Call for Papers: RUSSIA’S INTERNAL COLONIZATION Conference in Passau (Germany) 23-25 March 2010 Location: Germany 
Call for Papers Deadline: 2009-05-31  
 
Call for Papers: RUSSIA’S INTERNAL COLONIZATION 
Conference in Passau (Germany) 23-25 March 2010 
There’s a Russian saying that any new idea begins with the response that “It can’t be so,” and ends with the assertion that “Everyone has always known that it is so.” We believe that the idea of Russia’s internal colonization has reached the middle point of this process. At this conference, we intend to construe the concept of internal colonization as a new interdisciplinary paradigm for Russian Studies. Some of the questions that will frame this debate will be: Was Russia an empire and what constituted its colonies? How did the relationship between internal and external colonization change throughout Russian imperial history? How did the Russian Other oscillate between the not entirely estranged Svoi and the not entirely assimilated Chuzhie? What do the peculiar rhetoric and grammar of Vasilii Kliuchevskii’s famous phrase, “The history of Russia is the history of a country that colonizes itself”, actually mean? How does the
 conceptual framework of Postcolonial Studies change when tested against Russian cultural history? What are the implications of the idea of Russia’s internal colonization for contemporary Russia? What are its implications for contemporary theory? 
By launching this conference, we intend to stimulate a free exchange between ideas and personalities across disciplinary borders. We are inviting Russian and Western historians, literary scholars, anthropologists, philosophers, and other colleagues who study Russia of any period. Contributions on specific authors, historical periods, genres of culture, etc. are welcome, as are theoretical papers. Please be advised that the conference will be held in Russian and the volume of its materials will be also published in Russian. 
The conference will be held in Passau, Germany. Passau is situated on the Danube river, in the region where Bavaria, Austria and the Czech Republic meet. The closest international airport in Munich is approximately 2 hours away from Passau. The proceedings of the conference will take place on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of March 2010; the 22nd is reserved for arrival, while departure is planned for the 26th. This will give speakers the opportunity to continue to the Annual BASEES conference at Cambridge scheduled for the 27th-29th of March 2010. 
We will be able to cover the costs of your accommodation as well as breakfast, lunch and coffee during the conference. Additionally, we have sufficient funding to contribute towards your travel expenses if needed. Details will be negotiated individually. If you are interested in participating in the conference, we would appreciate it if you would let us know via e-mail to [log in to unmask] and [log in to unmask] by 31 May 2009. Please include a preliminary title of your contribution, an abstract of 200-300 words, and a short CV. Finalists will be contacted by the end of June. A Russian version of this call for papers can be found on the conference webpage:
http://www.phil.uni-passau.de/slavische-literaturen-und-kulturen/konferenzen/vnutrenniaia-kolonizatsiia-rossii.html 
Alexander Etkind (Cambridge, UK) and Dirk Uffelmann (Passau, Germany)  

Prof. Dr. Dirk Uffelmann 
Universität Passau 
Innstr. 25 
94032 Passau 
Germany 
Phone +49-851-509-2950 
Fax +49-851-590-2952
Email: [log in to unmask]