The 1956 Hungarian Revolution 50 Years Later – Canadian and International Perspectives

Call for Papers

October 2006 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the 1956 revolution in Hungary and the arrival to Canada, a few months later, of nearly 40,000 Hungarian refugees. The Hungarian uprising--the world's first televised revolution--became a defining moment in the history of the Cold War and captured the interest of people throughout the world. New information has become available in the last fifteen years and additional primary source documents have surfaced since the 1996 conference, held in Budapest. In light of these developments, an international scholarly conference is being organized between October 12–14, 2006 by the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Canadian Studies, with the cooperation of the Hungarian Studies Association of Canada and the Canada–Hungary Educational Foundation. 

Proposals for conference papers and presentations relating to the scholarly examination of 1956 are welcome and should relate to one or more of the following broadly defined themes:

1. The 1956 revolution in Hungary in its historical, historiographical, and political contexts.

2. An examination of the international context of the revolution and its aftermath.

3. Canadian immigration and refugee policies in the 1950’s, the Canadian government�s response to the refugee crisis (comparisons to other countries), as well as the reception and integration process of the Hungarian arrivals.

4. Contributions to Canadian life and society and comparative studies of post 1956 refugee and immigrant movements to Canada.

 Please submit your proposal of 250 words, or less, and biographical information by February 20, 2006 in either English or French, the working languages of the Conference.  Paper proposals may be sent electronically, in the form of a word document, or by regular mail to the following address:

Attn: Pierre Anctil

Institute of Canadian Studies
University of Ottawa
52 University St.

Ottawa (Ontario)
K1N 6N5

Canada

e-mail: egervari@uottawa.ca