Call for Papers for PAHA's 77th Annual Meeting in New York, Due by 15 April 2019

PAHA’s 77th Annual Meeting will be held in New York as part of the 134th yearly meeting of the American Historical Association from January 3–6, 2020.


This year AHA announced no theme for the incoming conference. As explained in the general CFP:


Next year, as every year, the program committee will welcome all proposals and not consider relevance to a theme. For the first time since 2003, no historian will needlessly try to package a proposal to appear to fit a theme. Let a hundred flowers bloom.


https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/october-2018/no-theme-for-the-2020-annual-meeting


Having in mind this encouragement to let a hundred flowers bloom as an invitation to embrace the richness of ideas and proposals that may come from our colleagues, we would like to nevertheless suggest that the incoming PAHA conference reflect on the three most recent anniversaries, the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence, the centennial of Polish women gaining voting rights, and PAHA’s 75th anniversary.

We celebrated all three anniversaries only last year, and, we hope, that all three can keep pushing us to reflect on our past, the past failures and accomplishments, but also the path that we may embark upon in the future. We hence propose that the conference offers a chance to reflect on what it means to be Polish and Polish-American and how the past can guide our discussions on these question in the changing landscape of the 21st century.


We invite scholars who study the Polish-American communities or the greater Polish diaspora as well as those who deal with migration, ethnic, and regional studies and would like to join discussions related (but not limited) to the following topics:


• Polish-Americans and the restoration of Poland’s independence, 1918
• Polish-Americans and their contribution to the civic, institutional, and political life of the U.S.
• Intersections of ethnicity, class, gender, and race
• The changing understanding of the ethnic heritage
• Identity politics and the role of migrations in the past and contemporary world
• Immigration to the USA and state building in Poland and in the United States
• Transatlantic migrations to the Americas and state building in Poland and migrant communities in North and South America
• Heritage, legacy, and a new understanding of the role that ethnicities play in the modern world
• Polish Americans vs. other ethnic groups in a comparative perspective on both American continents and in Europe
• Responses to Polish transatlantic migrations in Europe, also in a comparative perspective


We invite proposals for sessions as well as individual papers related to all aspects of the Polish-American experience (in history, sociology, literature, art, music, etc.) on both American continents. We are committed to putting together well-researched and argued proposals in panels consisting of 3 participants. For the first time, PAHA is trying to implement commentators for each (or almost each) session.


Individual participants should include the following information when submitting a proposal:
- Paper title(s) and short abstracts (of no more than 300 words)
- Biographical paragraph (up to 250 words)
- Please indicate if you are willing to serve as a chair and/or a discussant for a session
- Also, note if you need A/V.


Session organizers should include the following information when submitting a panel proposal and session organizers:
- Paper/Session abstract(s) (up to 300/500 words)
- E-mail address for each participant
- Biographical paragraph (up to 250 words) for each participant
- Chair and commentator for the session
- Also, note if you need A/V.


Please be advised that it is not always possible for PAHA to provide A/V equipment for all sessions due to the high mandatory rental fee from AHA. Most likely we will try to gather all presentations that require A/V equipment in one day. It is therefore important for the presenters to indicate their need for A/V when submitting their proposal.


All presenters are encouraged to consider submission of their papers for publication in PAHA's peer-reviewed journal, Polish American Studies:
http://polishamericanstudies.org/text/13/polish-american-studies.html.


The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2019. Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are now being accepted and should be submitted to Anna Muller at anmuller@umich.edu.

Remarks of PAHA's New President Anna Muller at 76th Annual Meeting in Chicago, January 2019

Prof. Anna Muller, University of Michigan, Dearborn, was elected to lead the organization and took over the helm at the PAHA Board Meeting in Chicago, on January 6, 2019.  In her role as First Vice President she was the Chair of the Program Committee of the 76th Annual Meeting of PAHA, held in Chicago on January 3-6, 2019. Her remarks are reproduced below.


