Deadline: June 15, 2024

The Society for Romanian Studies (SRS) is delighted to announce the second competition for the Keith Hitchins Dissertation Prize in any discipline related to Romanian Studies. The named prize will be awarded in honor of the late Professor Keith Hitchins, who served as an advisor, encouragement and inspiration for numerous graduate students throughout his long career. The award carries a financial component of $250 plus a year’s membership of the SRS, which includes a subscription to the Journal of Romanian Studies.

Eligibility: The submitted doctoral dissertation or thesis must be written in English or Romanian by a scholar in any social science or humanities discipline on a Romanian or Moldovan subject, broadly and inclusively understood. This may encompass focus on themes related to Romania (as it currently exists and in its various past iterations), to the people who have lived in or currently inhabit Romania, or those who self-identify as Romanian but reside beyond Romania’s borders. Studies connected to ethnic minorities in Romania are also eligible. Disciplines include, but are not limited to, Anthropology, Art History, Economics, Gender Studies, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Sociology, insofar as they are related to Romania and Romanians. If you are not sure whether your dissertation is eligible, please send a query to the jury.

We will take into consideration doctoral dissertations and theses that were completed (i.e., successfully defended with all necessary changes made and a final version deposited with the relevant institution) during the last two academic years, 2022-2023 and 2023-24. Dissertations completed prior to August 2022 are ineligible.

Materials and Deadline: To be considered for this competition, please send a brief letter of interest that includes the title of your dissertation, an abstract, and some proof of eligibility in regards to when your dissertation was completed. This proof may be as simple as an email or signed letter from your dissertation adviser, confirming the academic year when the dissertation was deposited. We need to receive the initial inquiry before May 30, 2024, in order to ensure speedy reply.

Please send the dissertation in a digital format that can be easily shared, as pdf or word document. The dissertation needs to be sent individually to each member of the jury. Documents that are very large may not come through. If you have illustrations that render the document very large, please contact us directly and we will work out a digital document transfer to the jury. The deadline for submitting the dissertation is June 15, 2024.

The winner of the competition will be announced on or around November 15, 2024.

The jury of the 2024 Keith Hitchins Dissertation Prize is:

Roland Clark, History, University of Liverpool: clarkr@liverpool.ac.uk

Letitia Guran, Literature and Culture, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: lguran@email.unc.edu

Andrei Miroiu, Political Science, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest: andrei_miroiu@yahoo.com

Deadline: August 1, 2024

Romanian students are now eligible to apply for the Rhodes Scholarship.

https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/applications/global/eligibilitycriteria

“The Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest (first awarded in 1902) international scholarship programme, enabling outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford.”

*Update: as of early April 2024, the positions have been filled as follows:

Membership and Working Groups Officer: Irina Nastasă-Matei, University of Bucharest, Romania (irina.matei@fspub.unibuc.ro)

Social Media Officer: Mihai Ghițulescu, University of Craiova, Romania (mihai.ghitulescu@edu.ucv.ro)

Student Representatives:

D. Sergio Glajar, University of Texas at Austin, United States (sergio.glajar@utexas.edu)

Megan Palmer, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom (ahxmp5@nottingham.ac.uk)

*

The SRS seeks nominations for two new important positions on the Executive Board, those of Working Groups Co-ordinator and Social Media Officer, as well as two new Graduate Student Representatives.  

In order to qualify to be nominated for election to the Executive Board nominees must be

1. a current member of SRS 
2. actively engaged in the field of Romanian Studies

Please send nominations or self-nominations, specifying clearly the position, by February 29, 2024, to Roland Clark, Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee, via e-mail clarkr@liverpool.ac.uk

The nomination should include a current email address and institutional affiliation, a 200-word bio, as well as a brief personal statement about your motivations and goals for the position you wish to stand for (up to 300 words). Please consult the SRS by-laws for details about SRS governance, available at https://society4romanianstudies.org/srs-bylaws/

Note: The Nominating Committee strives to promote balanced representation in regard to age, gender, professional background, country of residence, and geographical and disciplinary areas of specialization, but is not be bound by anyparticular formula.

