ASEN Portal
Latest News: Upcoming Seminar; 'Nations and Their Histories' Publication; Internship Opportunity; ASEN and the Berlin Wall
18 November 2009
Upcoming
Seminar:David Rampton (School of Oriental and African Studies, London)
"The Politics of Sinhala nationalist authenticity
and the failure of power-sharing in Sri Lanka"
The Second Seminar in ASEN's 2009-2010 Series 'Managing Ethno-National Conflict'.
Date: Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Time: 18:00
Location: Room G1, London School of Economics. Please find a campus map here.
Entry is free.
17 November 2009
New Publication: 'Nations and their Histories: Constructions and Representations'
Palgrave MacMillan has recently released 'Nations and their Histories: Constructions and Representations', an edited volume inspired by the 2006 ASEN Conference 'Nations and their Pasts: Representing the Past, Building the Future'. The volume is edited by Susana Carvalho and Francois Gemenne, co-organizers of the 2006 conference. Susana Carvalho was also the Chair of ASEN from 2006-2007. We warmly congratulate both on the release of the collection.
From the Publisher: "Nations and their Histories highlights the importance of the past and its uses in the formation of modern nations and national identities. It looks at the construction of different national historiographies as well as present representations of the past in the political and cultural life of nations, covering the five continents. It features contributions from some of the most prominent scholars in the field of nationalism such as Terence Ranger, Robert Gildea, Umut Ozkirimli and John Breuilly."
'Nations and their Histories' may be purchased online here.
14 November 2009
Internship Opportunity at ASEN: Office Manager
ASEN is pleased to announce a new opportunity at the world’s leading organization for the study of nations and nationalism. The Office Manager works closely with the ASEN Directors and Executive to coordinate a diverse range of activities within this academic network. The successful applicant will be directly involved with ASEN’s annual Conference and seminar series, and will engage an international membership composed of academics, policymakers and professionals.
The Office Manager would be expected to work approximately 1.5 to 2 hours per day, Monday to Friday, in ASEN’s headquarters at the LSE. Flexible working arrangements will be considered. Applications from undergraduate and postgraduate students in the London area are encouraged.
A monthly honorarium is paid in recognition of the vital contribution the Office Manager makes to ASEN, In addition, a work space and the office facilitates are made available to the Office Manager to support their role and their personal academic endeavours.
Necessary Qualifications and Skills:
- Organizational and administrative abilities;
- Inter-personal skills;
- Strong communication skills (oral and written);
- The ability to work independently;
- The ability to show initiative; and,
- A capacity for creative and critical thinking.
Ideal Qualifications and Skills:
- Previous experience in an administrative position;
- Knowledge of HTML, Microsoft FrontPage, Excel and Outlook;
- Experience managing online mailing lists;
- Familiarity with ASEN’s work and the study of nations and nationalism; and,
- Previous experience working in an academic or research organization.
Please submit a CV and short cover letter to asen@lse.ac.uk (including ‘Office Manager’ in the Subject heading) as soon as possible, and no later than November 24, 2009.
Only those candidates that will be interviewed will be contacted. Interviews will commence immediately following November 24, 2009. If a particularly outstanding candidate is identified before this date they may be interviewed and appointed.
14 November 2009
ASEN reflects on the Fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1991, the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) was officially founded at the London School of Economics during its inaugural international conference, ‘Nationalism in a Post-Marxist World: Contemporary Reflections’. As the title of the conference indicates, ASEN has its origins in a time of upheaval: a crucial catalyst was provided by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a decisive event which inspired a number of research students working in the field of ethnicity and nationalism to query declining interest in class conflict alongside the resurgence of themes concerning national identity and ethnic separatism.
Thanks to the efforts of Percy Cohen, James Mayall, George Schöpflin and Anthony D. Smith, the London School of Economics had established courses on nationalism as early as 1980, a development distinct from other European universities where the topic received little attention.
The crumbling of the Berlin Wall changed things, however, and the LSE emerged as an important centre for new enquiry, esteemed as the site of critical debates between Ernest Gellner and Elie Kedourie. The crisis of the Soviet Union triggered considerable interest in the LSE’s nationalism course, ending years of limited interest. The Association emerged out of this milieu, and quickly established itself as a global leader in the field, organizing research, disseminating publications and encouraging a multi-disciplinary approach.
As the world celebrates the 20th anniversary of Berliners overcoming the wall dividing their city into East and West, ASEN humbly reflects on its history concurrent to this tremendous event, a reverberations produced by this event which ASEN endeavours to trace.
ASEN 2010 Conference: Nation & Charisma
The Call for Papers Deadline has now passed. Thank you for your submissions.
Please click here to find out more about the Conference
11 November 2009
Nations & Nationalism 15th Anniversary Conference
On 11 November 2009, ASEN hosted the Nations & Nationalism 15th Anniversary Conference on 'National Identity in Old and New Europe: Intellectuals, Culture and Popular Mobilisation'. Held in the Shaw Library at the London School of Economics, the one day conference featured talks by Bernhard Giesen, Montserrat Guibernau, Joep Leerssen, Sinisa Malesevic and Anthony D. Smith.
Click here to view the Conference Programme.
