Call for Papers – Western Jewish Studies Association Conference In Cooperation With The Jewish Studies of Arizona State University

Tempe Arizona

May 5-6, 2024

Call for paper and panel proposals in all areas of Jewish Studies regardless of discipline, geographical focus, or period. The WJSA always devotes some panels to Jews in the American West, pedagogical aspects in Jewish Studies, and contemporary Jewish issues. Panels devoted to major anniversaries of events in Jewish history or birthdays and Yahrzeits of important Jewish individuals in 2024 are welcome such as:

30th Anniversary of the AMIA Bombing       

75th Anniversary of Israel Being Admitted to the United Nations             

100th Yahrzeit of the Death of Franz Kafka                                                                                   

100th Anniversary of Passage of Restrictive Immigration Act (Johnson-Reed Act)

150th Yahrzeit of Abraham Geiger

175th Anniversary of Birth of Emma Lazarus  

Faculty, graduate students, and independent scholars of Jewish Studies are invited to submit proposals for papers, panels, and roundtable discussion. Paper proposals should be no longer than one double-spaced typed page and should be submitted with a short CV that contains contact information. Organizers of panels and roundtable discussions should submit a cover sheet with the title of the session, the titles and abstracts for each paper and bios and contact information of the participants. Individuals wishing to chair a session should indicate their area of expertise and submit a short CV.  A few partial travel stipends are available for graduate students and overseas scholars presenting at the conference.

The conference will be primarily in-person, though there will be one entirely virtual panel in each morning time slot reserved for overseas presenters. 

The WJSA bestows the Baron Award for the best graduate student paper presented at the conference. The winner receives $200.    

Although there is no WSJA membership requirement for participation in the conference, a higher registration fee is charged for non-members. Deadline for submission of proposals is January 6, 2024.