CFP "National identification from below"
Europe from the late 18th century to the end of the First World War

International Conference Ghent (Belgium), 7-8 March 2008

CFP deadline 15 July 2007

The last three decades, the discourse, myths, symbols and rites of the most diverse nations and national(ist) movements, have been amply studied. Much of this research, however, is informed by a limited conception of the constructivist paradigm, interpreting national identity as a middle and upper class concern brought to the masses through a whole range of nationalising media (schools, army, press, monarchy, church, etc.) overemphasizing the idea of elite construction ex nihilo (as if dominant groups can randomly choose which myth they want to 'feed' to the masses). This conference wants to study not only the production of national discourse, but also its appropriation by 'ordinary people' and the masses' creativity in forging new national symbols from below. The temporal framework of the conference is the late 18th century to the end of the First World War, the geographic limit is Europe. The intended audience includes historians, political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, ethnographers, ... Publication of the proceedings is planned.

More specifically, this conference is concerned with the following themes.

1. Describing national identification processes of ordinary people. Were non-elite national feelings politicised into a concrete programme or did they remain rather vague? Were they linked to social, economic, cultural and/or political demands? To what extent did they adopt elite definitions of the nation (the question of appropriation and Alf Lüdtke's concept of Eigen-Sinn)? Was it a case of identity construction against the upper classes, inverting elite notions (e.g. self-mockery, ironic versions of the national anthem)?

2. Explaining which variables account for diachronic or spatial divergences in national identification within the lower classes and for synchronic differences between lower, middle and upper class strata. In this context the comparative framework of Miroslav Hroch and especially his phase C (the massification of the national movement) may be revalued.

3. Taking stock of the transnational context. There are very few studies about transfers and transnational influences in popular nationalism. How did popular national symbols, rituals and practices circulate from one country to another? How were they absorbed and transformed by the specific political/social contexts in which they were transferred? What influence did the colonial experiences of the different societies have on popular nationalism?

All of these themes can be dealt with in two types of papers:

1) individual case studies; e.g. based on well-preserved sources of a particular worker, pauper, peasant, ..., based on letters by a group of ordinary people from a particular town, province, ...

2) survey papers within or across European countries (other than Great Britain, Germany, France, the Low Countries, Spain and Imperial Austria)

Programme committee

Heinz-Gerhard Haupt (European University Institute)
Martyn Lyons (University of New South Wales)
Gérard Noiriel (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en sciences sociales)
Anthony D. Smith (London School of Economics), honorary member
Niek Van Sas (University of Amsterdam)
Jakob Vogel (Centre Marc Bloch. Deutsch-französisches Zentrum für Sozialwissenschaften)

Key-note speakers

John Breuilly (London School of Economics)
Heinz-Gerhard Haupt (European University Institute)
Martyn Lyons (University of New South Wales)
Ilaria Porciani (University of Bologna)

Plenary speakers

Jean-François Chanet (Université Lille III)
Laurence Cole (University of Norwich)
Margot Finn (Warwick University)
Andrew Thompson (University of Leeds)
Miguel Cabo Villaverde (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela)
Oliver Zimmer (University of Oxford)

Organising committee

This conference is organised by the Department of Modern and Contemporary history at Ghent University and the Department of history at Antwerp University, in collaboration with the ADVN - Archival and documentation center of Flemish nationalism. 

Marnix Beyen (Antwerp University)
Luc Boeva (ADVN)
Thomas Buerman (Ghent University)
Bruno De Wever (Ghent University)
Maarten Van Ginderachter (Ghent University), conference convenor

Please submit a title, a 500 word abstract and a short CV to frombelow@ugent.be before 15 July 2007. For more information on the CFP visit our website http://www.frombelow.ugent.be