11th Annual REECAS NW Conf., Portland, 9.4.2005 CONF./CFP - 11th Annual REECAS NW Conf., April 2005, Reed College, Portland Call for Papers The University of Washington's Eleventh Annual Northwest Regional Conference for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies will take place on Saturday, April 9, 2005, at Reed College, Portland, Oregon. We are currently soliciting papers, panels or roundtable presentations for this one-day interdisciplinary conference. Proposals from faculty, graduate students and scholars are welcome. Contributions are encouraged on literature, the fine arts, the environment, post-Soviet foreign policy, historical research, economics, national identity or any other relevant subject. Papers related to the theme "Politics and Culture in the Post-Communist World" are especially welcome. Small travel stipends may be available to graduate students and faculty presenters traveling from the Pacific Northwest. Carpooling from University of Washington -- Seattle will also be arranged. If you would like to present at the conference, please reply via e-mail or regular mail by FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2005 with your name and contact information, a paper title and brief abstract to: Marta Mikkelsen Associate Director and Outreach Coordinator The Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies Box 353650 Thomson Hall University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195 USA Tel: (206) 685-3113 E-mail: martam@u.washington.edu Ottoman Summer School, Turkey, 1.7-15.8.2005 INTENSIVE OTTOMAN AND TURKISH SUMMER SCHOOL IN TURKEY CUNDA, AYVALIK JULY 1 AUGUST 15, 2005 This program is co-sponsored by the Harvard University Summer School, the Harvard Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey. The Intensive Ottoman Summer School in Turkey provides proficiency-based instruction in reading and translating Ottoman Turkish texts in both manuscript and printed forms. The program also aims at developing skills in paleography to equip students to use original archival documents written in different styles like _divani_, _siyakat_, and _rika_. Instruction is provided in two areas: (1) Late Ottoman Turkish concentrates on developing the ability to read, transcribe, and translate printed Ottoman texts mainly from the 19th century. (2) Early Ottoman Turkish focuses on manuscripts from the 14th to the 19th centuries. By studying a selection of fermans and sections from muhimme and tahrir defters, chronicles, and biographical works, students are introduced to different grammatical structures and styles in Ottoman Turkish and to various manuscript hands. Classes consist of (a) two hours of Ottoman Turkish; (b) one hour of Persian and Arabic grammar support for Ottoman Turkish and another hour of Persian palaeography for those who have a background in Persian; c) one hour of modern Turkish reading and conversation class. The Harvard-Koc University Intensive Ottoman and Turkish Summer School is located on a small Aegean island, Cunda (also called Alibey Adasi), which is connected to the mainland town of Ayvalik. A small but growing reference library in the school is available for students use. For further information and application forms, please contact Prof. Wheeler Thackston wthackst@fas.harvard.edu or Prof. Selim S. Kuru selims@u.washington.edu Selim S. Kuru Assistant Professor Turkish Studies University of Washington Near Eastern Languages & Civilization http://faculty.washington.edu/selims/ ECON - Economic Co-operation Network BiH ECON is a new Bosnian NGO that intends to have a significant impact on economic and employment generation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Economic and employment generation are top priorities for the country and its people. Since 1995 substantial donor funding has been directed to reconstruction of housing, infrastructure and rehabilitation of the economy. Today B&H has returnees in reconstructed houses without work and the country is the most donor dependent in the Balkans. The economy of B&H is in a poor state. The absence of a fully fledged market economy, of the rule of law, of an efficient public administration, of a clear and light environment for business and a modern infrastructure all combine to drive away investors. The result is very high unemployment and widespread poverty. Today, far too many people are without employment. That is what keeps families poor and prevents refugees from returning home. If there is one thing that unites the people of this country, it is their wish to see more jobs. This is the people's top priority. It is also ours. Unemployment which is estimated at 39 per cent in the Federation and 50 per cent in Republika Srpska is on the increase and this already bleak situation will deteriorate further as donors reduce their support in the coming years. Hence the decision by ECON to focus on employment/economic generation. ECON - the organization The main purpose of the organization is to enable men and women to benefit from employment opportunities especially among minority groups. To achieve this ECON is focusing on five key areas or outputs: *Providing vision and leadership in excellence in creating employment opportunities especially among minority groups *Achieving competitive advantage through strategic planning for employment and effectively securing sustainable work opportunities *Forming effective partnerships resulting in increased access to resources and sites or businesses for investment *Innovative marketing strategies resulting in securing guaranteed market outlets *Management policies, strategies and activities to ensure quality, effectiveness, cost-efficiency, ownership and sustainability Core values of ECON include excellence, quality, getting results, networking, flexibility, and transparency. Our priorities Within the framework of a 5-year programme of work we intend to have: *Advanced an organic food production project to the state whereby organic planting can begin next year. *Identified two other economic and employment generation opportunities and obtained funding for the projects *Organised and implemented relevant organizational and professional education, training, and development ECON Economic Co-operation Network Ferhadija 13-1/5 71000 Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina Tel + 387 71 444 912 Fax + 387 71 444 141 E-Mail: econbih@bih.net.ba AINSEE