Thursday, December 20, 2012

See you at PAHA Meeting in New Orleans!


New Orleans Skyline in 2011. Photo by Demetrio Mascarena, www.123rf.com

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We will see New Orleans' festive skyline very soon! PAHA Annual Meeting will take place at New Orleans Marriott Hotel on January 3 to 5, 2013. 

We hope you will join us for our celebration of Polish and Polish American history and culture. We will talk about Kazimierz Pulaski, Zbigniew Przezinski, Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki, Joe Biden, Marion Lush, Monika Krawczyk, New Orleans Polonia, immigration history, Poles in the Civil War, Polish Catholicism, Detroit, Polish nobility, letters to the editor, spies, and much more!


Christmas Lights on the corner of Royal and Dumaine Streets
 of the Latin Quarter. Photo by Colin Young, www.123rf.com 


PAHA ANNUAL MEETING 2013 PROGRAM

PAHA Annual Board Meeting

Thursday, January 3, 2013: 3:30 PM-5:30 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5
 
Themes in Polish and Polish American Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Friday, January 4, 2013: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5
Chair: Pien Versteegh, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences
Papers:
Constructing Femininity: The Monica Krawczyk Short Story Contests of the 1960s
Grazyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College
Between Myth and Stereotype: Tackling the Story of Polish American Inventors and Their Contributions
Slawomir Lotysz, University of Zielona Gora
The Career and Lyrics of Marion Lush: Their Significance for Polonia
Thomas Napierkowski, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Górecki in America: From Copernicus to Sorrowful Songs
Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press
Comment: The Audience
 
Casimir Pulaski: New Facts and Discoveries

Friday, January 4, 2013: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 10
Chair: Jack Pinkowski, Nova Southeastern University
Papers:
Forgotten Records of Casimir Pulaski's Birth and Death
Peter Obst, La Salle University
The Other Pulaskis: How They Changed Their Names to Become Impostors
Edward Pinkowski, Poles in America Foundation
Identifying Pulaski without DNA
Charles Merbs, Arizona State University
Comment: The Audience
 
Topics in Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Polish American History

Friday, January 4, 2013: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5
Chair: Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press
Papers:
The Polish Museum of America: Twenty-First-Century Developments
Geraldine Balut Coleman, Polish Museum of America
The Chene Street History Project: Documenting a Lost Detroit Neighborhood
Karen Majewski, University of Michigan
Death Comes to Polonia: Mortality among Polish Immigrants in the Early Twentieth Century
John Radzilowski, University of Alaska Southeast
Comment: The Audience
 
Polish and Polish American History in the Cold War

Friday, January 4, 2013: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5
Chair: Brian McCook, Leeds Metropolitan University
Papers:
Joe Biden: Politics in the Polish American Community in Wilmington, Delaware
Thomas Duszak, State Library of Pennsylvania
"The Little UNO" at 769 First Avenue, New York, 1956–63
Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdansk
Spies from the Embassy: Polish Counter-intelligence Structures Responsible for Surveillance of American Diplomatic Posts, 1956–89
Patryk Pleskot, Institute of National Remembrance
The Strategic Mind of Zbigniew Brzezinski: How a Native Pole Used Afghanistan to Protect His Homeland
J. B. White, Louisiana State University
Comment: The Audience
 
Topics in Nineteenth-Century Polish and Polish American History

Saturday, January 5, 2013: 9:00 AM-11:00 AM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5
Chair: Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Papers:
The White Eagle with an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor: First Sergeant Peter Tolusciak
Annette Amerman, Marine Corps History Division
"Polish" Regiments in the U.S. Colored Troops during the American Civil War
Piotr Derengowski, University of Gdansk
Szlachcic As Model Gentleman: Poland, Partition, and the British Romantic Historical Novel
Adam Kozaczka, Syracuse University
A Portrait of New Orleans Polonia in the Mid-Nineteenth Century
James Pula, Purdue University North Central
Comment: The Audience
 
Polish Diaspora in America and Europe

Saturday, January 5, 2013: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5
Chair: Theodore Zawistowski, Pennsylvania State University
Papers:
Interethnic Relations in Letters to the Editor in the Polish Language Press, 1902–69
Anna D. Jaroszynska-Kirchmann, Eastern Connecticut State University
The Politics of Memory and Exile within the Polish Diaspora in the United Kingdom, 1945–89
Brian McCook, Leeds Metropolitan University
Explore Your East European Roots: A Guide to Genealogical Research
Barbara Pulaski, Mount Ida College
Francis Wolenski, Boston University
The Polish Diaspora in the Wider World: Polish Settlements in Belgium and the Netherlands, 1920–30
Pien Versteegh, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences
Comment: The Audience
 
