CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF SLAVISTS

ASSOCIATION CANADIENNE des SLAVISTES



CAS International Relations Committee Report, 1996

This is my last report, after serving two five-year terms. If the reports this year appear somewhat "thinner", then I suspect that that may reflect the changes--and the difficulties--faced by our profession all over the globe, however different those changes and difficulties (and their causes) may be. Nonetheless, I insist that maintaining international links and official representation is important for CAS, perhaps even more important now than it was before and I strongly urge the continuation of this initiative in the coming years. Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those with whom I have served over the last ten years, and to impress upon the members of CAS that they have been superbly served by their representatives during this time.

ICS (International Committee of Slavists)

CAS representative: T.M.S. Priestly (1993-98 2nd term)
Next Congress: Poland 1998
TP adds to the reports that have appeared in the CAS Newsletter the following, less than comforting, news: "TP, CAS representative to MKS, consulted with Janusz Siatkowski, the current President of MKS, while in Warsaw last summer, and was given some hope that the Canadian quota would be increased. He sent in a formal application to this effect. At the Pres'ov meeting of the MKS Presidium, which TP could not attend, the Canadian quota was not increased; it therefore remains at 10 papers and 3 scripta. Also at Pres'ov, the innovations introduced at the 1994 Urbino meeting were dealt a blow which may turn out to be severe: the Russian representative, N.I. Tolstoy, affirmed that no Russian scholar would be allowed to participate in a panel ('blok'), but that Russia would stick 100% to the old system of individual paper proposals. Tolstoy found support, and similar decisions, from other representatives who had not been at Urbino. The number of panels ('bloky') at Krako'w in 1998 will likely not be more than 12. At that meeting, the systemic clash between the old system and the new one will be discussed in detail. It is the view of some representatives that any kind of 'panel' system and a quota system are totally incompatible. Since Russia, in particular, will not give up the quota system for the foreseeable future (otherwise, how would they be able to stop _thousands_ of Russian Slavists from applying, successfully perhaps, to participate?!), this is a vital argument. TP does not accept it as an inviolable truth; he hopes that some compromise can be worked out.

For procedures and deadlines with respect to submissions for the Krako'w Congress, see the CAS NEWSLETTER No. 8866 for Spring 1996, pages 13 - 14.

ICCSEES (International Council for Central and East European Studies)

CAS representatives: J. Douglas Clayton (1995-2000 2nd term)
Next Congress: 2000 Location: Tampere SF
JDC notes that there have been no planning meetings in the last year for Tampere, for which planning is continuing. Further information is available from the two ICCEES bulletins distributed with the CAS Newsletter.

MAPRYaL (Mezhdunarodnaia Assotsiatsiia Prepodavatelei Russkogo Yazyka i Literatury)

CAS representative:
Next Congress: ?
Attempts to contact MAPRYaL to clarify CAS status have proved unsuccessful to date. Our membership therefore continues in a "lapsed" state, although efforts should perhaps continue to establish contact. There are rumours of a MAPRYaL Congress in Britain this year (rumours having arrived via Baku, of all places!) If anyone has more details, please let me know.

MAU/IAUS (International Association for Ukrainian Studies)

CAS representative: John-Paul Himka (1995-98 1st term)
Next Congress: Kharkiv 1996
Communication is still sporadic. The third congress is still scheduled to take place in Kharkiv, Aug 26-29, 1996. However, participant registrations have gone unanswered and no confirmation or information about the congress has been received. Rumours abound that the congress will not take place for lack of government (of Ukraine) funding.

Nicholas G. Zekulin, Chair, IRC (1991-96, 2nd term)
May 23, 1996