International Conference, Prague, May 24 – 26, 2011

- Organization and Practical Information -

Programme

O R G A N I Z A T I O N  O F  T H E  C O N F E R E N C E

ORGANIZERS & PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS

Centre for the History of Sciences and Humanities, Institute of Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic - principal organizer

National Technical Museum Prague
Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Czech Society of History of Sciences and Technology

VENUE OF THE CONFERENCE

The conference will take place in the main building of the National Technical Museum (NTM) which is located in Prague 7, Kostelní street No. 42.
For map see http://www.ntm.cz/cs/navsteva/kudy-k-nam

The NTM is located within 20 minutes reach from the Prague centre by public transport. Take the tram No. 1, 8, 15, 25, 26 and get off on the stop "Letenske namesti". The closest metro stations are "Hradcanska" (green line A) or "Vltavska" (red line C). From the metro station take the mentioned stop: No 1, 8, 25, 26 from Hradčanská, or No. 5, 8, 15, 25 from Vltavská. The NTM is 5 minutes walk from the tram stop (see the map).

VENUE OF THE EVENING SESSION AND SOCIAL EVENING

Hotel Splendid
Ovenecká 78/33
170 00 Praha 7

Hotel Splendid is 10 minutes walk from the NTM and 5 minutes walk from the tram stop "Letenske namesti" (see map).  It can be reached by public transport the same way as the NTM.

REGISTRATION, CONFERENCE FEES AND DEADLINES

Registration and abstract deadline: March 15, 2011.
Information about acceptance of the paper: before May 1, 2011
Conference fee: 40 EUR prior to April 15, 2011
60 EUR after April 15, 2011
20 EUR for accompanying persons
The conference fee includes materials of the conference, refreshments and social events. Payments of the conference fee should be made to the account of the Institute of Contemporary History CSAS at the Komerční banka, Prague 1.
IBAN: CZ0201000000273144080277
SWIFT: KOMBCZPPXXX
The information for the beneficiary is: last name of the payer and Exile 2011. (Example: Smith Exile 2011)
All transfer fees are to be paid by the payer.
The conference fee can also be paid in cash upon registration.

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME COMMITTEE

Mitchell Ash, Institut für Geschichte, Universität Wien, Austria

Dieter Hoffmann, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Germany

Antonín Kostlán, Institute of Contemporary History, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Ivan Lefkovits, Vesalianum, Basel, Switzerland

Gábor Palló, Institute of Philosophy, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest

Karel Raška, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Jersey, USA, President SVU

Blanka Říhová, Institute of Microbiology, Acad. Sci.of the Czech Republic

Jan Šebestík, Paris, France

Soňa Štrbáňová, Institute of Contemporary History, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Paul Weindling, Oxford Brookes University

NATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Tomáš Hermann, Institute of Contemporary History, Acad. Sci.of the Czech Republic

Milena Josefovičová, Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Acad. Sci.of the Czech Republic

Antonín Kostlán, Institute of Contemporary History, Acad. Sci.of the Czech Republic

Ivana Lorencová, National Technical Museum, Prague, Czech Republic

Zuzana Nytrová, Institute of Contemporary History, Acad. Sci.of the Czech Republic

Doubravka Olšáková, Institute of Contemporary History, Acad. Sci.of the Czech Republic

Marco Stella, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague

Petr Svobodný, Institute of the History of Charles University and Archive of Charles University

Michal Šimůnek, Institute of Contemporary History, Acad. Sci.of the Czech Republic

Soňa Štrbáňová, Institute of Contemporary History, Acad. Sci.of the Czech Republic

P R A C T I C A L  I N F O R M A T I O N

TRANSPORT FROM THE AIRPORT

Taxi – could cost between 400-600 CZK; it is strongly recommended to take the official airport taxi. If you contact at the airport the booth of the AAA taxi company, the service will get you a taxi or a minibus on fixed price 28 CZK/km and you also obtain a discount coupon for your way back see http://www.cedaz.cz/transport-from-airport-to-hotel-in-prague.php

Public transport

Bus No. 119; takes you to the metro end station "Dejvicka" (green line A)
Bus No. 100; takes you to the metro end station "Zlicin" (yellow line B)

TRANSPORT FROM THE MAIN RAILWAY STATION ("HLAVNÍ NÁDRAŽÍ")

Taxi – could cost between 200-500 CZK; it is strongly recommended to settle the fare in advance.
Metro red line C, tram 5, 9, 26 (2 minutes walk from the station)

TRANSPORT FROM THE RAILWAY STATION "HOLEŠOVICE":

Taxi – as above.
Metro red line C , tram 5, 12, 14

PRICES OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT TICKETS

Basic: 26 CZK for 75 minutes, including transfer between lines
24 hours: 100 CZK
72 hours: 300 CZK
120 hours: 500 CZK

A Few Additional Words

Prague is a comparatively safe city and easy to walk around thanks to its extensive and well-organised public transport system. It is attracting, however, millions of visitors especially this time of the year so that places of interest might become quite crowded and such situation is often abused by pickpockets; therefore please take good care of your belongings.

Try to avoid taxis, but if you need to take one, settle the fare in advance or hire a reliable taxi company, like the AAA (phone: 14014 or 22233322, the operators speak English). You can also see in the centre taxicab stands marked “Taxi Fair Place” with taxis that guarantee fair rate and safe service.