Book Forum: Mikolaj Stanislaw Kunicki, Between the Brown and the Red

Saturday, January 5, 2013: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5
Chair: Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Papers:
Between the Brown and the Red: Nationalism, Catholicism, and Communism in Twentieth-Century Poland
Mikolaj S. Kunicki, University of Notre Dame
Comment: Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee


PAHA Annual Awards Ceremony 
Saturday, January 5, 2013: Evening.  Bourbon House Restaurant

Thursday, December 13, 2012

News from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Poland

11 December 2012 - Changes on the map of Polish diplomatic and consular posts around the world.

For Polish diplomatic and consular posts to better respond to changing needs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs decided to close the Consulates General in Lille and Malmö, and move the seats of two other Consulates General – from Los Angeles to San Francisco and from Vancouver to Edmonton. The MFA also plans to open diplomatic missions in new locations, especially in Asia.

The Consulate seat was moved to San Francisco due to the city’s position as one of the leading American academic and business hubs, and a breeding ground for new technologies. The new location will help unlock the mission’s potential for promoting Poland and its economy. Meanwhile, Edmonton is Western Canada’s biggest centre of Polish diaspora, with important educational institutions and a thriving mining industry.

The decision to close the Consulates in Malmö and Lille by mid-2013 was based on economic considerations and the need to streamline the Polish diplomacy’s global presence. The sale of the Malmö Consulate property is expected to bring in approximately PLN 2.15 million, with PLN 1.5 million to be saved annually thanks to job cuts. In Lille, the savings are estimated at PLN 3.3 million and PLN 2.6 million respectively. Keeping properties and staff in these cities makes little economic sense given the small number of applications processed (e.g. in Malmö, one employee processes 6 non-passport applications a month).

In addition, the amended Passport Act signed by the President enables citizens to file passport applications in any consulate. The Consular Section of the Embassy in Stockholm will take over the functions of the Consulate in Malmö, while the Consular Section of the Embassy in Paris and the Consulate General in Lyon will be responsible for the tasks carried out by the Lille post.

The MFA will use the savings to bolster Polish diplomatic and consular presence in other regions, especially Asia. Over the last five years, the number of Embassies has been reduced from 101 to 91, while 9 Consulates Generals have been closed. At the same time, Poland has opened a number of new diplomatic and consular posts. They include: the Embassies in Podgorica and Astana; the Consulates General in Manchester, Reykjavik, Sevastopol, Vinnytsia and Donetsk; the Consular Agencies in Smolensk and Irbil; the Permanent Representation to UNESCO; and the Polish Institutes in Brussels, Madrid, Tokyo and New Delhi.

Posted by Marcin Bosacki
MFA Press Spokesman

Monday, September 3, 2012

Program of the 2013 PAHA Meeting, New Orleans, LA

The next Annual Meeting of PAHA will take Place at New Orleans Marriott Hotel, on January 3-5, 2013.

PROGRAM

PAHA Annual Board Meeting
Thursday, January 3, 2013: 3:30 PM-5:30 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5
_____________________________________________________

Themes in Polish and Polish American Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Friday, January 4, 2013: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5

Chair: Pien Versteegh, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

Papers:
Constructing Femininity: The Monica Krawczyk Short Story Contests of the 1960s
- Grazyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College

Between Myth and Stereotype: Tackling the Story of Polish American Inventors and Their Contributions - Slawomir Lotysz, University of Zielona Gora

The Career and Lyrics of Marion Lush: Their Significance for Polonia - Thomas Napierkowski, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Górecki in America: From Copernicus to Sorrowful Songs - Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press

Comment: The Audience
____________________________________

Casimir Pulaski: New Facts and Discoveries

Friday, January 4, 2013: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 10

Chair: Jack Pinkowski, Nova Southeastern University

Papers:

Forgotten Records of Casimir Pulaski's Birth and Death - Peter Obst, La Salle University

The Other Pulaskis: How They Changed Their Names to Become Impostors - Edward Pinkowski, Poles in America Foundation

Identifying Pulaski without DNA - Charles Merbs, Arizona State University

Comment: The Audience
__________________________________________________________

Topics in Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Polish American History

