[ Call for Papers | Applications ]

Established after a nation-wide competition, the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies, with offices in both Montréal and Toronto, is a cooperative initiative of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Université de Montréal, and York University.
They actually published a Call for papers, concerning a conference on Critical Activity and Ideologies: Intellectual Trajectories in 20th century Germany and Central Europe at the beginning of September 2005.
The aim of the workshop is to gather researchers from various social science disciplines who are interested in intellectuals' critical activities in relation to ideological production in 20th century Europe. Intellectuals have historical, sociological and ideological characteristics that are still not clearly defined. Though it is difficult to define who is an "intellectual," it is nevertheless possible to isolate one characteristic common to all intellectuals: critical activity. This critical activity, which takes such forms as writing and political action, and discourse, can either sustain or counter dominant discourses. Intellectuals are often "producers" or "dissidents" and "demystifiers" of ideology. Twentieth century Europe, far from being a homogeneous cultural space, was the site of multiple conflicts between opposing ideologies which contributed to a diversity of intellectual traditions. The presence of such diversity demonstrates how critical activity was able to create, model, and reconfigure the field of intellectual stances. But it also informs us about 'intellectuals' ambivalent attitude toward ideologies: they can sometimes be attracted and blinded by the power of ideology or sometimes driven by the perception of ideology's impotence, but always remain animated by a need to investigate them, define them or denounce them.

The selected papers will address critical activity during crisis situations at historical junctures such as the two world wars, the rise of Fascism, the events of May 68, the fall of Communism after 1989, and September 11, 2001 in Central Europe, particularly Germany. The main objective is to explore the response of intellectuals to ideologies with empirical evidence (centered either on the study of intellectuals' biographical information or the study of groups of intellectuals engaged in a critical reaction to ideologies. In addition, the papers will illustrate how intellectuals operate in the sphere of critical activity during times of ideological reconfiguration that mark, in a way or another, their own cultural space in the context of these periods of historical rupture.

The conference will take place September 1st and 2nd 2005 at the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies (University of Montreal).
Abstracts (300 words) are to be sent before March 15th 2005 to: kavin.hebert@umontreal.ca.

Further Information via:

Anita Szucsko, Program and
Administrative Assistant
The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies
230 York Lanes, 4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3
Tel. 416-736-5695
Fax. 416-736-5696