Call for Papers – Towards A Brave New World: Rebuilding Europe after Napoleon 1815-1853

International Virtual Conference

8-9 April 2022

In 1815, with Napoleon finally defeated, Europe craved peace and stability after three decades of unprecedented revolutionary upheavals and warfare. Yet the threat of revolutionary terror still loomed large in the minds of European political leaders. Citizens, statesmen and sovereigns alike were deeply traumatized. To overcome the shock and horror of the past two decades, and to confront these new challenges, a coalition of the victorious European states launched an unprecedented international security cooperation system designed to mitigate the threat of war and terror, to maintain peace and stability, and to foster economic recovery in Europe.

The aim of this virtual conference is to build on recent historiographical work and explore how the European Powers in the years immediately after end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 (up until the Crimean War) transformed the norms of interstate relations, developed a new system of collective security and laid the foundation for transnational police networks. The theme of post-Napoleonic reconstruction and reform as a transnational, trans-imperial project has been addressed in recent years. But much more can be unearthed and analyzed in a multidisciplinary approach of history, politics, culture, intellectual thought, sociology, strategy, security studies, study of emotions, etc. This conference therefore invites contributions ranging from the field of military security, defense works (fortresses), public governance, police and security studies (security agencies) to new concepts of governmentality and sociability, on economic and financial history (indemnities and reparations), including contributions on the more emotional, imaginative dimensions of the post-1815 reconstructions, regarding ‘the public spirit’, the aspect of fake news, the necessity to deal with trauma, and feelings of revenge or fear for terror.

The conference will be held virtually, on the Zoom platform, by Louisiana State University-Shreveport and University of Utrecht. It will be free and open to the registered participants.

Call for Papers

If you are interested or your current research is on the subject or relevant to the post-Napoleonic history and security studies, and has a transnational/trans imperial and/or comparative aspect, we invite you to submit a paper proposal for the upcoming international post-1815 conference in 8-9 April 2022.

Keynotes

Keynotes will be given by, amongst others: prof.dr. Glenda Sluga (University of Sydney/European Institute Florence), prof.dr. Elise Wirtschafter (California State Polytechnic University), dr. Evangelos (Aggelis) Zarokostas (University of Bristol).

Proposals

Please send your abstract or panel proposals to securityhistorynetwork@uu.nl including the following information:

• Paper title
• Name and affiliation
• Contact details (email)
• Abstract of 150-200 words
• Biography of 80 words highlighting teaching and research interests and publications (3-4 title and year only).

Proposals for panels of two or three papers must include the above information for all papers and a brief description of the panel itself of 100 words.

Key dates

• Proposal deadline: 15 January 2022
• Notification: 1 February 2022

Conference Committee

Beatrice de Graaf
University of Utrecht
B.A.deGraaf@uu.nl

Alexander Mikaberidze
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
alexander.mikaberidze@lsus.edu