New York has been a much contested place in American history and culture. As the most important immigrant doorway to America it has always had a greater share of cultural plurality than any other city on the Eastern Seaboard. New York was understood as a social testing ground for the American melting pot as well as a social laboratory for diversity. It consisted of ethnic conclaves as well as cosmopolitan sections, its density of population necessarily brought people of different social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds together, fostering cooperation as well as antagonism, integration as well as sectionalism (ghettoization). Its architecture has been incorporated into the national iconography and popular culture. Its culture has thrived on modernity, yet as each fast-changing place it contains the discarded archaic traces of its past, often in sharp spatial and ideological juxtaposition to one another (New York as Gotham).
New York has become America's most visible representation. As a media capitol it can spread its influence into remote corners of the world.

Our objectives:
The colloquium is conceived as an interdisciplinary enterprise. We welcome papers from history, politics, literature, film, fine arts, sociology, and media studies.
We want to study the diversity of New York from various perspectives and in various contexts. We want to examine the forms and models of democratic plurality in New York.
Related to these issues are larger questions such as:
- How fitting are the New York models for other parts of America or Europe? Are such forms and models translatable to different social and cultural contexts?
- How much plurality can America contain without losing its social, political and cultural integrity and collective identity? What are the assets and the hazards of multiculturalism?

Location
It is held in a highly attractive, historical place with a well-preserved Renaissance and Baroque historical centre, second largest to Prague, in the Czech Republic. Palacky University is situated in the center of the old town. It is easily accessible by express trains from Prague (ca 3 hours).

Organizers:
It is organized by the Czech and Slovak Association for American Studies and by the Department of English and American Studies at Palacky University in Olomouc in cooperation with the Embassy of the U.S.A. in Prague.

The format:
The format of the Colloquium gives space to one longer plenary paper in the morning (60 minutes) and two or three shorter presentations in the afternoon (30-45 minutes), followed with discussion sessions. The lecturers are encouraged to take a wider and more general perspective in order to address a larger audience, consisting of university teachers of American Studies, American Literature, or English language, and postgraduate and graduate students. The evening program consists of films, concerts, poetry readings, city tours, and other activities.
A selection of revised papers presented at the conference will be included in a volume, to be edited by the Colloquium organizers and published by the Palacky University. The lectures are from Monday to Thursday.

Application
For application click here and send the filled out form by e-mail to colloquium@centrum.cz or via regular mail to Mgr. Robert Hysek, Department of English and American Studies, Krizkovskeho 8, 771 80 Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Registration fee
- 25 Euro for early registration (before June 30)
- 30 Euro for late registration
It is advisable to ask the aid of the American embassy in your countries.

Accommodation
In nice student hostels, near the center of the town.
- single - ca 9 Euro/1 night
- double - ca 5 Euro/1 night

For further information please contact the program coordinator Robert Hysek at colloquium@centrum.cz

Further information will be updated on this website.
You may also contact the program coordinator Robert Hysek at: colloquium@centrum.cz