Date: Friday 6 June 2014
Location: University of Amsterdam, Bungehuis 1.01

The idea of Europe is generally considered to be the typical product of a war-ridden twentieth century. If a European ideal is thought to have existed before the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1952, its roots are generally sought in the Interbellum. However, thoughts on Europe were also prevalent in Europe prior to 1914.

During this conference we will study the early modern tradition of European thinking between 1648 and 1815. Various questions will be addressed, such as: what forms does early modern Europeanism take? Is the theme of Europe important primarily in times of peace (as during the Peace of Westphalia, Ryswick, Utrecht, and Vienna), or does it continue to be prevalent in public opinion? How do concepts of Europe in literature, political writings, and international law interrelate? How do European visions relate to the emergence of an early modern ‘national’ consciousness? Does the past play a role in early modern Europeanism, and if so, which past? What is the relationship between protestant, catholic, and European thought and does the concept of Europe differ from the earlier concept of the ‘respublica christiana’? And finally: is there a development in the way Europe was perceived in the period between 1648 and 1815?

Programme

13.00-13.15 Lotte Jensen – Introduction
13.15-13.45 David Onnekink – Europe and Christendom in Early Modern Diplomatic Discourse
13.45-14.15 Lotte Jensen – Peace Celebrations and Europeanism, 1648-1748

14.15-14.45 Coffee break

14.45-15.15 Michael Wintle – Dutch Europeanism before 1815: the Case of Visual Culture in Engravings and Maps
15.15-15.45 Bart Verheijen – The Peace of Amiens of 1802. Shaping Europe after the Revolution?
15.45-16.15 Matthijs Lok – The Kantian Peace Tradition and the Reconstruction of Europe
16.15-16.45 Plenary Discussion & Concluding Remarks by Matthijs Lok

16.45-17.30 Drinks

Participation is free, but please register by sending an e-mail to Lotte Jensen (l.jensen@let.ru.nl) before 1 June.