EAJS Conference Grant Program in Jewish Studies
Report
International Winter School: Enhancing Publications Skills in the Field of Jewish Studies in East and East Central Europe
Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik,
February 5–7, 2024
1) The “event rationale” and a reflection on whether and how the goals of the event have been achieved.
A group of several interested institutions in the field of Jewish Studies (University of Wrocław, University of Warsaw, Charles University, Prague, University of Zagreb, Central European University, University of Vilnius, Ukrainian Catholic University, L’viv, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem) held the Winter School at IUC in Dubrovnik, 5–7 February 2024 that was devoted to the enhancement of English-language publishing strategies and skills, with a view toward raising the professional profile of Jewish Studies in Central/East-Central Europe. Our assessment of the state of the field indicated that a great deal of expertise has been achieved ‘on the ground,’ but much of it results in publication in regional-language journals and co-edited volumes, thus limiting its accessibility worldwide. Our immediate goal was to bring together seasoned scholars and editors of academic publications with a group of younger doctoral or post-doctoral scholars to work together to maximize participants’ awareness of publishing strategies as well as techniques for recognizing and negotiating trans-local academic publishing cultures, which proved to be a success. Our long-term goal is to enhance the field’s exposure in reputable academic venues in general, and in English-language venues in particular. According to response of students it was valuable to participate in individual consultations as well as to attend four sessions about differences in academic culture in different geographical areas. Students found text discussions the most productive and got introduced to the publishing process as well as different strategies for publishing, understanding the peer review process and how to work in a productive workshop.
2) An overview of the sections and papers presented during the event. Please do include names and affiliations of contributors.
Winter School was organized for three full days in four sessions and five text discussions as well as individual consultations. Sessions addressed different topics about enhancing publications skills with presentations of experienced scholars and editors in academic journals, while text discussions included papers presented and prepared for publication by young scholars. Each session was followed by intense discussion.
Session 1: Variety and types of academic journals, and how to choose among them; typology of scholarly publications and their characteristics (research article, documentary publications, polemics, reviews, etc.). Publications and academic evaluation/promotion included the “Journal and publishing strategy” presentation by Marcin Wodzinski (University of Wroclaw, Taube Department of Jewish Studies). This presentation and the following discussion were focused on the types of scientific journals and on choosing the right form of publication that is relevant for young scholars. Pavel Sladek (Charles University in Prague, Department of Middle Eastern Studies) held a presentation on the importance of bibliometrics in today’s research and publishing strategies. Jurgita Verbickiene (Vilnius University, Faculty of History) had a presentation on COARA-Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment.
Text Discussion 1 was moderated by Jurgita Verbickiene (Vilnius University) on “Regulations of Jewish Life in Radzwill-owned Private Towns from the End of the Sixteenth until the Beginning of the Eighteenth Centuries” by Aivaras Poška (University of Vilnius). The discussion focused on clarifying the terminology and particular position of private towns as opposed to other types of town administration.
On the second day, Session 2 started with Formulating a research argument and organizing source materials for a successful article/publication moderated by Semion Goldin (Hebrew University of Jerusalem – Leonid Nevzlin Research Center for Russian and East European Jewry). Michael Miller (Central European University in Vienna) offered an example of how to phrase a relevant research question, illustrating it with his article on Czech-Jewish history. He also explained how to approach different audiences by considering differences between fields and journals of Jewish Studies and others. Eli Lederhendler (Hebrew University of Jerusalem – Leonid Nevzlin Research Center for Russian and East European Jewry) explained the peer review process. He also elaborated on the issue of how authors treat their text that is initially written in another language and then translated into English for publishing. He stressed the importance of contextualizing certain parts of the research into the broader global framework.
In Text Discussion 2, moderated by Pavel Sladek (Charles University in Prague), Olga Petrova (Central European University in Vienna) presented her paper “Ukrainian-Jewish Rapprochement Through the Prism of Letters: Solomon Goldman and His Correspondence in Ukrainian,” followed by a discussion on Jewish and non-Jewish sources available for the researchers.