Friday, January 4, 2013: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5

Chair: Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press

Papers:
The Polish Museum of America: Twenty-First-Century Developments -Geraldine Balut Coleman, Polish Museum of America

The Chene Street History Project: Documenting a Lost Detroit Neighborhood - Karen Majewski, University of Michigan

Death Comes to Polonia: Mortality among Polish Immigrants in the Early Twentieth Century - John Radzilowski, University of Alaska Southeast

Comment: The Audience
__________________________________________

Polish and Polish American History in the Cold War

Friday, January 4, 2013: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5

Chair: Brian McCook, Leeds Metropolitan University

Papers:
Joe Biden: Politics in the Polish American Community in Wilmington, Delaware - Thomas Duszak, State Library of Pennsylvania

"The Little UNO" at 769 First Avenue, New York, 1956–63 - Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdansk

Spies from the Embassy: Polish Counter-intelligence Structures Responsible for Surveillance of American Diplomatic Posts, 1956–89 - Patryk Pleskot, Institute of National Remembrance

The Strategic Mind of Zbigniew Brzezinski: How a Native Pole Used Afghanistan to Protect His Homeland - J. B. White, Louisiana State University

Comment: The Audience
_____________________________________________________

Topics in Nineteenth-Century Polish and Polish American History

Saturday, January 5, 2013: 9:00 AM-11:00 AM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5

Chair: Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Papers:
The White Eagle with an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor: First Sergeant Peter Tolusciak - Annette Amerman, Marine Corps History Division

"Polish" Regiments in the U.S. Colored Troops during the American Civil War - Piotr Derengowski, University of Gdansk

Szlachcic As Model Gentleman: Poland, Partition, and the British Romantic Historical Novel - Adam Kozaczka, Syracuse University

A Portrait of New Orleans Polonia in the Mid-Nineteenth Century - James Pula, Purdue University North Central

Comment: The Audience
________________________________

Polish Diaspora in America and Europe

Saturday, January 5, 2013: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5

Chair: Theodore Zawistowski, Pennsylvania State University

Papers:
Interethnic Relations in Letters to the Editor in the Polish Language Press, 1902–69 - Anna D. Jaroszynska-Kirchmann, Eastern Connecticut State University

The Politics of Memory and Exile within the Polish Diaspora in the United Kingdom, 1945–89 - Brian McCook, Leeds Metropolitan University

Explore Your East European Roots: A Guide to Genealogical Research - Barbara Pulaski, Mount Ida College - Francis Wolenski, Boston University

The Polish Diaspora in the Wider World: Polish Settlements in Belgium and the Netherlands, 1920–30 -
Pien Versteegh, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

Comment: The Audience
___________________________________________________________

Book Forum: Mikolaj Stanislaw Kunicki, Between the Brown and the Red


Saturday, January 5, 2013: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
New Orleans Marriott, Preservation Hall, Studio 5

Chair: Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Papers:
Between the Brown and the Red: Nationalism, Catholicism, and Communism in Twentieth-Century Poland - Mikolaj S. Kunicki, University of Notre Dame

Comment: Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Call for Nominations for PAHA Awards - Due 7/15/2012

The Polish American Historical Association solicits nominations for its Annual Awards Ceremony to be held in conjunction with American Historical Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans, January 3-6, 2013.

 
The Polish American Historical Association solicits nominations of members and non-members by members and non-members.  Self-nominations are welcome.   To nominate a person or a group or an institution, please email the name of the nominee and a short rationale to the Awards Committee Chair, Stephen M. Leahy, at skilleahy@gmail.com.

 
Nominations for the Following Awards are due by July 15, 2012.

 
Mieczyslaw Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans.

Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those in the social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the year of the award. 



Skalny Civic Achievement Award honors individuals or groups who advance PAHA's goals of promoting research and awareness of the Polish-American experience and/or have made significant contributions to Polish or Polish-American community and culture. 



Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community. 



Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization.


Creative Arts Award recognizes the contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas. 



Kulczycki Prize recognizes an important dissertation on the Polish experience in the United States offered to a graduate student or younger scholar within the first five years after awarding of the doctorate degree to assist in the publication of a book or monograph.


The following award nomination must be received by December 1, 2012. 



 
Young Scholar Award recognizes a substantial original research paper on Polish-American history and culture produced by a young scholar in the humanities or social sciences. This award includes a $1000 travel grant to present the paper at PAHA’s 2014 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. 

