity and deconstruction might be used in asserting a firm place for the fields. future. Under this sub-theme, we would particularly welcome panels that critically evaluate innovative ways of conducting our research, and of creating ethnographic representations in written texts, museum situations, and multi-media formats for different audiences.
 
Day 3:	Performing the Ethnological Imagination
Since the 1990s, performance has attracted increasing interest in ethnology and folklore as a subject for study and an explanatory framework. But can .performance. or .actions. also provide new opportunities for expressing ethnological insights? What is the ethnological potential of active engagement with, for example, the fine arts or drama, and where are its limits? Under this sub-theme, we would like to encourage boundary-crossing panels that bring together ethnologists and folklorists with others from various backgrounds . academic or otherwise . to explore topics such as history and place identities.
 
Open-Topic Panels
 
Alongside panels on these sub-themes, and running in parallel with them, there will be open-topic panels and workshops. Open-topic panels must clearly address an aspect, or aspects of the broader conference theme that are not already covered by one of the sub-themes. The Commissions of SIEF are especially invited to consider organising panels on their respective research focus. All panels should aim to produce a peer-reviewed publication. A limited number of .free. (i.e., un-themed) panels may be feasible, but timetabling priority will be given to sub-theme and open-topic panels.
 
Workshops
 
Workshops are conceptualised as guided discussions and free-format exchanges leading to specific public outputs, and some of these have already been invited, including workshops on the emerging Baltic ethnology, on ethnology and folklore in the UK; on divided societies, and on immigration; and, on art and ethnology, and ethnological performance. Further workshop ideas are welcome; workshops may include elements of performance, exhibition materials, or interactive media displays. Some of the workshops will be arranged in conjunction with local organisations working in fields such as oral narratives, visual culture, or music. Further details will be posted on this web site during summer 2006. If you are interested in convening a workshop, please contact the local organisers in the first instance to discuss practical issues, such as space and technology requirements.

Poster Sessions 
 
At SIEF.s 9th Congress we would like to introduce poster sessions . not least to make it possible for more participants to give a presentation without overburdening the program with too many parallel sessions. Posters must confirm to the same basic requirements as outlined above for paper sessions. Sessions will run throughout the day, with dedicated slots when poster presenters will be available at their respective display to discuss their topic.
PG Sessions
 
At least one paper/poster session each day is designated for presentations by postgraduate students. The organisers are keen to encourage postgraduates to share their research experience and findings with others. Special funding to support participation by postgraduates from abroad is being sought.
 
Discussion Panels
 
There will be two public discussion panels (.roundtables.) during the conference, on topics of particular relevance to the host region. It is anticipated that these discussions will be broadcast by the local BBC radio.
 
Film Screenings 
 
Film submissions are also invited. Ethnographic film in English or with English subtitles would be ideal; films in other languages should be introduced and/or accompanied by a handout for viewers in English, to understand the content and scope of the film. If you would like to show a film, you should, in the first instance, contact the local organisers to discuss further details. A formal call for film abstracts will be issued with the 2nd Call for Papers.
 
Further Details
 
A dedicated conference website will go on-line in August 2006. In the meantime, details of the Congress will be posted on the SIEF-website (www.meertens.knaw.nl/sief/) and on the website of the University of Ulster (www.ulster.ac.uk/sief2008/).
 
 
Call for Panels and Workshops
 
Proposals are now invited in the first instance for sub-theme panels, open-theme panels, and workshops, as detailed above. The deadline for these proposals is Friday, 30th June 2006. A first call for papers and other individual contributions will follow later in the year. Individual panel and workshop sessions are scheduled for 90 minutes, and panels should not run over more than three sessions. Proposers are strongly encouraged to think of their panel in terms of leading to a peer-reviewed publication, and indicate the format and target outlet for this in their proposal. The conference languages are, as usual, English, French and German. The Scientific Committee are prepared to consider proposals for panels in other languages. However, panel chairs are advised that individual sessions must be held entirely (chairing, presentations, discussion) in one language, as translation facilities for the parallel sessions cannot be provided. Proposals of no more than 400 words, settin!
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out the topic and rationale for the proposed Panel or Workshop, and indicating an appropriate outlet for publication, should be sent by e-mail as plain text (no attachments, please!) to [log in to unmask], and should arrive not later than Friday, 30 June 2006. 
 
All proposals for Panels and Workshops are reviewed by members of a Scientific Committee, which acts as a peer review college and makes the initial selection. Following the subsequent call for contributions, the Scientific Committee considers and selects proposals for papers and other contributions that are then recommended to the Chairs of appropriate Panels and/or Workshops, who further scrutinise these proposals and select inputs for inclusion in their session(s). They then return the programme for their session(s), together with a full set of abstracts, to the Programme Committee, which is a sub-group of the Scientific Committee. The Programme Committee reviews the composition of Panels and Workshops. A second Call for Papers targeting especially MA- and PhD-students is issued at this stage. Submissions to this round are reviewed by the Scientific Committee. Accepted contributions will normally form part of a postgraduate or poster session, but entries of particularly hi!
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 quality may be recommended for inclusion in a Panel/Workshop as appropriate. The Programme Committee draws up the final Congress Programme in autumn 2007.
Sabina Magliocco
Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
California State University
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA  91330-8244