We are writing to let you know about the 2012 AJHS Biennial Scholars' Conference on American Jewish History, to be held June 11-13, 2012 at the Center for Jewish History in New York. Our theme will be "Beyond Boundaries: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Studying American Jews."

Below you'll find a call for papers. (Proposals are due November 1, 2011.) We urge you to submit a proposal, share this call for papers widely with colleagues and graduate students, and make plans to attend the conference in June (registration information will be coming soon).

Best,

Beth S. Wenger Jeffrey Shandler
University of Pennsylvania Rutgers University

Co-chairs, 2012 Biennial Scholars' Conference on American Jewish History

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALL FOR PAPERS
2012 BIENNIAL SCHOLARS' CONFERENCE ON AMERICAN JEWISH HISTORY
Center for Jewish History, New York City
JUNE 11-13, 2012
Sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society

Beyond Boundaries: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Studying American Jews. Please send proposals via email to hsalomon@ajhs.org by November 1, 2011

The 2012 AJHS Scholars’ Conference will explore disciplinary and other kinds of boundaries that currently confront the field of American Jewish history. It will examine the opportunities and challenges that arise from the engagement of history and the humanities (including literary studies, media studies, theater, dance and art history, cultural studies, and musicology) as well as the social sciences (anthropology, economics, folklore, linguistics, political science, psychology, sociology). The conference will also explore the impact that the work of American Jewish historians has had on other disciplines.

Looking beyond disciplinary boundaries raises various questions: How has the interdisciplinary study of American Jewry developed? How does the study of American Jewish history take shape in relation to area studies or comparative programs, such as American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Comparative Religions, or Jewish Studies? What kinds of cross-disciplinary engagements would best enhance the field of American Jewish history?

In considering disciplinary boundaries, how do they compare with other boundaries that figure in the work of American Jewish historians? These other boundaries include:

• Geographical boundaries (e.g., in studies of immigration or of American Jews as part of a transnational or diasporic community)
• Cultural boundaries (e.g., in studies that examine the relation of Jews with their neighbors, comparative studies of Jews vis-à-vis other groups, or the study of communities that test the limits of Jewish peoplehood)
• Discursive boundaries (e.g., in studies that engage non-verbal forms of expression)
• Institutional boundaries (in work that bridges the academy and the arts, or institutions of public culture, or work that addresses a general public audience or reflects Jewish communal concerns)

The committee invites proposals for papers that engage any of the aforementioned issues and encourages the submission of complete panel proposals and roundtable presentations.

Graduate students completing dissertations may submit proposals accompanied by a letter of recommendation from their advisor. All submissions must include a one-page (250 words) paper abstract, short (120 words) biography, and a specific indication of technological needs. Complete panel proposals are strongly encouraged. Please send proposals to by November 1, 2011.

Beth S. Wenger
Professor of History
Director, Jewish Studies Program
Department of History
University of Pennsylvania