 
The candidate for the award must be a current student at any collegiate level, or must have left school within two years of the award deadline.  Please email the paper to the Awards Committee Chair, Stephen M. Leahy, at skilleahy@gmail.com.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

PAHA in Poland - Krakow and Gdansk, May 2012

PAHA Board and members attended two conference in Poland in May and June 2012.  First, on May 28-29, 2012, several PAHA members participated in the Fifth Workshop on American Ethnicity at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow.  The photo below was taken at the University and includes German university professors who participated in the event along with Prof. Brian McCook.

The photo album from the Krakow conference is posted on Picasa Web Albums: PAHA - Krakow, May 2012. The following presentations were made by PAHA members:

Brian McCook: "Hard Coal, Hard MEn: Polish Masculinity in the Coalfields of Pennsylvania"

James Pula: "Remembering Poland, but not Polonia"

Neal Pease: "Stanley Ketchel, the 'Michigan Assassin' - The First Polish American Sports Champion"

Maja Trochimczyk: "Created by Stalin, Embraced by Emigrants: Mazowsze and Slask and the Polish Folk Dance in California"

In addition, Dr. Ewa Barczyk of the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Prof. Adam Walaszek and Prof. Dorota Praszalowicz of Jagiellonian University have chaired sessions.

The conference proceedings will be published in book format and the deadline for submission of papers is August 31, 2012. 


During a luncheon hosted by the Consulate General of the U.S. at Avanti restaurant in Krakow, Maja Trochimczyk presented the 2011 Modjeska Prize to actress Anna Dymna for her outstanding contribution  to Polish culture.  A report from this event is posted on the Modjeska Club Blog.

The attendees included the Public Affairs Officer in the US General Consulate in Krakow Benjamin Ousley Naseman, and Mrs. Maria Brzostek the Educational Adviser in the Consulate, the President of the Board of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association, Prof. Neal Pease, the President of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America, Prof. Mieczysław B.B. Biskupski, Prof. Dorota Praszałowicz of the Jagiellonian University, and many other scholars from several countries who participated in the Fifth Workshop on “American Ethnicity: Rethinking Old Issues, Asking New Questions” organized by Prof. Praszałowicz and her team.

Photos from the Modjeska Prize Ceremony are posted on Picasa Web Albums:  Modjeska Club - Anna Dymna's Award.  

Krakow is one of the most delightful and beautiful cities of Europe, especially if you start the day from listening to the hejnal, as I did on May 28, 2012 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Mn7URfw14. Played from the top of the tower at Kosciol Mariacki at every hour, to the four directions of the world, the hejnal was a warning sign for the medieval city. The melody is interrupted in the exact spot where it was ended by an arrow of a Tartar invader back in the 12th century. They killed the watchman who played the melody then, but did not conquer the great city.


_______________________________________________________

East-Central Europe in Exile: Patterns of Transatlantic Migrations
University of Gdansk, May 31 to June 4, 2012


The Semi-Annual PAHA Board meeting was held on May 31 at the University of Gdansk and Board members (almost the entire Board was present, in person, including Stephen Leahy who traveled from China and Maja Trochimczyk from Los Angeles).


The Board meeting was one of the events of the extensive and exciting conference organized by the Department of History at the University of Gdansk, East-Central Europe in Exile.  Additional reports about the Conference program and participants will be posted here in the next weeks.



Anna Mazurkiewicz's album from a trip to the Emigration Museum in Gdynia:


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.387241804673484.87022.362118833852448&type=1http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.387241804673484.87022.362118833852448&type=1

Stephen Leahy posted various pictures from the conference events and presentations:

 https://picasaweb.google.com/109785843998685536560/ECEInExileConference?locked=true&feat=content_notification

Conference Proceedings - Album by Stephen Leahy

 http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.387732124624452.87113.362118833852448&type=1http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.387732124624452.87113.362118833852448&type=1




Sunday, May 20, 2012

Semi-Annual Board Meeting and Europe in Exile Conference

The Semi-Annual Board Meeting of the Polish-American Historical Association is scheduled for May 31, 2012 at the University of Gdansk, Poland.

The meeting will coincide with the international conference, East-Central Europe in Exile: Patterns of Transatlantic Migrations. The conference, scheduled for May 31st- June 3rd, 2012, at the Department of History, University of Gdansk, is co-organized by the following partners: History Department, University of Gdańsk, Poland Partners: History Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Polish American Historical Association, City of Gdynia, and Visegrad Fund.