OPENING REMARKS AT THE 76TH ANNUAL MEETING 
OF PAHA IN CHICAGO (1/3/2019)

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 76th annual Polish American Historical Association conference. This is a special one – the first one after our big 75th anniversary that we celebrated just five months ago, which was also in Chicago. So, here we are again – in beautiful and vibrant Chicago – a city that has a very special place in the heart of the Polish-American community. To many of us, Chicago feels like home – a place that resonates with important histories and memories for both Poles and Polish-Americans. So here we are again – making friends, thinking of new projects, drawing stimulating observations from history, and ultimately making history again. This is the first year of the next 75 years of PAHA’s life, hopefully as creative as the first 75 years. The theme for this year’s conference is “Loyalties.”

Yes, we mirror the AHA conference theme that defines loyalty as a form of human attachment that functions on multiple levels – social, political, group, and individual. I find this topic especially constructive for us – Polish American historians – because in our work, we continuously reflect on the intricacies and richness of individual and group identities, the various forms they take, the conflicts and negotiations they imply, and creative (and less creative) solutions the struggle around them provoke. I am convinced that personally and professionally, this theme has a special meaning for us and the ways we imagine or construct our own identities as well as the identities of the individuals or groups we study.
 
This year, like previous years, PAHA enjoys a significant interest from European scholars. We compiled in total 9 panels comprising twenty-nine presentations dealing with Polish and Polish-American history. Unfortunately, every year January is a challenging month to travel which means that some of the presenters had to cancel their participation, resulting in a few panels having only two presenters. However, I am pretty sure we can deal with the extra time by filling it with thought-provoking discussions.

So, let me wrap up by wishing us all interesting presentations, challenging questions, and stimulating discussions. I hope that by the end of Saturday we will feel personally and professionally enriched and satisfied. On Saturday night, we will close this year’s conference with an award’s banquet at the Chopin Theatre, a place that is very important for the local community and which I hope will welcome you with an exceptional and festive atmosphere appropriate for the end of two days of heavy work and the initiation of another calendar year of PAHA’s work.


CLOSING REMARKS AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY 
AT THE CHOPIN THEATRE IN CHICAGO (1/5/2019)

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Serving as PAHA President is a great honor and responsibility. Many of you may not know me, as I am a relatively recent addition to PAHA. I will be very honest and say that when I was asked to become the first v-ce president over two years ago, it did not quite occur to me that the 1st v-ce president most likely at some point would have to become president. It was too late to back out when I realized what is in store for me.

For the last couple of years, I have been learning from you: from the effortless elegance and effectiveness of Grażyna Kozaczka, from Ania’s unbeatable enthusiasm and energy. I cannot name everybody here, but Ania Jaroszyńska- Kirchman, Mary Erdman, Pien Versteegh, Jim Pula, Neal Pease, and of course Maja Trochimczyk were models of unmatched dedication to the Polish-American community, the organization, and to former leaders. But in addition to learning to respect your individual efforts, for the last years of being close to you, my appreciation was growing for your skills of working together – negotiating, coming up with new projects, finding means and times to accomplish your goals.

I kept learning that PAHA is much more than an organization – it is a group of friends, an intellectual and emotional community that is driven by a mutual respect and devotion to the past, but also a sense of civic duty that links the past with the present. Becoming the president for PAHA for the next two years, I cannot promise the deep knowledge of the organization that Ania and Grażyna have (and I know most of you have as well).

From this point of view, it seems that as long as I don’t ruin everything, the organization will be fine. It is strong and more importantly it has some seriously committed members. But to be serious, I appreciate your trust, feel very honored, and I hope to continue the path that Ania initiated – by making sure that the organization maintains a strong position in academic organizations and responds to the challenges of the 21st century, while building bridges between generations and continuously reflecting on who we are, how we are changing and where we are going.


