Central and East European Studies Program

The Central and East European Program Lecture Series

Local, national and international experts present academic and community roundtables, book launches, graduate student presentations and more in this annual program sponsored by the CEES Program and the Department of German and Slavic Studies.

Check back for future events.

Call for Papers

The University of Manitoba - University of Trier Biennial Partnership Conference:
Resistance: Transnational Perspectives

Call for papers deadline: closed
Conference: September 17-19, 2025
University of Manitoba

Proposals are invited for an interdisciplinary conference on the subject of resistance. The conference, to be held at the University of Manitoba, is in partnership with University of Trier. The scope of the conference is broad, and the theme is intended to encompass scholarship on all forms of resistance in culture and society (personal, collective, institutional, etc.). Of particular interest is work pertaining to resistance as it is understood, and circulates (is celebrated, contested, etc.) in Canadian, German, and related transnational academic and cultural contexts. Presentations are welcome to address works and issues from different fields, media and conceptual perspectives across and beyond the humanities and social sciences.

Open to academics and graduate students. It is expected that funding will be available to subsidize accommodation for scholars from Trier University and local costs for all participants. Participants from other Canadian and German institutions are welcome. There will be no registration fee.

Potential presenters and panels are requested to send a maximum 300-word proposal and a 150-word bio to Stephan Jaeger and Adam Muller by January 31, 2025. 

Call for Papers

Identity and Poetics of Ukrainian Canadian Literature Conference

Call for papers deadline: February 15, 2025
Conference: March 14, 2025
University of Manitoba

We invite scholars, writers, and literary enthusiasts to submit proposals for this international conference.

Ukrainian Canadian literature occupies a unique space in the broader context of Canadian multiculturalism and diaspora studies. It is shaped by the historical and cultural experiences of Ukrainian immigrants and their descendants. Despite the substantial amount of fiction written and published in English by Canadian-born Ukrainians featuring authors such as Myrna Kostash, Janice Kulyk Keefer, Lisa Grecul, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Maurice Mierau, Laisha Rosnau, Randall Maggs, Laura Langston, Daria Salamon, Lindy Ledohowski, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Erin Moure, Barbara Sapergia, Thomas Trofimuk, and many others Ukrainian Canadian literature remains largely invisible in university curricula, academic programs, and research. We hope that this conference will draw active attention to Ukrainian Canadian literature, highlighting its rich topicality, diverse genre, and poetic forms that not only preserve cultural heritage but also enrich Canadian literary tradition as a whole.

Possible topics for submission include (but are not limited to):

• Memory and nostalgia in Ukrainian Canadian literature
• The Ukrainian Canadian identity in contemporary fiction and poetry
• Diaspora and transnationalism: Ukrainian Canadian literature in a global context
• Intersections of language, culture, and identity in Ukrainian Canadian writing
• Representation of historical events and collective memory in Ukrainian Canadian literature
• The impact of migration and settlement on literary expression
• Gender and feminist perspectives in Ukrainian Canadian literary works
• The Ukrainian folklore and mythology in Canadian literary contexts
• Comparative studies of Ukrainian Canadian literature and other ethnic literatures in Canada
• The role of Ukrainian Canadian literature in cultural preservation and resistance to assimilation
• The contribution of Ukrainian Canadian writers to Canadian multiculturalism
• Religious and spiritual themes in Ukrainian Canadian literature
• Ukrainian Canadian literary responses to political and social changes in Ukraine and Canada

We welcome proposals for papers, panel discussions and roundtables. Submissions should include a title, an abstract (250-300 words), a brief bio (100 words) and contact information. Please submit your proposals by February 15, 2025, to Mariya Shymchyshyn or complete the submission form. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by March 1, 2025. This conference will offer a hybrid format, allowing participants to join either in person at the University of Manitoba or virtually.

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