The program of the conference is posted online (pdf): http://eceinexile.ug.edu.pl/upload/files/18/eceinexile_conference_program.pdf The conference's website includes additional information about this event: eceinexile.ug.edu.pl.

The papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings and the deadline for submission is June 30, 2012.

Organizing committee: Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz (Department of Contemporary History, University of Gdańsk) – project coordinator ; PhDr. Slavomír Michálek, DrSc. (Institute of History, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava); Doc. PhDr. Francis D. Raška, PhD. (Department of American Studies, Charles University, Prague); Dr. Magdolna Baráth (Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security, Budapest)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Due on April 15 - Not Just the Taxes

East European Studies Junior Scholars' Training Seminar

Program Scholarship - Application Deadline: April 15, 2012

Deadline: The deadline for receipt of this year's JSTS applications and supporting materials is April 15, 2012. Applicants will be notified approximately six weeks later.

Background Information: East European Studies of the Woodrow Wilson Center and the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research are soliciting applications for the twenty fourth annual training seminar for junior scholars in East European studies, to be held during August, 2012. All domestic transportation, accommodation and meal costs will be covered by the sponsors.

Eligibility: These scholarships are available to U.S. citizens. While Southeast Europe remains a primary focus, projects on Central Europe and the Baltic states are again eligible. Projects should focus on fields in the social sciences and humanities including, but not limited to: Anthropology, History, Political Science, Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Sociology. All projects should aim to highlight their potential policy relevance.
Disciplines represented at JSTS 2011 included: anthropology; history; political science; and, sociology.

Program Description: JSTS successfully combines formal and informal meetings to promote a variety of intellectual exchanges. Past activities have included:
- individual presentations;
- constructive feedback and question and answer sessions;
- one-on-one meetings for Junior Scholars with Senior Scholars;
- advice regarding publishing;
- discussions about the state of the profession and obtaining employment in the field;
- various social activities, including the crab-fest and the annual volleyball challenge.

Additional Requirements: Successful applicants are expected to submit a five-page paper no later than July 1 on the sources and methodology of their report and the wider significance of their work. (In other words, what was researched, how it was researched, and what it all means.) This paper will serve as the basis for discussion at the seminar.

Application Information: To apply for the Junior Scholars' Training Seminar (JSTS), the applicant must submit the following:
- a completed application form a curriculum vitae (which must include social security number and full date of birth, institution where degree is expected or was received, title of dissertation/thesis, and name and department of academic advisor);
- a single page, single-spaced statement of the work you wish to discuss - either the dissertation/thesis or another project;
- one letter of recommendation from academic advisor.

Please mail application materials for all grants to:

East European Studies
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004-3027

OR send them by email to: European.Studies@wilsoncenter.org

_____________________________________________________

Proposals Due for PAHA Annual Meeting 2012 - New Orleans

PAHA's 2013 Annual Meeting will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana from January 3-6, 2013 as part of the American Historical Association's Annual Conference. Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are now being accepted and should be submitted to the PAHA Conference Coordinator — Professor Neal Pease (pease@uwm.edu), Department of History, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA. Electronic proposals (in email & word format are strongly preferred.) The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2012.

Individuals and panel organizers should include the following information when submitting a proposal:
• Paper/Session title(s) (of no more than 20 words)
• Paper/Session abstract(s) (up to 300/500 words, respectively)
• Biographical paragraph or c.v. summary (up to 250 words) for each participant
• Correct mailing and e-mail address for each participant
• Chair (required) and commentator (optional) for the session
• Audiovisual needs, if any. Please be advised that it is unlikely that PAHA will be able to use PowerPoint in its sessions, due to the high cost of rental, or that presenters will be permitted by the hosting conference hotel to bring their own. You may wish to consider distribution of paper handouts as an alternative.

The Polish American Historical Association holds its Annual Conference in conjunction with the American Historical Association (AHA). The full information about the AHA conference can be found at www.historians.org. PAHA members who plan to attend PAHA conference only do not need to register for the AHA conference, but are required to register for the PAHA conference by November 1, 2012. Registration may be done on-line at www.polishamericanstudies.org or by sending the $20.00 registration fee to the PAHA Headquarters c/o Magda Jacques, Central Connecticut State University, 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, CT 06050.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Call for Papers for PAHA Conference - Due April 15

POLISH AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION (PAHA)
Annual Meeting, New Orleans - January 3-6, 2013

CALL FOR PAPERS / SUBMISSIONS

PAHA's 2013 Annual Meeting will be held in New Orleans, LA from January 3-6, 2013 as part of the American Historical Association's Annual Conference.

Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are now being accepted and should be submitted to the PAHA Conference Coordinator -- Professor Neal Pease (pease@uwm.edu), Department of History, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA. Electronic proposals (in email & word format are strongly preferred.)


The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2012.


Individuals and panel organizers should include the following information when submitting a proposal:

• Paper/Session title(s) (of no more than 20 words)
• Paper/Session abstract(s) (up to 300/500 words, respectively)
• Biographical paragraph or c.v. summary (up to 250 words) for each participant
• Correct mailing and e-mail address for each participant
• Chair (required) and commentator (optional) for the session
• Audiovisual needs, if any.

Please be advised that it is unlikely that PAHA will be able to use PowerPoint in its sessions, due to the high cost of rental, or that presenters will be permitted by the hosting conference hotel to bring their own projectors. You may whttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifish to consider distribution of papehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifr handouts as an alternative.

The Polish American Historical Association holds its Annual Conference in conjunction with the American Historical Association (AHA). The full information about the AHA conference can be found at www.historians.org. PAHA members who plan to attend PAHA conference only do not need to register for the AHA conference, but are required to register for the PAHA conference by November 1, 2012. Registration may be done on-line at www.polishamericanstudies.org or by sending the $20.00 registration fee to the PAHA Headquarters c/o Magda Jacques, Central Connecticut State University, 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, CT 06050.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Polish American Historical Association Annual Awards, 2011



At the PAHA Annual Meeting in Chicago, Il, during a Reception organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland on January 7, 2012, the Association bestowed its Annual Awards for the year 2011 on the following distinguished individuals and organizations. Consul General, Mr. Matynia welcomed guests and President Neal Pease served as an MC.



M. HAIMAN AWARD (for lifetime contributions to the field of Polish American studies/history) – Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann

Dr. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann is Professor of History at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she teaches American history. She is a past winner of PAHA’s Halecki and Swastek awards, and has been President and First Vice President of PAHA. She has recently served as an associate editor of The Polish American Encyclopedia.



OSKAR HALECKI PRIZE (outstanding book in the field) - James S. Pula, ed., The Polish American Encyclopedia (McFarland and Co., 2010.

Dr. Pula is the obvious choice for his excellent editorship and guidance in the publication of the Polish American Encyclopedia, certain to become a landmark reference work in the fields of Polish and Polish American history.



AMICUS POLONIAE AWARD (for contributions to the field by someone not of Polish ancestry) – Pien Versteegh

As Executive Director of PAHA, Versteegh has effectively performed all of the administrative functions of the organization.



DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD (for contributions to PAHA) - Cheryl Pula

Pula read the entire manuscript of The Polish American Encyclopedia twice - once in draft form and once in page proofs. The first time she listed 71 pages, single-spaced, or errors, missing information, or unclear statements. The second time she noted over two dozen pages of corrections of the page proofs. In addition, she also authored approximately 15 to 20 individual entries.



CREATIVE ARTS AWARD - John Z. Guzlowski

John Guzlowski is Professor Emeritus of Literature at Eastern Illinois University, and a noted poet. He has published the well-received works Lightning and Ashes and Third Winter of War: Buchenwald. Beyond that, he has been promoting the works of other Polish American poets.
________________________________________________



JOSEPH SWASTEK PRIZE (for an outstanding article in Polish American Studies) – Robert Szymczak, “Cold War Crusader: Arthur Bliss Lane and the Private Committee to Investigate the Katyn Massacre, 1949-1952,” Polish American Studies (67), Autumn 2010.

Professor Szymczak is Associate Professor of History at Penn State University, Beaver. His article is a fine study of the efforts of a onetime U.S. ambassador to Poland to uncover the truth of the Katyn atrocity, making excellent use of original research.
________________________________________________


SKALNY CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS





Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Bozena Nowicka McLees and Dr. Frank Kujawinski of Loyola University of Chicago, developers of their university's Polish Studies program

The late Dr. Frank Kujawinski and Dr. Bozena Nowicka McLees have been successfully active in their work to expand Polish Studies program at Loyola.
_______________________________________________________




Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Maria Ciesla, Director of the Polish Museum of America

Ms. Ciesla has been very effective in the work of the Polish Museum of America (which is associated with the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America).