OPEN POSITIONS

The open positions and a brief description of duties are as follows:

Membership and Working Groups Officer shall maintain a current membership list and periodically send subscription reminders to the membership. She/he shall liaise with the Convenors of the Working Groups and together with the Board decide on changes to the Working Group convenors and composition. She/he will update the Working Group page/s on the website in co-ordination with Webmaster and update SRS social media sites with working group events and content. The Membership and Working Groups Officer shall sit on the conference committee. This is a four-year term, ending December 31, 2027.

Social Media Officer shall have the responsibility of updating all SRS social media accounts with news and events. She/he will work in close collaboration with the Webmaster and Secretary on communication strategy and maintain a timely and coordinated social media presence. This is a four-year term, ending December 31, 2027.

Graduate Student Representatives are regular members of the Executive Board And shall take part in all of the Board’s activities and meetings. They shall organise a graduate student-led event (conference, symposium or workshop). They will be supported in this by one of the non-Graduate Student members of the Board to be agreed by the Board. This is a two-year term, ending December 31, 2025.

SELECTION PROCESS

SRS elects Board members through an electronic ballot of all members in good standing. 

The nominating committee consists of:

Roland Clark (chair), University of Liverpool, UK, clarkr@liverpool.ac.uk

Constantin Ardeleanu, Institute for South-East European Studies, ardcons@gmail.com

Irina Livezeanu, University of Pittsburgh, USA, irinal@pitt.edu

(Click here for the call in pdf format)

*Update: The position has been filled in the meantime by Narcis Tulbure.

The Journal of Romanian Studies is currently seeking a new Coeditor, to replace Svetlana Suveica, beginning in July 2023. The Coeditor will work with Jill Massino (Coeditor), Iuliu Raţiu (Book Review Editor) and Iemima Ploscariu (Editorial Assistant)

This biannual peer-reviewed journal published by the Society for Romanian Studies in collaboration with Liverpool University Press examines critical issues in Romanian Studies broadly conceived, linking work in that field to wider theoretical debates and issues of current relevance, and serving as a forum for both junior and senior scholars.

The journal considers original manuscripts that draw on various theoretical, conceptual and methodological perspectives as understood in disciplines ranging from history, political science, philosophy, law and justice studies, anthropology, sociology, ethnography, and education to literature, linguistics, economics, business, religion, gender, film and media studies, art history, and music. It considers theoretically informed manuscripts that examine political, socioeconomic and cultural developments in Romania and Moldova, the situation of their ethnic minorities and their relations with the ethnic majority, as well as the position, culture, and history of Romanians and Moldovans living outside the shifting boundaries of those countries.

The journal also welcomes articles that connect Romania and Moldova comparatively with other states and their ethnic majorities and minorities, as well as with other groups by investigating the challenges of migration and globalization, changes and opportunities in international relations, and the impact of the European Union. Both articles with a historical focus and studies dealing with contemporary events will be considered.

Coeditors serve three-year, renewable terms and are responsible for:

·     Directing the editorial content and policy of the journal;

·     Liaising with LUP on production and all other publishing matters;

·     Soliciting articles, book reviews, translations, and special issues;

·     Reviewing article-length manuscripts to determine if a piece should be sent out to complete the double-blind peer-review process.

·     Quality assurance in the final proofs for publication.

The editors are not compensated for their effort. Guest editors have been used for special issues and this practice will continue as opportunities and needs present themselves.

If you would like to be considered for either of these positions, please send a current curriculum vitae and a letter of intention by Friday 31^st March 2023 to the President of the Society of Romanian Studies, James Kapaló (j.kapalo@ucc.ie) and Secretary of the Society for Romanian Studies, Dana Trif dana.trif@gmail.com

As the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, the Society for Romanian Studies would like to send a renewed message of support for the Ukrainian people, for Ukrainian sovereignty and democracy. As an academic society, we stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and with our Ukrainian academic colleagues who not only face violent attack but also the onslaught of Russian propaganda and denial of Ukrainian culture, history and identity. We pledge to continue to support our Ukrainian colleagues in whatever way we can in the time ahead.

