International Conference.
Beyond modernity. Transepochal perspectives on spaces, actors and structures
Basel, November 28-29, 2014
Basel Graduate School of History – <http://bgsh.geschichte.unibas.ch>
Institute of European Global Studies – <http://europa.unibas.ch>
In recent decades, gradually but constantly, several paradigm shifts have shaped international historiography. New approaches—such as discourse analysis or those invoked by the linguistic and spatial turns— have led to the rediscovery of historical subjectivity and praxeological perspectives. While cultural history has gained more and more strength, social history still seems to be stuck in a crisis. At the same time, postcolonial studies and the new global history have been eroding classical historical assumptions still related to Eurocentric perspectives. “Modernity”, the main historical narrative of the 20th century, has been at the center of critique in both fields. On the one hand, modernization theory depended on the structuralist approaches developed by social history and historical sociology. On the other, it suggested that Europe and the “West” anticipated and dominated world history. In many respects, the downfall of modernity represents a major achievement as it was an expression of problematic theoretical approaches as well as this Westernization discourse. However, its decline has favored another development that might result in a significant loss for historiography, i.e. the decline of long-term historical analyses, which constituted a main feature of modernity narratives. By looking at the interplay between historical change and historical spaces, this conference raises the question of whether transepochal perspectives can be rediscovered without adopting the normative assumptions that deeply affected the tale of modernity. By focusing on Europe, Asia and Africa, it looks at the consequences of long-term scales for global history.
The conference is organized within the context of the Annual Meeting of the Basel Graduate School of History (BGSH).
LOCATION
Department of History
Seminar Room 1
Hirschgässlein 21
CH - 4051 Basel
REGISTRATION
<http://bgsh.geschichte.unibas.ch/registration>
Your participation is welcomed. We would be pleased to receive your registration at the latest by November 15, 2014.
INFORMATION
roberto.sala@unibas.ch