This workshop will examine different forms of historical internationalism and transnational co-operation in the field of agriculture, food, environment and health between 1880 and 1960 with a special focus on European-Asian relations. Historians have in recent years devoted much research to the analysis of social movements and networks as well as to the cultural and spatial configurations that transcend state boundaries. Comparatively little attention has been paid so far to the history of international and transnational interconnections in the context of agriculture, food, environment and health. With increasing urbanisation, worldwide growth of population and the globalisation of food chains, these questions gained in importance and became central to international organisation. A web of interconnections between “the West” and Asia emerged, due not only to colonial interdependencies but also to the increasing participation of Asian actors in border-transcending regulation. The purpose of the workshop is to promote the work of young scholars in these fields and to establish meaningful concepts for the analysis of these processes. Arguing that issues of agriculture, food, environment and health were interlinked and posed a particular challenge to notions of national sovereignty, the workshop aims to explore the vitality of formal and informal co-operation in a global context. Through a range of explorative papers, the workshop intends to offer a critical assessment of the collaboration between European and non-European actors thereby challenging conventional presentations of transnational co-operation as either a consistently progressive force or one that was shaped solely by Western hegemony.

Participants
All in all, there will be about 10-12 papers by doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. The workshop aims at providing an opportunity for in-depth discussion on specialised topics, and foster academic exchanges between scholars of complementary regional and periodical specialisations and institutional backgrounds.
An established academic will be invited to introduce the topic. The event will conclude with a panel discussion (title t.b.c.).

Financial Support
Financial support will be offered to selected participants to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

Paper Proposals
Proposals of between 150 to 200 words including the paper's title and the author's name, affiliation, and contact information should be sent to
amalia.ribi@history.ox.ac.uk
and
Cornelia.Knab@urz.uni-heidelberg.de by 27 March 2009.