[Discussion] The Question of the West: resident fellowships

[gpultar@cstgroup.org]

The Question of the West

Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis invites applications for senior and
post-doctoral resident fellowships, to be held during the academic year
2006-2007, from individuals engaged in research on topics related to "The
Question of the West".

The idea of “the West” animates contemporary public discourse.
Politicians and journalists deploy it for polemical purposes, calling up a
“clash of civilizations” occurring along an East-West divide. This
seminar aims to restore critical consciousness to current debates by exploring
the epistemological status of “the West” from a variety of
perspectives. We recognize that from many historical, geographical, and cultural
vantages, “the West” may not exist at all as a meaningful referent,
or it may exist as a popular fantasy or ideological construction. Yet however
evanescent “the West” may be as a geographical location, however
spurious its claims to constitute “civilization” or to be the source
of “universal” values, the consequences of the idea of the West have
been profound and lasting. Imperial fictions demand sustained critical
attention, especially when their impact is more than merely fictional.

In 2006-2007, the seminar will address historical issues—the origins of an
East-West divide in early modern thought, ideological uses of universalist
claims, relationships between narratives of civilization and imperial policies,
non-Western alternatives to Western metaphorical mapping, and related topics. We
invite scholars from various disciplines, both within and outside the Western
academy to join a wide-ranging discussion of history, economic, politics,
geography, cartography, literature, and the arts.

Applicants and those interested in presenting a paper related to this project
during 2006-2007 should contact the project directors. Applicants/Presenters
need not be U.S. citizens. AA/EOE. Closing date for fellowship applications is
December 15, 2005.


Professors Ann Fabian and Jackson Lears
Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
88 College Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8542
USA

Email: rcha@rci.rutgers.edu

Visit the website at http://rcha.rutgers.edu