This interdisciplinary workshop, organized by the History Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in collaboration with the Yiddish Studies Program at the University, aims to bring together Yiddish scholars, historians, and literary and cultural critics to think together on the history of Yiddish scholarship from various perspectives and vantage points. Papers can discuss scholarship on both Old and Modern Yiddish literature, as well as on Yiddish theater, cinema and folklore, in any time period, language, or geographic area. They can relate to “scholarship” in the broadest sense of the term, including individual scholars or institutions, scholarship inside and outside academia, and scholarly contributions published in various forms and platforms (scholarly books, encyclopedias, text-books, literary journals etc.). We encourage papers that give special attention to the historical contexts in which scholarship on Yiddish culture took place, as well as to ideological premises and methodological developments in the history of the field. We welcome papers that address, for example, the motivations underlying the scholarly engagement with Yiddish culture, the place of this engagement in the broader work of the scholar/institute in question, the ideological stance of the scholar toward the object of his scholarship, and the reception of the scholarship among different audiences.

The aim of the workshop is to allow scholars to present work in progress on the topic, and benefit from the input and commentaries of the other participants, in addition to those of designated respondents. In order to maximize the scholarly potential of the workshop and allow for an informed and thorough discussion, participants will be asked to send their papers (of ca. 2500-3000 words) in advance, to be either sent to a respondent or pre-circulated among the workshop’s members. Conference language is English.

Short proposals, including a title and an abstract (ca. 300 words) as well as a short academic bio, should be sent as Word-documents to aya.elyada@mail.huji.ac.il no later than January 10^th, 2015.

The workshop also offers two travel grants for young scholars (advanced PhD students, post-docs, and scholars before a tenured or a tenure-track position), who wish to present a paper at the workshop. The grant will cover travel expenses, boarding, and meals during the conference.

For any queries or additional information: aya.elyada@mail.huji.ac.il