First Holocaust and Genocide Studies Conference at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, Monash University, Melbourne Co-sponsors: Jewish Holocaust Centre Melbourne; Sydney Jewish Museum; the Diana Zborowski Center for the Study of the Aftermath of the Shoah, Yad Vashem; the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation Institute; the Joint Distribution Committee

Call for papers
Tens of thousands of Jews migrated to Australia immediately after the Holocaust, settling mainly in Melbourne and Sydney. This interdisciplinary conference will discuss the aftermath of the Holocaust as it was experienced in Australia and New Zealand, by Holocaust survivors, their families, and the Australian Jewish community.
We welcome new papers and research overviews by established scholars, and original research papers from academics, postgraduate students and independent scholars. A volume of selected papers will be published based on the conference proceedings. A range of suggested topics appear below.
The conference will address three broad themes, contextualised by the regional experience: themes of Consequences, Identities, and Diaspora. For example, the immediate and long term consequences of the Holocaust included displacement and migrations to Australia and New Zealand, and anti-Semitism when people attempted to return to their former homes, family loss and health repercussions, and the claims for reparations. The forging of new individual and/or collective Jewish identities in Australia and New Zealand after the Holocaust, the development of Holocaust remembrance, and comparative readings with the Israeli and American Holocaust survivor communities, are important areas of regional aftermath studies. The strengths of Diaspora can also be explored in the context of aftermath, in terms of community building, politics, the growing international practice of Holocaust education, and the Australia and New Zealand second and third-generation movements of return to the sites of loss and atrocity. Convenors: Associate Professor Mark Baker and Dr Deborah Staines, ACJC, Monash University

Confirmed Keynotes
Professor Yehuda Bauer (Hebrew University and Yad Vashem); Professor Konrad Kwiet (University of Sydney & Sydney Jewish Museum); Associate Professor Suzanne Rutland (University of Sydney); Dr Zeev Mankowitz (Yad Vashem); Pamela Maclean (Deakin University); A/Professor Mark Baker (Monash University).
Topics
- Survivors
- Post-war DP camp experiences
- Post-war anti-Semitism
- Reparations
- Migrations to Australia and New Zealand 1933-1960
- Identity
- Community building
- Landsmanschaften of Australia
- Family and Health
- Return to Europe
- Zionism
- Diaspora and Israel
- Holocaust theology
- Memorial days
- Holocaust art, film and literature
- Holocaust Education
- Second Generation experiences of the Aftermath.

Paper abstracts due: 13 October 2009
Notification of acceptance of abstracts: 15 November 2009
Abstracts should be no more than 300 words long, and include title of paper, author’s name and institutional association, and the abstract. Proposals for panels with multiple papers on a single issue will also be considered, following the above format for each speaker.

Please send all abstracts of paper or panel proposals by 13 October 2009, to:
Deborah Staines, Organising Committee Chair: deborah.staines@arts.monash.edu.au

Organising Committee members are Mark Baker, Zeev Mankowitz, Bernard Korbman (JHC), Miriam Munz (ACJC), Deborah Staines (ACJC), Avril Alba (SJM), Sue Hampel (Shoah Archive)

Refereed proceedings
A selection of refereed papers from the conference will be published in either a volume of proceedings, a special edition of a journal, or a book of essays. These papers will meet the criteria for research publication (DIISR HERDC categories). Applicants wishing to have their papers refereed must meet the additional deadlines and directions given below. This process will enable the Conference Committee to deliver publication more quickly.
13 October – deadline for refereed abstracts
15 November – notification of acceptance of refereed abstracts
1 February – deadline for completed papers for refereeing

Registration
More information on registration costs, and downloadable conference information, will be available soon from the conference website which can be found at www.arts.monash.edu.au/acjc
All participants are encouraged to seek financial support from their home institutions.

Bursaries
The Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation, Monash University, offers bursaries to postgraduate students and Early Career Researchers whose papers are accepted (without institutional support) to assist their attendance at the Aftermath conference. Five bursaries of $1000 each are available, to be used for conference expenses including travel, accommodation, meal costs and conference registration (excluding students resident in Melbourne). These bursaries are offered on an individual basis via competitive application, i.e. the abstract submitted for inclusion at the conference.

Bookshop and Exhibition
An in-conference bookshop will be run by Sunflower Bookshop. All inquiries should be directed to sunflowerbookshop@netspace.net.au An exhibition space will also be created during the conference for Australian artists representing the theme of Aftermath.