I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your trust. I am honored to be granted the responsibility of running the PAHA for the next two years. I would like to say thank you to the previous PAHA board for their service and commitment. At the same time, I would like to welcome new PAHA board as well as thank you for your willingness to serve our organization. Ahead of us is another busy year full of work on various projects that we have initiated within the last couple of years. I am very grateful for your willingness to serve the organization and I am sure together we can achieve a lot. Thank you.

Anna Muller
President of Polish American Historical Association

Members of PAHA Board during the meeting in Chicago, January 2019

L to R, standing: James Pula, Robert Synakowski, Dominic Pacyga, Bozena Nowicka McLees, Neal Pease, and Anna Jaroszynska Kirchmann. Seated L to R: Maja Trochimczyk, Anna Mazurkiewicz, Pien Versteegh, Anna Muller.

PAHA Presents its 2018 Awards at the 76th Annual Meeting in Chicago, January 5, 2019

PAHA Buttons made by Valdosta State University students in Georgia

At its 76th Annual Meeting at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago Il. (January 3-6, 2019) the Polish American Historical Association announced the recipients of its Annual Awards for 2018. The Meeting also included many scholarly presentations in nine sessions on diverse aspects of Polonia’s culture, presented from historical, sociological, critical, and literary perspectives with a focus on immigration issues and the theme of “loyalties and communities.” The meeting was held in conjunction with the 131st annual Meeting of the American Historical Association. Dr. Anna Muller of the University of Michigan, Dearborn, PAHA's new President (for 2019-2020) presented the Awards at the Chopin Theatre, a Chicago landmark that celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

The Miecislaus Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans. The 2018 Award was presented to Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz of the University of Gdańsk, the first Poland-based president of PAHA and an outstanding scholar who advances the field and is recognized on both sides of the Atlantic by various prizes and prestigious fellowships.

Anna Mazurkiewicz

Her research is particularly significant for its comparative aspect that helps us better understand the complexities of the era and issues she studies. Her scholarly reputation will no doubt be enhanced by her forthcoming book East Central European Migrations During the Cold War: A Handbook. According to Ulf Brunnbauer from the Leipzig Institute for East and Southeast European Studies: “Eastern Europe is an emblematic space of mobility; also its Cold War history cannot be told without considering migration from and into the countries of the region; presently, migration is again one of the defining political and economic issues. This volume comes timely and provides a uniquely comprehensive account, full of useful information for further research. It will be a must-read both for migration studies scholars and for area specialists.” In the words of her colleague: she is an “exemplary scholar who is determined to hunt down the last archival scrap of paper for her project.” Additionally, this award recognizes her energetic leadership of PAHA, her generosity, and her unwavering commitment to bring together scholars from both sides of the Atlantic.

Dr Stephanie Kraft

The Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community. The 2018 Award was presented to Dr. Stephanie Kraft, a journalist who visited Poland for the first time 28 years ago and, after that visit, she decided to learn Polish. She is recognized as a translator of such novels as Emancypantki (Emancipated Women) by the 19th-century Polish novelist Boleslaw Prus, and Stone Tablets by Wojciech Zurkowski, and co-translated Marta by Eliza Orzeszkowa (2018). In one of her interviews, Stephanie Kraft said “I really want Polish literature to be better known… that’s really why I got involved in this.”

Prof. Neal Pease

The Joseph Swastek Award is given annually for the best article published during the previous year in a given volume of Polish American Studies, the journal of the Polish American Historical Association. This award, established in 1981, is named in honor of Rev. Joseph V. Swastek (1913-1977), the editor of Polish American Studies for many years, and a past president of PAHA. The PAS Editorial Board has decided to award the Swastek Prize to “Mighty Son of Poland: Stanislaus Zbyszko, Polish Americans, and Sport in the 20thCentury,” by Prof. Neal Pease, PAS, 74/1 (2017): 7-26. This well-written and well- organized study of professional wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko (Jan Stanislaw Cyganiewicz) makes a persuasive argument based on extensive use of primary resources.