James A. Kapaló

President of the Society for Romanian Studies

As the calendar year draws to a close, so do four SRS executive mandates: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. According to our by-laws, the President and Vice-President serve for three years (January 2023 – December 2025), whereas the Secretary and the Treasurer serve for four years (January 2023 – December 2026). The Nominating Committee would like to call for nominations to these four positions on the SRS Executive Board, to replace Roland Clark, Rodica Zaharia, Anca Sincan and Vladimir Solonari.

Please send nominations or self-nominations, specifying clearly the position, by December 10 to Lavinia Stan, Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee, via e-mail at lstan@stfx.ca.

The nomination should include a current email address and institutional affiliation, a 200-word bio, as well as a brief personal statement about your goals on the SRS Executive Board (up to 300 words). Please consult the SRS by-laws for details about SRS governance, available at https://srstudies.org/srs-bylaws/

The Society for Romanian Studies is an international interdisciplinary academic organization dedicated to promoting the professional study, criticism, and research of all aspects of Romanian culture and civilization, particularly concerning the countries of Romania and Moldova. The Nominating Committee strives to promote balanced representation in regard to age, gender, professional background, locations of residence, and geographical and disciplinary areas of specialization, but is not be bound by any particular formula.

Qualifications include being a member of SRS and being actively engaged in the field of

Romanian Studies. To be eligible for election as Treasurer a person must be a member in good standing for at least the calendar year prior to election.

OPEN POSITIONS

The open positions and a brief description of duties are as follows:

The President shall call and preside at all meetings of members and shall be the Chair of the Executive Board. She/he shall sign all contracts, agreements and other instruments which may be entered into by or on behalf of the SRS.  The President shall appoint as needed non-voting members as advisory to the Board (committee chairs, such as the prize committees, program committee chairs, or ad hoc committee chairs) with the approval of the Board.  The President (assisted by the Vice-President) shall be responsible for monitoring Board participation and making recommendations to the Board in cases of perceived nonfeasance, misfeasance, or malfeasance.

The Vice-President shall assist the President in the execution of her/his functions and perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President. She/he shall also perform those specific duties assigned by the Executive Board.

The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Society and of the National Board; shall maintain the Archives of the Society; shall keep current the list of the Society’s liaison/representatives to other societies and associations that the SRS is affiliated or related to, as well as informing the President and the Board when replacements need to be made; shall receive and answer correspondence addressed to the Association in consultation with the president; and shall send out, receive, and tabulate election ballots, and report the result of elections to the Board. The Treasurer will also serve as an acting Secretary for purposes concerning the organization’s financial transactions.

The Treasurer shall have the care and custody of all funds of the Society which shall come into her/his hands, shall deposit the same in such manner and in such banks as the Executive Board or the President may direct, and shall disburse such funds under the direction of the Board. She/he shall keep true books of account and render statements thereof whenever required, and in no case less frequently than once a year, at the annual meeting of the Society; shall manage the collection of dues, and keep accurate lists of the members in each category; and shall provide to the annual meeting of the Society a written statement of disbursements and assets for the current fiscal year.

Please send nominations or self-nominations to the chair of the Nominating Committee until December 10, 2022: Lavinia Stan (lstan@stfx.ca)

SELECTION PROCESS

SRS selects Board members through an electronic ballot of all members in good standing. Open balloting will take place from December 12-24, 2022 and the results will be announced no later than January 1, 2023.

The nominating committee consists of:

Lavinia Stan (chair), St Francis Xavier University, Canada, lstan@stfx.ca

Ruxandra Trandafoiu, Edge Hill University, UK, trandar@edgehill.ac.uk

Matei Gheboianu, University of Bucharest, Romania, matei.gheboianu@gmail.com

În atenția:

Klaus Iohannis, președinte

Gabriel-Cristian Pișcociu, consilier de stat

Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă, prim-ministru

Marcel Ciolacu, președinte al Camerei Deputaților din România

Alina Gorghiu, președintele Senatului României

Lucian Nicolae Bode, Ministerul de Interne

Lucian Romașcanu, Ministerul Culturii

Valeria Oana Zaharia, manager, Institutul Național al Patrimoniului

Cristian Anița, director al Arhivelor Naționale ale României

Alina Pavelescu, director adjunct al Arhivelor Naționale ale României

Mă adresez în numele Societății de Studii Românești (SRS), o asociație internațională de cercetători din Europa, America de Nord și Asia dedicată promovării studiului profesional, criticii și cercetării tuturor aspectelor culturii și civilizației românești, în special în ceea ce privește România și Republica Moldova. SRS susține categoric petițiile recente și este în asentimentul expresiilor de frustrare și îngrijorare referitoare la noile reguli privind accesul la documentele de arhivă ale Arhivelor Naționale ale României.

