The conference seeks to present innovative historical research approaches to the destruction of Polish Jewry, including:
- the status of Polish Jews on the eve of Operation Reinhardt,
- mass executions after the German invasion of the USRR,
- how and why German perpetrators and their collaborators committed mass murder,
- the actions of non-German auxiliary formations under German command,
- beneficiaries who drew profit from Jewish forced labor or property,
- the progression of Operation Reinhardt across Polish towns and rural areas,
- the destruction of particular Jewish communities,
- Jewish interpretations of Operation Reinhardt and their response through resistance and escape, as well as Jewish strategies of survival,
- how information about the Holocaust circulated within and outside occupied Poland,
- attitudes of non-Jewish bystanders, including individuals or organizations, attempts to rescue and assist Jews,
- the final stages of the annihilation of Polish Jews,
- new methodological approaches to the investigation of the Holocaust in Poland, and new scholarship on the Holocaust in Poland.
We are inviting applications from scholars ranging from advanced doctoral candidates to full professors. Please send a 300–500 word abstract of your paper in English (indicating the preferred language of your presentation: English or Polish) as well as a biographical note providing your institutional affiliation, an outline of your research experience, and contact details via online application form (https://polin.pl/pl/form/conference-operation-reinhardt).
The application materials must be received by 30 April 2022. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered. The selected participants will be notified by 15 June 2022.
The organizers intend to hold the conference on site in Warsaw at the POLIN Museum. However, should it not be possible to physically convene 27-29 November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then the conference will be held either entirely online or in a hybrid format. Details on the conference’s format will be sent out well in advance of the beginning of the program.
The organizers will reimburse invited speakers’ travel costs to and from the conference (economy class tickets) and will provide lodgings during the event.
The conference will be conducted in English and Polish with simultaneous translation. The organizers reserve the right to publish the conference materials.
For additional information please contact us at: geopconference2022@polin.pl