Highlighting the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation allows us to recollect a cultural, intellectual and political revolution that sprang from it. It is indisputable that the Reform gave rise to one of the most decisive events in European history and the world at large, having thoroughly influenced the theological, historical, mental and political perceptions of western culture.

Date: 12-13 October 2017

Convener: Foreign Language Department, ESE-IPB

Venue: School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança

Argument

Highlighting the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation allows us to recollect a cultural, intellectual and political revolution that sprang from it. It is indisputable that the Reform gave rise to one of the most decisive events in European history and the world at large, having thoroughly influenced the theological, historical, mental and political perceptions of western culture. The Reformation set of ideas had not only religious implications, but also political, social, cultural and linguistic, enveloped in a revolutionary tone, since the breadth of its consequences was overwhelming. As an example, we could mention the creation of the idea of a Protestant nation, both patriotic and, above all, Erastian (e.g. Great Britain). On the other hand, we witnessed a bipolarisation of the world, due to the Counter-Reformation led by Philip II in Spain, which was mainly Catholic and traditional, although the initial idea aimed at changing the Church.

Regarded as a precursor of the Enlightenment and democracy, Luther lay the foundations for the concept of responsible citizenship. Even though he was unable to discover modern freedom, he intensified the dialectic according to which freedom is acknowledged as an ambiguous process. Related to Humanism, he changed the view of Man, largely emphasising the individual’s freedom and responsibility, establishing new ground for social and political participation and making the government accountable for school education. Luther left a deep mark in society, having encouraged teaching, music, the arts and language with the translation of the Bible and thus promoting an intercultural dialogue in view of bringing cultures together.

This period must have been a Refolution, as Timothy Garton Ash states, the author of this neologism (Herspring, 1994), which consists of a process of political, social and economic changes that simultaneously combines elements of reform, or structural changes, and elements of revolution. Instead of completely destroying the former systems, the new political democratic systems are based on those, not only in their structure, but also personnel. Garton Ash intended to refer to Eastern Europe, namely Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Later on, the neologism was applied to the Arab Spring or Arab Uprisings (cf. Keane, 2011). This blending ends up being “a radical refusal to choose between revolution or reform”, words that might be particularly sensitive to certain cultures, owing to the violence that swept their national and local histories. The coined word aims at conveying the idea of deviation from the inherent violence of revolutions, since the Arab Spring distinguished itself for its refusal to reacting violently, a feature typical of the revolutionary logic. Other distinctive features lie in the attention placed on civility, or the strategic meaning of the construction and defence of the public power, which integrated various religious beliefs within the same space, among others.

The Lutheran Reformation, which started as a protest against the Catholic Church’s abuses, eventually had revolutionary implications in all walks of life and not only in the religious field. In line with the continuous defence of human freedom and the protection of fundamental human rights, these reform-like movements have the mission of renovating concepts, ideas and values that (challenge and) stand as the existing paradigms. From 1517 to 2017, the world has witnessed dramatic changes that shaped it from west to east. The succession of different paradigms throughout time resonates values and ideas in various places and times, whose power mobilises cultures and generates conquests and failures.

We then aim to unravel the changes that this idea of Refolution has promoted. As such, topics and themes of interest include, but are not restricted to, the following:

• Catholic Counter-Reformation: importance and meaning(s)
• Construction and defence of the public space: the rule of languages
• Construction of national identities: language and power
• Creation of national identities: language and power
• Emergence and decline of lingua franca throughout history (e.g. Latin)
• Expressions of repression and fear
• Lutheran Reformation: importance and meanings
• New literary and cultural perceptions: reform(s) and changes
• New paradigms of knowledge
• Printing as a propagandistic weapon of the Reform
• Refolutions and education (teaching of foreign languages)
• Refolutions and languages
• Refolutions, counter-refolutions and languages
• Reform and Counter-Reformation in the Tudor era
• Reform: amidst history, literature, myths and memories
• Refolution: exiles and diasporas
• The impact of refolutions in translation

Deadlines and other information

• 15th May: beginning of the submission of proposals for presentations, panels and round tables – abstracts up to 250 words

• 15th July: final deadline for submission of proposals

• 31st July: authors’ notification
• 30th September: submission of full articles for the double blind peer review process

The publication of the selected work will be done in the form of an online book, with ISBN

Only a maximum of 2 papers per author will be accepted, either individually or in group

Information through the e-mail: cile@ipb.pt

Webpage of the event: http://cile.ipb.pt/

Plataform for the submission of abstracts: http://conferencias.ese.ipb.pt/ (click on ‘Call for papers’; at the end of the page, you will find ‘Passo um do processo de submissão’; it requires registration)

Registration

(including coffee breaks):

• Early bird registration APEF members: 60€
• Registration for APEF members after 2nd September or at the Conference: 80€
• Early bird registration until 2nd September: 80€
• Registration after 2nd September or at the Conference: 100€
• Registration for IPB students: 20€

Organising Committee ESE-IPB

• Foreign Languages Department

Scientific Committee

• Alexia Dotras Bravo, School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal
• Ana Isabel Moniz, University of Madeira, Portugal
• Ana Maria Alves, School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal
• Camino Guitiérrez Lanza, Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, University of Léon, Spain
• Carla Gomes, Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies, Portugal
• Carlos Pasos Justo, Institute of Arts and Humanities, University of Minho, Portugal
• Cláudia Martins, School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal
• Diego Santos Sánchez, University of Alcala, Spain
• Dominique Faria, University of Açores, Portugal
• Dominique Guillemin, School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal
• Elisabete Silva, School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal
• Esther Torres-Simón, University of Rovira i Virgili, Spain
• Graça Bigotte Chorão, Accounting and Business School, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal
• Isabel Chumbo, School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal
• Manuel Moreira da Silva, Accounting and Business School, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal
• Margarida Coelho, School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, Portugal
• Margarida Morgado, School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Portugal
• María Carmen del Arau Ribeiro, Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Portugal
• Maria de Jesus Cabral, Faculty of Letters, University of Lisbon, Portugal
• Mark Daubney, School of Education and Social Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, Portugal
• Natasa Pavlovic, University of Zagreb, Croatia
• Zaida Vila Carneiro, University of La Rioja, Spain
• Supporting institutions: APEF & ReCLes.pt