October 23-25, 2014

Organized by the Research College (KFG) "The Transformative Power of Europe", Freie Universität Berlin and Maastricht University

Deadline: March 5, 2014

Historical research on European integration often treats 1945 as a stunde null, heralding a new period in history. This conference, in contrast, zooms in on the various connections between practices and proposals on inter- and supranational governance between the interwar, wartime, and postwar periods. It assesses the (dis-)continuities at the levels of economic and legal expert knowledge, of concrete actors, and of institutions. It thus posits that policy-makers and advisors after 1945 did look back in order to go forward, and it decenters the European Community/Union as the sole forum of European cooperation in the postwar era. Examples that demonstrate the variety of links between these phases include the role of institutions such as the Bank of International Settlements and the decades-long legal debates on supranational governance.

 Contributions might either analyze a specific policy domain, a network of actors, or forms of economic, legal, and political expertise. In general, we focus on questions of governance, and not on intellectuals or general economic and political trends. Each paper must cover the period from the interwar to the postwar years and discuss (dis-)continuities explicitly (1918 to the 1950s or 1960s). We particularly welcome papers informed by theoretical/methodological discussions in related disciplines, e.g. political science.

This conference is part of the activities of the KFG “The Transformative Power of Europe,” directed by Prof. Thomas Risse and Prof. Tanja Börzel. The KFG examines the role of the EU and of European international organizations more broadly as promoters and recipients of ideas, analyzing the mechanisms and effects of international and external exchange processes. For the KFG, see http://www.polsoz.fu-berlin.de/en/v/transformeurope/. This conference, which rethinks the KFG’s agenda in light of longer historical lines, is organized by Prof. Kiran Klaus Patel (KFG/Maastricht University) in cooperation with Prof. Wolfram Kaiser (KFG/University of Portsmouth) and it will take place in Berlin.

 The deadline for paper proposals is 5 March 2014. Please send your proposal (short CV and an abstract in English, max. 500 words) to Kiran Patel at k.patel@maastrichtuniversity.nl. Successful applicants will be informed on March 20 or shortly after.  The KFG will cover accommodation and economy travel expenses for invited presenters.

 

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Kiran Klaus Patel
Maastricht University/FU Berlin
k.patel@maastrichtuniversity.nl