Totalitarianism Across History and Disciplines | conference - Instytut Pileckiego

We invite graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from all disciplines to submit proposals for papers regarding any aspect of totalitarianism, from a broad theoretical and historical perspective. The deadline for applications is 15.09.2022.

The history of confronting totalitarianism, both as a personal and a collective experience, delivers a universal message in the face of contemporary challenges of radical political evil. Totalitarian regimes marked their presence in the 20th Century as a phenomenon of industrial mass society, political violence and militarized mono-parties.

We invite graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from all disciplines to submit proposals for papers regarding any aspect of totalitarianism, from a broad theoretical and historical perspective, to be delivered at a conference organized jointly by the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw, Poland, and Valdosta State University, in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington D.C.

In addition to invited panellists, guest speakers from Poland and the U.S. will deliver keynote papers and participate in round table discussions, bringing together broad expertise from both Western and East European perspectives and creating an invaluable cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary forum to explore all facets of the experience of totalitarianism.

Topics to be discussed may include but are not in any way limited to the following:

• theoretical framework of totalitarianism: its origins, evolution and future
• historical and contemporary totalitarian regimes and their comparison
• totalitarianism without a state - to what extent can the term "totalitarianism" be adopted?
• individual and collective experience of living under the totalitarian regimes
• transitions between authoritarian and totalitarian regimes
• patterns of creation and dissolution of totalitarian regimes
• transitional and international justice over totalitarian regimes
• foundations of the totalitarian regime and its aspects: ideology, secret services, bureaucracy, monoparty, mass and selective violence
• remembrance of totalitarianism: it's contemporary perception and socio-political influence

The conference will take place at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia, on 15-16 November 2022

Organizational information

Duration of lectures: 15-20 minutes

Participation in the conference is free of charge

Conference language: English

The deadline for applications is: 15.09.2022

Applications should be made by filling in the attached form and emailing it to academy@instytutpileckiego.pl

The organizers will help in arranging accommodations.

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