_______________________________________________________



Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Hon. Aurelia Pucinski

Member of the Appellate Court of the State of Illinois. Pucinski is a leader in the Chicago Polonia, supportive of cultural matters in Polonia, and perhaps the most visible culturally active elected public official of Polish heritage in Illinois.

On the right is Mr. Frank Spula, President of the Polish American Congress and Polish National Alliance and himself a past recipient of the Skalny award in 2003.

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Sharon Zago, Vice President of the Polish Women's Alliance of America

Zago has long been a strong promoter of her fraternal involvement in community cultural matters.
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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Paul Odrobina, Vice President of the Polish National Alliance and past president of the Michigan Division of the Polish American Congress

Odrobina is similarly involved with his organization and before assuming the vice presidency of the PNA was very active in cultural matters in Detroit.

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Ewa Barczyk, Director of the Golda Meir Library of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Barczyk is a longtime supporter of Polish cultural activities at the Library and University and President of Polanki, the Polish Women's Cultural Club of Milwaukee, one of this country's most active community groups

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital of Chicago

Founded by Frances Siedliska in 1894 to serve the city's Polish community, it ministered to people of all races, creeds, and national origins. In 1902, Dziennik Chicagoski labeled it the "Pride of Polonia Chicagoska." A school of nursing which existed at the hospital until 1986 graduated more than 3,000 nurses, as well as preparing professionals in anesthetics, radiologic technology, and medical technology well into the 1980s. In 1976 it was selected, because of its distinct Polish identification, by the City of Chicago as the official welcoming site for a delegation of Polish church officials headed by then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyła. In 1997 it sponsored a tour of the Polish religious singing group Adoremus from Warsaw, and it has, over the years, promoted Polish identity and culture in innumerable other ways.

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Gabriela Pawlus Kasprzak, Krystyna Cap, and Mark Kohan

This trio is cited for meritorious contributions to The Polish American Encyclopedia. Gabriela Pawlus Kasprzak authored a very good thematic essay on the Polish experience in Canada, and is also far advanced in the process of preparing a special issue of Polish American Studies on the Poles in Canada. Krystyna Cap authored more than two dozen excellent entries and assisted in tracking down various miscellaneous pieces of information. Mark Kohan provided entire back files of the Polish American Journal to assist in identifying possible entries and locating specific information.

Monday, January 9, 2012

2012 Annual Meeting of the Polish American Historical Association


The 2012 Annual Meeting of PAHA took place at the Sheraton Hotel, Magnificent Mile, Chicago, Il., on January 5-7, 2012, in association with the Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association.

PROGRAM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012

Polish American Historical Association Annual Board Meeting
Thursday, January 5, 2012: 3:00 PM-5:00 PM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Lincoln Boardroom

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2012

Polonia in the Northeastern United States
Friday, January 6, 2012: 9:30 AM-11:30 AM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Arkansas Room

Chair: Anne M. Gurnack, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Papers:

The Halcyon Years of the Polish Community in Clinton, Massachusetts - Barbara Pulaski, Mount Ida College and Francis Wolenski, Boston University

Cultural Identity and Linguistic Identity: An Insight into the Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Practices of Polish Heritage Speakers in the Northeastern United States - Monika Woloszyn-Domagala, University of Zielona Góra, Poland (to be distributed)

A Modern Look at the Work of Historian Frank Renkiewicz's Analysis of New York City Polonia - Anne M. Gurnack, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Comment: The Audience

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Issues in the History of Polish American Organizations
Friday, January 6, 2012: 9:30 AM-11:30 AM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Tennessee Room

Chair: Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Papers:

Charles Rozmarek, Aloysius Mazewski, Edward Moskal: Leaders of American Polonia - Donald Pienkos, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Defining Polish Culture in California: The Fortieth Anniversary of the Modjeska Club - Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press

The Power to Organize: A Female Tradition? - Pien Versteegh, Tilburg University

Edward Moskal in the Polish Political Debate - Joanna Wojdon, Uniwersytet Wroclawski

Comment: The Audience

Session Participants: Joanna Wojdon, Don Pienkos, Pien Versteegh, Neal Pease and Maja Trochimczyk.
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Anticommunism in Transnational Perspective
Friday, January 6, 2012: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Colorado Room

