1940 – THE FORGOTTEN WAR?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We regret to inform you that due to the ongoing state of the Covid-19 pandemic and continuing sanitary restrictions, and with a view to our collective security, the Conference Organising Committee has decided to cancel the scheduled Conference. From the very beginning behind the idea of the Conference was a personal meeting of scientists and researchers in Gdansk, at the headquarters of the Museum of WWII. The pandemic has made this impossible and, in the opinion of the Organising Committee, an online meeting would not meet the expectations of a conference of international scope and character. 

We are therefore strongly convinced that the conference should be held in a stationary arrangement, which forces us to postpone it until the pandemic situation has normalized.

We will announce the new date of the conference in a separate announcement.

Best regards and wishes of good health
Conference Organising Committee
 

 


 

CALL FOR PAPERS

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

1940 – THE FORGOTTEN WAR?

Due to the existing situation related to the Covid-19 epidemic and with our main concern for the safety of us all, the Organizing Committee of the Conference 1940 - Forgotten War? have reached a decision  to change the date of the conference.

The new date for the conference is 21-23 June 2021

The subject matter of the conference has been  extended to include developments related to the globalization of the conflict in 1941.

Venue: Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland

Submissions deadline: 15th April 2020

In 1940, the war that began in Europe in 1939 struck with all its terrible might. On the one hand, the year 1940 marks the first year of the occupation of Polish territories by the Third Reich and Soviet Union; on the other hand, in that very year both totalitarian regimes continue their territorial expansion, inciting war on many fronts with military operations spanning wide areas of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Hitler and Stalin consummate their bond forged in the collusion of August 1939, while more countries and nations – in the West and in the East, in the North and in the South – fall prey to the dictators. In the conquered countries, both aggressors resort to the reign of terror to accomplish their political and ideological objectives.

One important question arises, however, the question that is already embedded in the title of our conference: has the 1940 war not been forgotten, has it not been pushed into the shadow, especially in the light of the events that unravel in the following years with the  conflict spreading across the globe? This very question, albeit rather general, is to trigger a wider debate, we hope.
 

The proposed subject matter of the conference:

- military operations in 1940

- the role of Poles in the events of 1940 (military, diplomatic etc.)

- status of the occupied territories

- collaboration with the occupants

- occupation and its brutality (mass murder, persecutions)

- wartime diplomacy

 - wartime economy

- daily life during the war

- deportations and migrations

- the birth and development of resistance in Europe (leaders, forms)

The languages of the conference are Polish and  English (simultaneous translation will be provided). Post-conference printed materials will be supplied to all participants.

We wish to extend our invitation to all those wishing to deliver a lecture at a conference. If you wish to do so, please suggest a topic of your presentation followed by an abstract of max. 150 words, 5 key words and a biography of an Author, including his/her affiliation, contact details (e-mail address and a telephone contact number) followed by a concise description of the author’s scope of research.

The deadline for applications is 15th April 2020

Please send your application to the following e-mail address: 1940forgottenwar@muzeum1939.pl
 

Grants for scholars of Polish origin

The Director of the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk is funding grants for three scholars of Polish origin working outside of Poland (in the course of writing their doctoral theses or with PhD achieved not earlier than 3 years prior to the conference date). If you wish to take part in a conference and meet the above criteria you can apply for reimbursement of travel (economy class flight), food and accommodation costs to the conference’s Organizing Committee.

Your application should contain a brief bio note, description of the scope of your research, the date of PhD title achievement (if applicable), your scientific rank/title, an abstract of your suggested lecture, and an estimation of travel costs. The application should be submitted in Polish.

The submission deadline is 15th April 2020

Please send your application to the following e-mail address: 1940forgottenwar@muzeum1939.pl

For more info go to www.muzeum1939.pl