Conference Group for Central European
History
Newsletter
Spring 2003
Dear Colleagues,
Here is the Spring 2003 Newsletter. Items of particular interest include the report of the Editor of Central European History, the business meeting's vote to elect Ken Ledford as new editor of CEH, the report of the 2002-2003 Book Prize Committee, the announcement of the competition for the Article Prize to be awarded in January 2004, guidelines for submitting proposals for panels to be presented at the AHA meeting, and the dissolution of the financial relationship between the CGCEH and the AHA. To go directly to a subject listed in the table of contents, please click on the relevant line below.
Kees Gispen
Contents
Report of the Business Meeting in Chicago, 4 January 2003
Welcome by the
President
Report of the Executive Secretary
and Treasurer
Report of the Editor of Central
European History
Report of the
2002-2003 Prize Committee: Harold Marcuse wins the Hans Rosenberg Book Prize
Report
of the Archives Committee
Report
from the German
Historical Institute
Report
from the Society for Austrian and Habsburg History
New Business
Election of new officers
Election of Ken Ledford as new editor of CEH
Announcements
Guidelines for
submitting panel proposals to the CGCEH-sponsored segment of the AHA program
2003-2004
Hans Rosenberg Article Prize Competition
CGCEH
and AHA dissolve financial relationship
2003
Executive Committee
Nominations
for positions on the Executive Committee
Subscriptions
to Central European History
Subscriptions
to Austrian History Yearbook
New
Book: THE JOURNALISM OF MILENA
JESENKSA
Contact the editor of the Newsletter
Business Meeting, San Francisco
5 January 2002
Welcome
and Introductory Remarks by the President
President David Crew chaired the meeting and welcomed the members in attendance.
Crew invited everyone to participate in the Bierabend
(which took place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 in the adjacent room and was very well
attended). The
minutes of last years business meeting were approved.
Report of the Executive
Secretary and Treasurer
Kees Gispen reported on the Conference Groups finances and gave the following
overview.
Budget summary January 2002-January 2003
Balance Forward January 2, 2002* |
|
|
|
7,018.75 |
Income |
AHA interest ** |
0 |
|
|
|
Brill royalties |
5,668.00 |
|
|
Shipping and handling charges collected for donating CEH back issues |
1,611.50 |
|||
|
Total income |
|
7,279.50 |
|
Expenses |
Article prize award,
January 2002 George Williamson) |
500.00 |
|
|
|
2002 Bierabend and Executive Board meeting + |
360.31 |
|
|
AHA Perspectives advertisement for Hans Rosenberg Book Prize ($325) and CGCEH events listed in 2002 Annual Program ($475) |
800.00 |
|||
|
2002 NCC dues |
500.00 |
|
|
|
2002 Subsidy to CEH |
2,500.00 |
|
|
Reimbursement of Executive Secretary/Treasurer for distributing CEH back issues |
1,611.50 |
|||
|
Total expenditures |
|
6,422.34 |
|
Net income |
|
|
|
857.16 |
Balance forward |
|
|
|
7,875.91 |
* Includes $500 for retained 2001 dues to NCC
** The CGCEH maintains an interest bearing investment account with the AHA. Owing to losses sustained on its investments, the AHA did not make annual interest payments in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
*** Brill Academic Publishers provided the following breakdown: amount includes $5,500.00 advance on royalties for 2003 ($6.00 per subscription) plus $168 for additional subscriptions in 2002.
+ Executive board breakfast at the January 2002 meeting (187.72), Bierabend expenses Janaury 2002 (275.08), miscellaneous expenses of CEH-editor search committee meeting January 2002 ($48.08).
The business meeting approved the 2002 financial report.
Report of the Editor of Central
European History
Ken Barkin presented the following overview.
Publishing record for 2002:
Number of issues | 4 (Vol. 35, Nos. 1-4) |
Number of articles | 10 plus 1 reply |
Number of review articles | 4 |
Number of book reviews | 103 |
At the publisher:
Vol. 36: 1 | Articles: 3 | Book Reviews: 23 |
Current editorial status (January 2002):
In progress | Vol. 36: 2 (3 articles, 22 book reviews) |
Articles accepted | 5 |
Review articles accepted | 2 |
Articles to be revised | 3 |
Articles at referees | 1 |
Articles rejected in 2002 | 26 |
New articles to be read | 2 |
Book reviews on hand | 73 |
Book reviews outstanding | 142 |
Book reviews declared dead (1997-98) | 27 |
Number of subscribers | c. 850 |
Barkin announced that Ursula Marcum in 2002 was promoted to Senior Editor;
that Volker Berghahn will leave the editorial board of CEH; and that
David Luebke will join the board.