Conform declarației UNESCO din 2011, „Arhivele constituie un patrimoniu unic și de neînlocuit transmis din generație în generație. Surse de informație credibilă pentru o guvernare responsabilă și transparentă, arhivele joacă un rol esențial în dezvoltarea societăților contribuind la constituirea și salvarea memoriei individuale și colective”. Ca cercetători, prețuim libertatea academică, bazată pe diverse garanții constituționale (art. 30 libertatea de exprimare, art. 31 dreptul la informație, autonomia universitara art. 32 para. 6). Prin urmare, suntem consternați de restricțiile actuale privind accesul la documentele de arhivă și de lipsa finanțării și a sprijinului acordat arhivelor. Noi vă rugăm să acordați:

1. Acces egal și nerestricționat la toate documentele din colecția Arhivelor Naționale. Precizăm că toate aceste documente nu prezintă vreun risc pentru securitatea României, ele fiind create înainte de 1989, iar unele în perioada celui de-al Doilea Război Mondial sau chiar și mai înainte. Accesul la documentele de arhivă este un pas crucial în tranziția de la o societate totalitară la una democratică deschisă și este in conformitate cu articolul 24 al Legii 182/2002, care prevede că nu pot fi clasificate, ca secrete de stat, informații, date sau documente „în scopul ascunderii încălcărilor legii, erorilor administrative, limitării accesului la informațiile de interes public, restrângerii ilegale a exercițiului unor drepturi ale persoanelor sau lezării altor interese legitime” și nici documentele referitoare „la o cercetare științifică fundamentală”, care nu au „o legătură justificată cu securitatea națională”. Până acum, dacă un cercetător avea acces la un document, acesta nu putea fi refuzat altcuiva. Multe dintre documentele cu acces acum interzis au putut fi cercetate înainte de instituirea restricțiilor, iar unele au fost și publicate. Istoricii, cercetătorii și arhiviștii nu își pot îndeplini sarcinile profesionale fără acces la aceste colecții de arhivă. Solicităm, așadar, ca restricțiile actuale să fie eliminate cât mai repede posibil.

• O nouă lege a arhivelor care să garanteze accesul public și egal al cercetătorilor la toate fondurile Arhivelor Naționale, în conformitate cu Recomandarea Nr. R (2000) 13 al Consiliului Europei, care se referă la accesul și utilizarea arhivelor istorice ale Uniunii Europene (HAEU).

• Trecerea Arhivelor Naționale din jurisdicția Ministerului de Interne la Ministerul Culturii. Standardul internațional pentru arhive este că Arhivele Naționale sunt fie autonome, fie în subordinea Ministerului Culturii sau echivalentului acestuia. Pentru că se referă la patrimoniul național, misiunea Arhivelor Naționale – aceea de a colecta, păstra, administra și garanta transmiterea memoriei colective prin intermediul documentului istoric – ține de responsabilitatea Ministerului Culturii și nu a Ministerului de Interne. Conducerea Arhivelor Naționale nu trebuie să implice cenzură sau vreo implicare a DGPI.