Contact person:

Useful Links in English:

public transportation in Prague, tickets, connections etc.: http://www.dpp.cz
official website of the Academy of Sciences: http://www.cas.cz
official website of the National Technical Museum: http://www.ntm.cz
official website of the Czech National Bank – current exchange rates: http://www.cnb.cz
information on cultural events in Prague etc.: http://www.praguewelcome.cz
information on local weather: http://www.chmi.cz
some free wi-fi hotspots: http://www.prague-guide.co.uk/articles/free-wi-fi-hotspots-in-prague.html
list of the archives in CZ: http://www.cesarch.cz
official website of the Czech Railways: http://www.cd.cz
official website of the Airport Prague-Ruzyne: www.prg.aero/cs/
information on current situation on the highways etc.: http://www.dopravniinfo.cz
information on tradic and car assistance/Yellow Angel: http://www.uamk.cz
phone book/Yellow Pages: http://www.zlatestranky.cz

National Emergency Calls:

- First Aid: 155
Police: 158
Metropolitan Police: 156
European Emergency Call: 112

International Conference

SCHOLARS IN EXILE AND DICTATORSHIPS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Prague, May 24 – 26, 2011

C A L L  F O R  P A P E R S

• Centre for the History of Sciences and Humanities, Institute for Contemporary History  of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic – principal organizer;
• National Technical Museum in Prague;
• Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

Issues concerning scientists in exile have attracted attention especially in relation to the large emigration wave that hit Europe facing the Nazi regime. This wave has been already well documented by numerous encyclopaedic projects, treated in synthetic works, and also analyzed from the methodological point of view. Still, other émigré and exile waves in 20^th century Europe have so far escaped more detailed attention, like those that were evoked by European and non-European authoritarian regimes and dictatorships or other malignant political developments.

Insufficiently explored as yet is the effect of the Communist regimes that came into power in first in the Soviet Union and later in several European countries on escapes of scholars (both the average and top ones) to outside their spheres of influence.  This process retained in all these countries its significant specific features and took its particular time course depending on the acuteness of the local political pressure. Attention seeking are also the problems concerning intellectuals and scholars expelled from their home countries by several other authoritarian regimes, some of which have been active up to the present day.  The announced Conference approaches these questions from two angles – partly from the all- European perspective and partly considering the Czech developments.

Thus from the all-European perspective the Conference will deal in particular with three large and partially overlapping migration waves:
a) Escapes of scholars from the German Nazi rule and its allies in Italy, Spain and other countries (1933–1945);
b) Escapes of scholars from the Communist rule (1917–1989);
c) Immigration of scholars to European countries after World War II in seeking escape from authoritarian regimes in their home countries (1945 until today).

The analysis of these migration waves enables to consider especially the following questions:

- Of fundamental importance is first of all correlation of the developments in the individual European countries, comparison of temporal distribution of emigration, its internal dynamics and national specific features;
- Connection between emigration of scholars and malevolent ideologies associated with the dictatorships (the influence of racial theories and approaches, the role of the so called “stratum of intelligentsia” in the periods of escalated class hatred, and others);
- Ways of formation of supranational or international networks supporting émigré scholars (aid organized by the League of Nations or later UNO, organizations like the British Society for the Protection of Science and Learning or Council for Assisting Refugee Academics);
- Various concepts in approaches of individual countries towards scholars leaving for exile, analogies and dissimilarities (for instance, is there something like a “European concept” that would differentiate the approach of European countries from the policies of the USA or other non-European states towards the exile scholars?);
- How can be distinguished these politically motivated exile waves from the so-called “brain drain” stimulated in the first place by existential and economic aspects with the view of professional career?
- Were there other alternatives than emigration for open-minded scholars with free way of thinking (conformity with the regime, the so-called “internal emigration”, gulags and similar establishments, and others)?

From the standpoint of the Czech developments the Conference should deal with the following migration waves:

- Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian emigration in the years 1918–1948 and its survival during the Communist regime;
- Emigration waves from Germany and Austria in the years 1933–1939 and the position of intellectuals within;
- Emigration of scholars from the former Czechoslovakia in the years 1939 – 1945, its tracks and forms; 
- Difficulties in the developments in the years 1945 – 1948 (inconsistencies in dealings with returning scholars, Czech and Slovak opposition living abroad);
- The first major emigration wave from the Communist Czechoslovakia after the Communist coup in February 1948 and the position of scholars within;
- Emigration of scholars from the Communist Czechoslovakia in the period after the Warsaw Pact armies invasion in August 1968;
- Inconsistent relationship of the Czechoslovak public to exile scholars returning home after 1989;
- Long-term departures of the Czech scholars for abroad after 1989; its comparison with emigration from the Communists Czechoslovakia.

The organizers welcome especially contributions related to particular scientific institutions, specific situations and characteristics of individual fields, both in sciences and humanities.  In relation to Czech exile, the Conference attempts to accomplish two tasks: determine the present state of research and serve as a platform where the former “émigrés” can share their personal experience and position. Therefore, the scholarly part of the Conference will be supplemented by a round table discussion and social gatherings.

The language of the Conference is English.

The anticipated Conference Fee is 40 Euros.

Abstracts will be required.

Submitted papers will be published on the Internet.

Some participants will be asked to contribute to the collective monograph that will be published in 2012.

In case of your interest in participation or in further information about the Conference, please send us kindly the following information:

Title/s

Affiliation:

E-mail:

Mailing address or other contact:

Please mark your intentions:

• I wish to obtain more information about the Conference:  YES       NO 
• I intend to participate in the Conference and wish to obtain detailed information and instructions: YES       NO
• I will prepare a paper (20-30 minutes) or a short discussion contribution (5-10 mins)

PAPER      DISCUSSION CONTRIBUTION

Title of my paper or discussion contribution:

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Centre for the History of Sciences and Humanities

Institute for Contemporary History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Puškinovo nám. 9

160 00 Praha 6

Czech Republic

Fax: +420221990612

E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please send this information also to other persons who might be interested in the topics of the Conference.