Report of the
2002-2003 Hans Rosenberg Book Prize Committee
The next item of business was the report of the Hans Rosenberg prize committee, which consisted
of Jeffry M. Diefendorf (chair), Nancy Wingfield, and Alon Confino. The prize
for the best book in Central European history published in 2000 or 2001 was awarded to Harold Marcuse (University of California, Santa
Barbara) for his
book: Legacies of Dachau: The Uses and Abuses of a Concentration Camp
1933-2001 (Cambridge University Press, 2001). President Crew
read the prize committee's award statement:
January 4, 2003
Hans Rosenberg Prize Committee
Jeffry M. Diefendorf, Nancy Wingfield, Alon Confino
Marcuse
was not present to accept the award in person.
Report of the
Archives Committee
David Barclay, chair of the Archives Committee, presented the following
report.
The
continuing controversy about access to Stasi records
overshadowed other archive-related issues in 2002.
In March, the Bundesverwaltungsgericht
confirmed a lower-court decision forbidding publication of Stasi
materials concerning ex-Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
According to the court, Stasi documents
concerning persons of contemporary historical significance (Personen
der Zeitgeschichte)
could only be published with the permission of such persons.
Marianne Birthler, director of the “Birthler-Behörde,”
was one of many who regretted the consequences of this decision for scholarly
research on both post-1949 German states. (For details, see the Süddeutsche
Zeitung of 9-10 March 2002.)
In an effort to modify or reverse the effects of this decision, the
governing coalition was joined by the FDP in supporting a Novelle
to modify the older legislation on access to Stasi
records. The “5. Änderungsgesetz
zum Stasiunterlagengesetz”
passed the Bundestag and Bundesrat in July and went
into effect in September; the CDU/CSU voted against the measure in the
Bundestag, while the PDS abstained. Of
particular importance is the Novellierung
of Paragraphs 32 and 32a, which deal with access to materials concerning persons
of contemporary historical significance. The
new Gesetzesnovelle
makes it possible for scholars and journalists to continue to work in relevant Stasi
records, although future legal challenges are certainly possible.
For details of the new legislation and for a chronology of the entire
dispute, see the excellent Web site of the Birthler-Behörde
at www.bstu.de
Report from the
German Historical Institute in Washington
Richard Wetzell, Research Fellow at the GHI, briefly reported on
the state of the German Historical Institute in
Washington. Detailed information is available at: http://www.ghi-dc.org/
Report from the
Society for Austrian and Habsburg History
Pieter Judson, Executive Secretary of the SAHH, presented a brief report
on the state of our sister organization. Further information is available
at http://www.cas.umn.edu/sochabs.htm,
http://www.cas.umn.edu/ahy.htm, and
http://www.theaha.org/affiliates/soc_austrian_habsburg_his.htm
New Business
Election of New Officers
The nominating committee proposed Roger Chickering (Georgetown) for the
position of Vice-President elect and Kevin Repp (Yale) for a three-year term as
at-large member of the executive board. Both nominees were approved
without opposition and commenced their terms of service at the end of the
business meeting.
Election of Ken Ledford as the future editor of CEH
President Crew read the following statement, copies of
which were distributed to the members in attendance.
Selection of a new editor of Central
European History
Report to the Business Meeting of the Conference Group for Central European
History
January 4, 2003
The Executive Board of the Conference Group for Central European History at its annual meeting in Chicago, January 4, 2003 unanimously voted to adopt the following report concerning the selection of a new editor of Central European History.