Chair: John Radzilowski, University of Alaska Southeast

Papers:

Poland's National Democracy, an Overview - Marek J. Chodakiewicz, Institute for World Politics

The First Ally: The Polish Guards Companies of the U.S. Army in Germany - Wojciech Jerzy Muszynski, Institute for National Memory, Warsaw

Anticommunism versus Un-Americanism: Ethnic Groups in Search of American Identity - Ieva Zake, Rowan University

Cuban Emigre Anticommunism: Yesterday and Today - Tania Mastrapa, Mastrapa Consultants

Comment: John Radzilowski, University of Alaska Southeast
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Topics in Polish American History through the Centuries
Friday, January 6, 2012: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Missouri Room

Chair: Thomas J. Napierkowski, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Papers:

Gaspard Tochman and the Polish Brigade - Piotr Derengowski, University of Gdansk

Living History through Collective Memory: Solidarity during Martial Law as Remembered by Polish Children - Sarah Grunberg, Graduate School for Social Research, Warsaw

Casimir Pulaski Revisited - Angela Pienkos, Polish Center of Wisconsin

Polish Americans Today: The Piast Institute 2010 Survey of 1400 Polish Americans - Thaddeus C. Radzilowski, Piast Institute

Comment: The Audience
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Annual PAHA Awards Reception

Friday, January 6, 2012: Starting at 6:00 pm

Consulate of the Republic of Poland
1530 North Lake Shore Drive



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SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012

Polish and Polish American Literary Themes

Saturday, January 7, 2012: 9:00 AM-11:00 AM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Arkansas Room

Chair: M.B.B. Biskupski, Central Connecticut State University

Papers:

Witold Gombrowicz's Argentine Interlude - Silvia Dapia, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (read by Prof. James Pula)

The Neighborhoods of Memory: Stuart Dybek's Chicago - Grazyna J. Kozaczka, Cazenovia College

The Creativity of Tadeusz Wittlin: Polish Writer and Patriot in Exile - Peter Obst, LaSalle University

Grotowski in America - Magda Romanska, Emerson College (to be distributed)

Comment: The Audience
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Book Forum: Brian McCook, “The Borders of Integration”
Saturday, January 7, 2012: 9:00 AM-11:00 AM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Tennessee Room

Chair: Pien Versteegh, Tilburg University

Papers:
The Borders of Integration: Polish Migrants in Germany and the United States, 1870–1924Brian McCook, Leeds Metropolitan University

Comment: Pien Versteegh, Tilburg University
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Chicago, the Capital of Polish America
Saturday, January 7, 2012: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Arkansas Room

Chair: Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press

Papers:
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Artist, Statesman, Humanitarian: The Chicago ConnectionVictoria Granacki, Granacki Historic Consultants

The Polish Museum of America Library: Preparing for the 100th Anniversary in 2015
Malgorzata Kot, Polish Museum of America Library

"Greasy Thumb": The Underside of Chicago Polonia
James Pula, Purdue University North Central

Illinois State Division of the Polish American Congress in the Cold War Era, 1944–88
Joanna Wojdon, Uniwersytet Wroclawski

Comment: The Audience



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Polish American Historical Fiction: Doug Jacobson
Saturday, January 7, 2012: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Arkansas Room

Chair: Thomas J. Napierkowski, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Papers:

The Literary and Historical Context for "The Katyn Order" - Thomas J. Napierkowski, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

The Conception and Writing of "The Katyn Order" - Doug Jacobson, Independent Scholar

Comment: The Audience
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Religion in Polish America: Community, Conflict, and CooperationSaturday, January 7, 2012: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Tennessee Room

Chair: Margaret J. Rencewicz, University of Pittsburgh

Papers:

The Making of Parish Communities in American Polonia, 1880–1940
John Radzilowski, University of Alaska Southeast

Hazleton, Freeland, Pennsylvania: Father Joseph Masztoas—Poles' and Lithuanians' Interactions - Adam Walaszek, Jagiellonian University, Krakow

A Review of Bishop Hodur's Outreach to Other Groups, Religious and Ethnic -Theodore Zawistowski, Pennsylvania State University

"We Were Dead-Set Americans": Reimagining the Polish Vice-Province of the Congregation of the Mission, 1939–75 - Charles R. Kaczynski, St. Francis College

Comment: Margaret J. Rencewicz, University of Pittsburgh