The great response generated by the first International conference organized by the CKPIS, titled Socialism on the Bench. Cultural and Historical Interpretations of Yugoslav and Post-Yugoslav Societies, and held in Pula, 5-7 December 2013, has demonstrated the necessity to establish a continuity of meetings among scholars dealing with the cultural and historical aspects of socialism. With almost one hundred participants, the conference in Pula also became a generational academic gathering. The conference showed that the metaphorical idea of "putting socialism on the bench" (on the researcher’s or student's desk, or, depending of the researcher's interpretation, on the court bench or the substitutes’ bench) could constitute a framework of productive academic dialogue and researchers’ exchange. Many conference papers have been published in the book Socialism on the Bench in 2013 and in the special issues of three Croatian academic journals in 2014 (Časopis za suvremenu povijest, Historijski zbornik, Narodna umjetnost). With its second international conference, the Centre for Cultural and Historical Research of Socialism wishes to pursue and enhance the practice of biannual meetings among scholars who are focusing on the study of socialism.

The second International Conference Socialism on the Bench is centred on the theme Socialism: Construction and Deconstruction and aims to connect socialist and post-socialist experiences in Europe by including Yugoslav, post-Yugoslav and European topics. It will take place on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of socialist Yugoslavia and on the 25th anniversary of the first multiparty elections held in Yugoslav republics that were soon to gain their independence. In a broader European historical context, 1945 stands as the year in which post-war state socialist regimes were established, while 1990 marks the peak of their dissolution. Thus, the conference will encompass the questions and problems that rose from the establishment of communist power and from the introduction of socialism in Europe, such as, for instance, the particularities of socialist social and economic model, its domestic and foreign policies in relation to its Cold War and internal ideological enemies, the concept of mass and social equality, the idea of the socialist ‘new man’ and the application of principles of modernity and its corresponding cultural policies. Along with our focus on formative processes and their various articulations, from political to artistic, our aim is to emphasize the complexity of phenomena that emerge from the dissolution of socialism. The demise of socialism opens up various research topics, ranging from the economic and social crisis of the early 1980s, the so called decadent socialism and its grey areas, to the introduction of market economy and of parliamentary democracy, which led to the dissolution of the Yugoslav federation and other socialist federative states and to the emergence of the concept of "transition" in the 1990s. The dissolution of socialism also includes its post-socialist “remains” in the cultural sphere, particularly contemporary articulations of the new social context and current representations of the socialist period in literature, media, film and culture.

The goal of the conference is to strengthen the communication and collaboration between scholars, to encourage research and epistemological dialogue, to perceive and discuss topical, methodological and interpretational similarities, as well as different experiences in the research of socialism.

There is no conference fee. Participants will have to arrange their own trip and accommodation. Conference organizers will provide two main meals (dinner and supper) during the three days of the conference and arrange a discount at the recommended hotel. Depending on the participants’ interest, it will be possible to agree on joint publication projects after the conference. The conference languages will be Croatian (and mutually understandable regional languages) and English. Presentation time is 15 minutes.

A 200 word proposal in Croatian or English and a brief CV should be submitted by the 1st of April 2015. Proposals can be submitted via e-mail to the following address ckpis.conf@gmail.com. By the 30th of April, applicants will be notified about the acceptance of their proposal and will receive further details about the conference.

We are looking forward to your submissions!

Organization Committee
Lada Duraković, chair
Boris Koroman, secretary
Chiara Bonfiglioli
Igor Duda
Andrea Matošević
Igor Stanić