The Executive Committee:
David F. Crew, President
David Blackbourn, Vice-President (absent)
Jonathan Sperber, Vice-President Elect
Konrad Jarausch, Immediate Past President
Doris Bergen, at-large member
Peter Black, at-large member
Dagmar Herzog, at-large member (absent)
Kenneth D. Barkin, Editor of CEH
Kees Gispen, Executive Secretary and Treasurer
***
Selection
of a new editor of Central European History
Report to the Executive Board of the Conference Group for Central European
History
December 15, 2002
By the fall of 2001 two candidates had
emerged: Doris Bergen of the University of Notre Dame and a team of historians
at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities led by Eric Weitz. The selection committee met in person with both candidates (Weitz was
accompanied by
There
is some common ground between the Ledford and Minnesota
group proposals. Both are serious
and should be taken seriously. The
budget outlines are similar and make sense. Both proposals have strong institutional backing, financial and other.
Both would employ a half-time assistant, and both would have a book
review editor. Both, finally, have
thoughts on the future direction of CEH. On the last point, however, overall, the committee believes that Ledford
presents a more attractive alternative than the Minnesota
team.
Ledford proposes a gradual evolution for the journal. He expects to add a discussion forum and to continue increasing the journal’s methodological breadth. Ledford also outlines an ambitious program of electronic publishing to complement the print edition of CEH, by making CEH an integral part of JSTOR and the History Cooperative projects on the Internet, going beyond current standards of Internet use, and placing all in-house editorial work and communications with editorial and book reviewers on an electronic footing. The committee found Ledford’s proposals with regard to the future Internet presence of the journal more persuasive than the Minnesota team’s comments on this important topic.
The
largest difference between the two proposals concerns the organizational side. The
Minnesota
group would edit CEH under an
arrangement that departs from the well functioning current system and is,
essentially, collective. It would be
based on five local editors (M. J. Maynes, Eric Weitz,
While the multi-person editorship of the Minnesota group proposal suggests a tantalizing variety of intellectual perspectives, on balance the selection committee considers the Ledford proposal superior because of its technical innovativeness and its clearer assignment of intellectual and organizational responsibility.
Kenneth D. Barkin
David Blackbourn
David F. Crew
Konrad H. Jarausch
Presented as a seconded motion for approval by the membership, the report was discussed at some length. The Executive Committee's recommendation eventually passed with a majority of approximately two to one in a secret ballot.
The business meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. David Crew invited everyone present to the Bierabend, which commenced immediately in an adjoining room .
Announcements
Guidelines for Submitting Panel Proposals to the CGCEH-Sponsored Segment of the AHA Program
AHA panel organizers whose proposals were rejected by the AHA program committee but who would like their proposals to be reconsidered for solo-sponsorship by the CGCEH are encouraged to submit copies of their AHA proposals to the CGCEH's executive secretary. Deadline for submissions: May 21, 2003. To facilitate evaluation by the executive board, organizers are asked to submit their proposals and supporting documentation in electronic format. The decisions of the Executive Board will be announced no later than June 2.
In January 2004 the Conference Group will award its biennial Hans Rosenberg prize of $500 for the best article in Central European history. Central European history is understood to include all German-speaking countries as well as areas previously included within the Habsburg monarchy. This year the prize competition is open to articles published in 2001 or 2002, in English, by permanent residents of North America. Letters of nomination for the prize may be submitted by authors, publishers, or others, and should be addressed to the chair of the book prize committee, Belinda Davis. Nomination deadline: September 15, 2003.
Belinda Davis | Mary Lindemann | Karl Bahm |
Department of History | Department of History | Department of History, Politics and Society |
Rutgers University | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Wisconsin-Superior |
16 Seminary Place | Baker Hall 240 | Sundquist 208 |
New Brunswick, NJ 08901 | Pittsburgh, PA 15213 | Superior, WI 54880-4500 |
732-932-6728 | 412-268-2887 | 715-394-8465 or 715-394-8586 |
FAX: 732-932-6763 | FAX: 412-268-1019 | |
email: bedavis@rci.rutgers.edu | email: lindeman+@andrew.cmu.edu | email: kbahm@staff.uwsuper.edu |
For further information, please contact the executive secretary of the Conference Group, Kees Gispen, Department of History, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, email: hsgispen@olemiss.edu, telephone: 662-915-7148, fax: 662-915-7033.
