CfP Workshop “Nationalism in a Transnational Age”, Nord University, Bodø, Norway, November 25- 26, 2019
Since the early 2000s there is undoubtedly an increase in nationalism in various forms in Europe as well as in other parts of the world. Transnational cooperations since 1989 based on the ideas and values of politicial equality and (Western) democracy as well as the idea of an unified Europe are seeminlgy declining. It is not any longer appealing to all governments and a good amount of people, who fear the impact of globalization and the loss of national rights within lager political entities. To name just one example, beyond the criticism of what is perceived as the overstretching bureaucracy in Brussels, the idea of Europe without borders seems to be threatening to many people not just in Eastern Europe. In our days the call for the national cause is also a response to the challenges and fears of an ever more globalizing world, in which migration is a more and more important factor. The non-existence of borders is supposedly an idea articulated by the elites who in the eyes of critics are the only ones benefitting from a global world. Closely attached to this notion is an increasing populist movement, whose intent is to discredit not just the political elites but also the media, by using fear and nationalist language as tools to create attention. How nationalism as a global phenomenon works and has worked in the transnational age since the early 1990s is a question we are particularly interested in.
A workshop shall reflect on the complex dynamic of “Nationalism in a Transnational Age” when addressing a variety of questions dealing with different regions in Europe and beyond such as:
– How can we define and differentiate between forms of contemporary right-wing (and left-wing)nationalism in Europe and beyond?
– How does populism relate to contemporary nationalism?
– How are questions of gender (equality) challenged by nationalists and why?
– Why and how is the failure/crisis of democracy successfully challenged by autocrats (Hungary, Russia, Turkey, etc.)?
– Which role plays migration in a global society for the re-emergence of nationalism?
– The future place of Jewish communities and Holocaust Commemoration in an increasingly nationalist Europe?
– The re-awaking of concepts of nationalism in a “Christian Europe”?
– Which role plays Muslim nationalism in a transnational context?
– Which nationalist semiotics can be identified within autocratic systems?
– What are the local consequences of a growing nationalism in the 21st century?
– What is the future of nationalism as a theoretical concept and a political reality?
In bringing together junior and established scholars, the two-day workshop aims to provide the setting for in- depth discussion on the place and multifaceted meanings of nationalism in a transnational age. The organizers invite proposals for 20-minute papers that engage with these and related themes. Abstracts should be no more than 200 words and be submitted alongside a brief biography (including professional affiliation and contact details) by April 1, 2019 to the e-mail addresses below.
Successful candidates will be notified by April 30, 2019. For further enquiries please contact:
Prof. Frank Jacob, Nord University (frank.jacob@nord.no)
Prof. Carsten Schapkow, University of Oklahoma (cschapkow@ou.edu)