In Text Discussion 3, moderated by Karolina Szymaniak (University of Wroclaw, Taube Department of Jewish Studies), Ulyana Kyrchiv (Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv) presented her paper “Blood from the Sky: Piotr Ravicz’s novel about the Holocaust as a source for studying his intellectual biography.” The discussion that followed addressed the genres of biography in the research.
In Session 3: Structure and style in scholarly publications. Most common mistakes in preparing scholarly publications moderated by Eli Lederhendler (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Scott Ury (Unversity of Tel Aviv, Department of Jewish History) presenting in the capacity of Senior Editor of the journal History and Memory: Studies in Representation of the Past gave a presentation on what makes a good submission and a successful publication process and how long the reviewing process could be, as well as tips on how to prepare article before submission. His presentation was followed by Karolina Szymaniak (University of Wroclaw, Taube Department of Jewish Studies), the co-editor of journal East European Jewish Affairs and continued by open discussion.
On the third day, Michael Miller (Central European University in Vienna) moderated Text Discussion 4, during which Anna Kroupova (Charles University in Prague) presented her paper “Post-war Transit of Jewish Refugees in Historical and Ideological Context Re-defining Bricha Through the Case Study of Czechoslovakia.” The discussion focused on the issue of transnationality, with many examples from different areas of Central and Eastern Europe.
In Text discussion 5, moderated by Naida-Michal Brandl (the University of Zagreb, Chair for Jewish and Holocaust Studies), Katarzyna Kwiatkowska-Moskalewicz (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań) presented her paper “Great Terror in Kharkiv of the 1930s. The Case of Konrad Weisselberg and Anna Mykalo” followed by discussion and suggestions. The primary focus of the paper problematized the issue of the sources, which, in this case, were letters and documents referring to interrogations during the Stalinist terror.
During Session 4: Individual consultations, the participants had a chance to meet with senior staff members for individual conversations about their research projects, the plans for publication, etc.
3) A summary highlighting the most significant and productive threads in the papers and discussions.
Students specifically emphasized practical suggestions on how to write an academic paper. They also noticed differences in academic culture among various states and regions. They felt that the individual consultations helped them a lot not only with practical information on how to enhance their publishing skills but also widened their general assessment of the publication process, differences, and strategies for publishing academic papers. A part of the discussions referred to the importance of the peer review process and encouraged them to turn to wider audiences via international academic publications. They also appreciated the academic support of the seniors, who made the whole experience a friendly exercise. The format of the winter school was also complimented because it did not resemble the usual academic conference but instead presented an opportunity for practical intellectual training of young scholars.
On the other hand, the professors’ impressions were also quite favorable. They liked the time and location of the winter school and the choice of city tours, particularly a Jewish-oriented tour. They found satisfaction in the students’ motivation to construct their own careers and offered valuable investment in their approach to discussions.
4) If relevant, a brief description of any engagement with the pubic or Jewish communal impact.
The Winter school included a lecture on the history of the Dubrovnik Republic by Andrea Feldman (the University of Zagreb, Teachers’ College), followed by a historical walk in the old city. There was a historical tour of the city of Dubrovnik with an emphasis on Jewish history and a visit to the Jewish Museum of the Jewish community in Dubrovnik. The most important part of the Museum was one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. An organized visit was to the State Archive of Dubrovnik, guided by historian Vesna Miović (Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Institute for Historical Sciences in Dubrovnik). She prepared an exhibition of the most essential archival documents on the history of Jews of the Republic of Dubrovnik.
5) A statement about planned outcomes (projects, future workshops, collaborations) and outputs (publications).
All the participants suggested that regular meetings should be held so that more young scholars should be able to share their research with each other. They appreciated workshop format and would like to have more opportunity to talk about their PhD research and also would be open to discuss the book preparation based on the PhD research. They are also interested in training for the grant application process as well as possibilities of forming research teams.
The professors also stressed that instruction on how to write a book proposal, grant applications and make a grant team would be useful. It could also be extended into discussion on how to edit a volume, how to present an interesting conference paper and how to transmit one’s knowledge in the classroom. The seniors also showed interest in organizing Winter School biannually and academic conferences in between, which would promote topics that are specific to East, East-Central and Southeast Europe. Therefore, we have already proposed to organise a conference on Jewish Experiences and Post-Socialist Transitions, 1985–1995 in 2025.