Prof. James S. Pula

The James S. Pula Distinguished Service Award is given to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization. The 2018 Award was presented to Prof. Dorota Praszalowicz of Jagiellonian University in Poland, who has been contributing to the success of PAHA for a long time, including her role in securing Polish grants for PAHA’s 75th Anniversary Conference. The series of conferences titled American Ethnicity that she organizes every two years offers an outstanding opportunity for PAHA members to present their work, advance their expertise and knowledge, and connect with distinguished European scholars.

President Anna Muller

The Creative Arts Prize recognizes contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas. The 2018 Prize was presented to Ken Peplowski who, in the words of Russell Davies, is “arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist.” Born to the Polish parents in Cleveland, Ken grew up to the tunes of Polish music. In a 2013 interview, Ken Peplowski said: “When you grow up in Cleveland, Ohio, playing in a Polish polka band, you learn to think fast on your feet.”

The Skalny Civic Achievement Awards honor 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. The 2018 Skalny Awards recognize five outstanding individuals.

Stephen Kusmierczak

1. Stephen Kusmierczak made numerous contributions to the flourishing of Polish and Polish American culture: he serves on the Board of the Polish Museum of America and together with his wife Jamie actively invests time and funds for its advancement. Among the various charitable organizations and cultural institutions are the Gift of the Heart Foundation and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
 

2. Joseph A. Drobot Jr.’s devotion to the cause of sustaining Polish-American communities spans over 50 years. Born in Detroit, he serves a number of esteemed economic institutions in Michigan, including the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. He also serves as the Chairman of the Executive Board of The Polish Museum of America.

3. Edward Rajtar Edward Rajtar has been the Artistic Director, choreographer and dancer for the Dolina Polish Folk Dancers in the Twin Cities area, Minnesota, for the past 22 years; he also established dance groups for children and teenagers. He served on the board of directors of the the Polish Folk Dance Association of the Americas. In the 1980s and 90s, Rajtar served as president of the Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota (PACIM). Under his direction, PACIM represented the Polish community at the annual Festival of Nations in the Twin Cities and established a Polish Library.Since 2008, Edward Rajtar became one of the founding members of a tremendously popular Twin Cities Polish Festival, which for a few days in August gathers audiences of several thousand people from Minnesota and elsewhere in the Midwest to celebrate the Polish culture. Rajtar served as both co-chair and chair of the Festival, which is now in its tenth year.

Mary Lou Wyrobek

4. Mary Lou Wyrobek received the Award for her role in advancing knowledge and appreciation of Polish history and culture in the United States. There is not enough space to mention all the initiatives she has been involved in, Mary Lou Wyrobek arranged many concerts by local and internationally recognized Polish artists, coordinated movie festivals and exhibits, as well as various scholarly events. Since 2007, she has also served as the President of the Central Administration of the Polish Singers Alliance of America.

Anne Gurnack

5. Anne Gurnack has undertaken a number of efforts to mobilize both the Polish American community and to engage the Polish institutions to study, protect and promote Kaszub heritage in Milwaukee. She fostered cooperation between the Milwaukee Public Library and the Emigration Museum and contributed to the international cooperation between the Universities of Gdańsk and Wisconsin - Parkside. The hours of lobbying, perseverance and commitment extended to our students made this exchange a success.

Florence Vychytil-Baudoux and Weronika Grzebalska

The Graduate Student/Young Scholar Travel Grant to young and promising scholar in the humanities or social sciences. The winner receives a travel grant to present the paper at the PAHA Annual Meeting. This year PAHA recognized two young outstanding scholars: Weronika Grzebalska and Florence Vychytil-Baudoux.

Books from Ohio University Press's Polish and Polish American History Series were on display

Bozena Nowicka McLees receives books from Moonrise Press's Maja Trochimczyk

for Loyola University Chicago

Anna Muller, Neal Pease, Dominic Pacyga and Bozena Nowicka McLees.

NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The 76^th Annual Meeting also included the presentation of the new Board of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association, to serve in 2019-2020, under the newly elected President Dr. Anna Müller of University of Michigan at Dearborn. The Officers include: Dr. Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – First Vice President; Dr. Marta Cieslak, University of Arkansas – Little Rock, Second Vice President; Dr. James S. Pula of Purdue University – Treasurer; Dr. Maja Trochimczyk of Moonrise Press – Secretary and Communications Director; Dr. Pien Versteegh, The Netherlands – Executive Director; Dr. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann of Eastern Connecticut State University - Editor of Polish American Studies.  PAHA Council will also include Dr. John Bukowczyk, Wayne State University; Dr. Mieczysław B. B. Biskupski, Central Connecticut State University, Dr. Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University; Dr. Ewa Barczyk;  Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College; Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk, Dr. Hubert Izieniecki, Purdue University Northwest, and Dr. Kathleen Wróblewski, University of Michigan.

Winter in Chicago, January 5, 2019. Photo by Maja Trochimczyk

Call for Submissions - Stories about Polish American Experience Due July 1, 2017

Folk bird-whistlels from Krakow, Poland, photo by Maja Trochimczyk

In 2018, the Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) will celebrate its 75th anniversary. As part of the celebration, PAHA plans to publish an illustrated volume on the immigrant experience of Polish Americans, people who travelled across the Atlantic to establish a new life in North America.

Polish folk Dances - Krakowiak and Kujawiak by Zofia Stryjenska

Everyday objects play an especially important role in the life of any immigrant. They remind of significant moments and experiences, and testify to the various paths taken, and the aspects of heritage the immigrants want to pass on to the next generations.

Historical photo from the Polish Home in Rochester, NY

Such objects can tell a story of their past, emotional involvement, aesthetic preferences, ethical life choices, and leisure activities. They provide insight into the material culture, diverse ways of living, and pasts that they wish to either remember or forget. The materials objects carry both local and global dimensions; they can define us directly or indirectly through associations. Finally, the decision to keep certain objects not only speaks about our past life, but about us in the present as well.

Dance of the Krakusy Ensemble in Los Angeles in Lowicz costumes, 1980s

The Polish American Historical Association is announcing a wide, American search for material objects that speak about and to the Polish American experience, an experience of the life of an immigrant: its plurality and complexity, including fear and longing, joy and excitement, and the desire for and the fluid nature of stability. We are looking for photos and description of objects that traveled across the Atlantic along with their owners as symbols of lives and homes left behind as well as those acquired during the journey and after the arrival to the new place, as something that symbolizes individual activities and identity shaped here; for example, clothing, household items, toys, musical instruments, and various small or large self-made objects that tell a piece of a family’s history. We are especially interested in the history that a given object carries, its individual story, values, joys, and tribulations it symbolizes; and particular events or people from the past it commemorates.

Polish medal pinned to bread, photo by Maja Trochimczyk

Appreciating the importance and value that given objects play in personal life, we are NOT asking for objects themselves, but rather for a photo(s) (even a photo made with phone cameras) of a given object. The quality and setting of the photo is not relevant at the time of submission. Along with the photo itself, we are requesting a description of the object itself along with a family story for which the object is relevant. We especially appreciate objects and stories that underline the importance of the Polish American experience. The photos we receive will be submitted to a committee, which will select some to be included in the publication. If needed, we will organize a professional photo session of a given object.

Szopka krakowska (Nativity Scene) and bird-whistles, photo by Maja Trochimczyk

Please submit your photo(s) and short description of the chosen object, together with your names, address, and the best way to contact you to Anna Muller at anmuller@umich.edu or via mail to

Anna Muller
Department of Social Sciences
4901 Evergreen Road
Dearborn, MI 48128, USA

The deadline for submission is July 1, 2017.

St. Casimir Society in Rochester, NY - Photo from Society of Poles's Polish Home.