CGCEH and AHA Dissolve Financial Relationship
In February 2003 the executive secretary and treasurer received a letter from Dr. Arnita Jones, Executive Directior of the AHA, concerning a change in the financial relationship between the AHA and the CGCEH. Dr. Jones's letter was a reply to the executive secretary's request for information regarding the CGCEH's endowment funds invested with the AHA and lack of interest income during the past several years. After reviewing the history of the financial relationship between the AHA and the Conference Group and recent declines in the value of the AHA's investments, Dr. Jones points out in her letter that an AHA review committee last year judged the financial arrangement with the Conference Group an anomaly that should not be continued. Shortly after the arrival of Dr. Jones's letter, the executive secretary and treasurer received a check in the amount of $20,607.00, which represented the value of the CGCEH's endowment on June 30, 2002. This terminated the prior arrangement under which the CGCEH shared proportionately in the gains and losses of the AHA's financial investments. The executive secretary and treasurer has deposited the money in the Conference Group's non-interest bearing checking account and taken steps to obtain tax-exempt status for the Conference Group, to start earning interest (and/or other capital gains) again in the near future. On behalf of the Conference Group, the executive secretary and treasurer would like to thank the AHA for the financial services it performed with diligence and success during the years the financial arrangement was in effect.
The members of the Conference Groups 2003 executive committee are:
President: David Blackbourn, Harvard University
Vice-President: Jonathan Sperber, University of Missouri, Columbia
Vice-President Elect: Roger Chickering, Georgetown University
Immediate Past President: David Crew, University of Texas at Austin
At-Large Member (exp. January 2004): Peter Black, United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum
At-Large Member (exp. January 2005): Dagmar Herzog, Michigan State University
At-Large Member (exp. January 2006): Kevin Repp, Yale University
Editor of Central European History, Kenneth Barkin, University of California,
Riverside
Executive Secretary and Treasurer, Kees Gispen, University of Mississippi
The Conference Groups 2003 nominating committee is made up of the executive committee. The committee has nominated Ron Smelser, University of Utah, for the position of Vice-President Elect and Suzanne Marchand, Louisiana State University, for a three-year term on the executive committee. Nominations will be voted on at the January 2004 business meeting. Members are invited to submit additional nominations to the Executive Secretary.
Subscriptions to Central European History
The publisher of CEH is Brill Academic Publishers. Brill may be contacted at the following addresses:
Editorial & Marketing
Brill Academic Publishers Inc.
112 Water Street, Suite 602
Boston, MA 02109
Tel: 1-617-263-2323
Fax: 1-617-263-2324
e-mail: cs@brillusa.com
Office hours: 08.30 hrs to 17.00 hrs.
Ordering & Customer Services
Brill Academic Publishers
P.O. Box 605
Herndon, VA 20172
Tel: 1-800-337-9255 (toll free, USA and Canada only)
Tel: 1-703-661-1500
Fax: 1-703-661-1501
e-mail: cs@brillusa.com
Subscribers outside North America, please contact:
Brill Academic Publishers
P.O. Box 9000
2300 PA Leiden
The Netherlands
Phone: +31-71-535-3566
Fax: +31-71-531-7532
E-mail: cs@brill.nl
Brill is located on the web at: http://www.brill.nl/
Subscriptions to Austrian History Yearbook
Berghahn Books is pleased to announce the following special offer to all CGCEH members: Subscribe now to the AUSTRIAN HISTORY YEARBOOK (Vol. 33/2002 or Vol. 34/2003, 1 issue p.a.) and receive $2.00 off the individual subscription rate of $35.00. For further information, please visit http://www.berghahnbooks.com/journals/ah/index.html, or contact us at journals@berghahnbooks.com.
Berghahn
Books is pleased to announce the March release of THE JOURNALISM OF MILENA
JESENKSA: A Critical Voice in Inter-War Central Europe, edited
and translated from the Czech, and with an Introduction by Kathleen Hayes (240
pages ISBN 1-57181-560-0 hardback $29.95).
Members of the CGCEH receive 20% discount.
Contact the Executive Secretary
Readers who would like to post information of interest to other members of the Conference Group or have questions should contact the executive secretary:
Kees Gispen
Department of History
University of Mississippi
University, MS 38677
Telephone: 662-915-7148
FAX: 662-915-7033
Email: hsgispen@olemiss.edu
This document was last updated 04/30/03