• Asigurarea unei finanțări adecvate pentru a permite arhivelor să își îndeplinească atribuțiile prevăzute de lege. Conform Strategiei Arhivelor Naționale 2015-2021, “principala instituție de arhivă a statului român a fost nevoită să supraviețuiască cu mijloace învechite, extrem de reduse: o concepție și o bază juridică întruchipate de Legea nr. 16/1996, repede depășite de realitate, lipsa modernizării, în primul rând a informatizării, personal insuficient, în reducere drastică după 2008 și parțial deprofesionalizat din cauza lucrărilor de nivel inferior, un buget simbolic, de supraviețuire. A rezultat o slăbire continuă a instituției și o creștere a discrepanței dintre obligațiile legale și posibilități. Toate au culminat cu seria de măsuri din perioada 2006-2011 (obligarea prin lege de a prelua state de plată, degradarea în rang administrativ la toate nivelurile, reducerea drastică de personal, reduceri bugetare ș.a.), care au adus instituția practic în prag de colaps.” În calitate de utilizatori ai Arhivelor Naționale, membrii noștri nu au văzut nicio îmbunătățire de când aceasta a fost scrisă acum șapte ani. Dimpotrivă, Curtea de Conturi a România a raportat în 2017 că “reorganizarea instituției la nivel de direcție a atras retrogradarea de nivel a tuturor funcțiilor de conducere din subordine, aspect care a influențat negativ relațiile de autoritate, de reprezentare și de control la creatorii și deținătorii de documente, în special în cazul celor 42 de structuri teritoriale. În ceea ce privește numărul de posturi prevăzute, în perioada 2009-2015, reorganizările succesive de la nivelul instituției au însemnat atât modificarea statutului instituției, cât și desființarea unor posturi, fiind înregistrată astfel o scădere semnificativă a acestora, de la 1.728 posturi la 714 posturi (număr menținut și în anul 2015).”

Trebuie luate măsuri urgente în lumina acestei situații de criză.

Vă mulțumim pentru înțelegere.

În speranța unei soluționări pozitive,

Dr. Roland Clark, FHEA, FRHistS

President, Society for Romanian Studies

The Society for Romanian Studies and the PLURAL Forum for Interdisciplinary Studies:
Considering the military aggression of the Russian Federation against the territorial integrity, the sovereignty, and the independence of Ukraine,
Considering the atrocities committed by the Russian Armed Forces against the civilian population in Ukraine, including children,
Considering the repression by the Russian State of the people who use their freedom of speech,
Aware of their mission to defend human rights and democratic values and to spread this awareness,
jointly PROTEST against the Russian invasion of Ukraine,
STAND IN SOLIDARITY with the people of Ukraine and with our Ukrainian academic colleagues,
and pledge to HELP them in whatever way they can,
BACK the petitions of their fellow associations ASEEES, BASEES, and IARCEES,
SUPPORT the protests of the Russian intellectuals and the entire Russian people,
and HOPE for peace and for justice.

Thanks to the Feeding the Elephant team from H-Net Books.

• #ScienceForUkraine is a community group of volunteer students and research scientists from academic institutions in Europe and around the world whose mission is to collect and disseminate information about support opportunities at the university, national, and international levels for graduate students and researchers directly affiliated with a Ukrainian academic institution. On Twitter @Sci_for_Ukraine.
• Ukraine Crisis Scholar Support Group is a private Facebook group (requires users to join) that shares opportunities, contacts, and advice.
• Resources for Helping Displaced Scholars from Ukraine compiled by the ASEEES International Task Force for Displaced Scholars (ITFDS).
• Twitter thread of open calls for Ukrainian academics compiled by Jared Warren.
• H-Ukraine regularly shares opportunities. To receive email notifications, users should create an H-Net profile and subscribe to the H-Ukraine network. Scholars can also check posts tagged Emergency Resources for Ukrainian Scholars.
• Resources for scholars in danger is an extensive Google Doc of institutions offering opportunities and support for displaced scholars, artists, and cultural workers compiled by the Postsocialist and Comparative Memory Studies working group and maintained by Anna Topolska. (h/t Rossen Djagalov for this and the following three suggestions)
• Scholars at Risk Network works with its global network of higher education institutions around the world to arrange short-term, temporary research and teaching positions for threatened scholars. They also provide advisory, referral, and career support services for scholars.
• City of Asylum Exiled Writer and Artist Residency Program is a long-term residency for literary writers and other artists who are in exile from their home countries and under threat of persecution because of their work.
• International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) is an independent organization of cities and regions offering shelter to writers and artists at risk, advancing freedom of expression, defending democratic values and promoting international solidarity.