In association with the ‘Networks and Actors’ project.
This conference aims to offer a forum for the discussion of British attitudes towards Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries across a broad spectrum of sub-disciplines and redress the imbalance of scholarly analysis of Britain’s relationship with Europe. The majority of literature on Britain and Europe focuses on the post-1945 period, or in some cases the 20th century such as Peter Stirk’s A History of European Integration Since 1914, but very rarely is a longer historical perspective offered. This is a critical oversight in the historiography on Britain’s relationship with Europe, as the 19th century witnessed a significant increase in British interaction with the Continent in a variety of media, and was crucial in the framing of cultural preconceptions and political developments which still endure today.
On 23rd June 2016 the British people will vote to decide whether or not the UK should remain part of the European Union. This vote has brought to the fore questions regarding British identity and its place, culturally as well as politically, within the Continent, initiating a debate which has been characterised by competing visions of what ‘Europe’ is to Britain, as a threat or a friend. It is the aim of this conference to contribute towards this national debate which has been reignited and offer a historical perspective on the results of the referendum and their implications for Britain’s future relationship with Europe in the form of a plenary session. As such, this conference will be a crucial platform for public engagement on the most important political issue of the year and will provide an opportunity to further explore the complexity of British attitudes towards Europe.
Keynote: Dr. Robert Saunders, QMUL
Plenary Session Panel Chair: Dr. James Ellison, QMUL
Plenary Session Panel: Prof. Gaynor Johnson (Kent); Prof. John Keiger (Cambridge); Dr. Mark Lawrence (Kent) and Dr. Robert Saunders (QMUL)
Location: University of Kent, Canterbury
Dates: 4th-5th November 2016
Please send abstracts of c.300 words and a short biography to Adam Rolewicz (a.x.rolewicz@kent.ac.uk) and Peter Keeling (p.m.keeling@kent.ac.uk) by 29th July 2016.
For further details please see the poster below: