The Europaeum’s recent activities of 2019, news items, press releases and event reports, in chronological order (most recent first). Each year, the information on this page is archived as an Annual Summary and available as a pdf download.

23-25 April 2020

Spring School ‘Europe in the World – the World in Europe’ | Oxford

Deadline early December – CFA imminent

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March 2020

Policy Seminar on the Balkan completion | Zagreb

organised together with United Europe
Announcement imminent

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12-14 February 2020

Workshop ‘Chinese Investment in Europe’ | Mafra, Portugal

Deadline 5 December

More information and how to apply

In an era of increasing economic interdependence China is playing a growing role in the global economy, including in Europe, which presents both opportunities and challenges. This conference aims to analyse the different dimensions of an increasingly assertive Chinese presence in Europe from Economics to Politics and Geo-strategy.

The seminar invites 25-30 students and leading experts to reflect on China’s Belt and Road initiative, the ‘Made in China 2025’ plan, the China 17+1 initiative and Trade disputes between China, the US and Europe. We will also look at questions of technology competition and critical infrastructure investment.

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21-23 November 2019, Geneva

Special Conference ‘Europe in the age of Xi and Trump’

more information

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14-16 November 2019, Krakow

Europaeum Classics Colloquium ‘Sacrifice as Ritual‘

Sacrifice is a universal pattern of human behaviour, most important expression of any ancient religion, including Christianity. It seems to be an appropriate ground for comparative and interdisciplinary study for better understanding of ancient culture and its influence on modern theology, psychology, anthropology, art and literature.

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24-25 October 2019

Study trip to Brussels

This was a two-day trip to the core of the European Union institutional headquarters, consisting of a number of visits in various institutions related to the functioning of the European Union and Europe in general, organised in the framework of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree European Politics and Society. It comprised meetings in the official EU institutions such as the European Commission, the Council, European External Action Service or the European Parliament, but also took into account national representations as well as NGOs.

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8-14 July, Paris

Europaeum Summer School, at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

The Globalized Metropolis: Politics, Protestations and Participation in Modern Urban Spaces

The Europaeum (https://europaeum.org/) hosted a Summer School that took place in Paris from the 7th to the 13th July, bringing together 16 prestigious European universities.

The interdisciplinary summer school, entitled The Globalized Metropolis: Politics, Protestation and Participation in Modern Urban Spaces’, was organised by Maria Gravari-Barbas to address some of the great urban contemporary challenges. The summer school brought together a number of researchers and lecturer-researchers from Paris 1: Linda Boukhris (IREST), Nadine Cattan and Eric Denis (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and Nicolas Vaicbourdt (History)].  It also saw academics from other universities in the European network, including: Jan Wouters, (KU Leuven) ; Antoni Luna, (Pompeu Fabra University) ; and Jesus Léal, (Complutense University of Madrid). The sessions were moderated by the Director of The Europaeum, Hartmut Mayer. Around 30 masters and doctoral students, from a range of universities within the Europaeum network took part. Coming from Oxford, Bologna, Krakow, Leiden, Barcelona, St Andrews, KU Leuven, Madrid, Prague, Lisbon and Paris, the students came together for a week of lectures, discussions, debates, visits and workshops.

The week kicked off with a wide ranging historical and anthropological foray into tourism studies but also micro branding and architecture with Antonio Luna’s talk: “From the Barcelona Model, to the Barcelona Brand. Global Challenges and Local Struggle in contemporary Barcelona”. He summarises this into four main ideas: Catalan Identity and Tradition; Economic Development; History/Preservation of the past and International Projection. He spoke about how sometimes these things work against each other. For example, the needs of economic development sometimes go against the preservation of the past. One of the group questions was on the increasing of prices of housing in neighbourhoods close to tourist areas. Is driving locals out one of the big problems of Barcelona and how can we tackle that? Luna responded that one of the big failures of democratic governments is not contemplating this. It makes it expensive not only close to the tourist attractions, but all over the city. Houses are not affordable for anyone. It is really only in the last few years that it has finally been on the political agenda.

Next we moved to Maria Delaplace giving us an engaging and stimulating insight into the challenges and opportunities of hosting the Olympic Games in Paris. She spoke about the Olympic Games as a mega event which can be linked to a global urban project aiming to transform the city or the district. With the Olympic Games, of course there is innovation. But a key question that was raised was regarding Seine St Denis. It is the poorest place in Paris. One cannot just bring the Games there without helping those who live there. But, the risk of gentrification is perennially high. It can lead to displacement, and after that people who originally lived there cannot come back as the rent costs are higher.

A fascinating talk the following day was given by Linda Boukhris regarding the Black Paris project: “The production and reception of a counter-hegemonic tourism narrative in postcolonial Paris.” Based on a paper published in 2007 as part of a special project on tourism and violence, this project was intended to raise the issue of symbolic violence. However, it became more like a tourism project in itself. Black Paris offers an off the beaten track tour of Paris (not so much geographically, but more in terms of re-appropriating the major Parisian sights.) In moving away from the narrative beaten track, these places of power and culture and free speech are reanalysed, seeking out characters and stories that had become invisible. The discussion centred around how this could be a new way of looking at counter resistance, creating another narrative in the city that hasn’t been considered before. Another extremely interesting point was how the racism debate changes over time and in context with the people you’re talking to – can you even say Black Paris in certain groups? Ultimately, the Black Paris Project opens up a new space, transforming this image of Paris as a place made up of stripy shirts, red wine, the Champs-Élysées and white people!

Next was an excellent and interactive lecture from Jan Wouters on Cities and Global Governance. He spoke about the changing statistics: in 1950 751 million people lived in cities; now the figure is 4.2 million. Further, the UN expects 2/3 of the world population to live in cities by 2050. Using the example of The Peace of Westhphalia, founded on an organising principle of peace, Wouters spoke to the group about exclusive territorial jurisdiction, stating that peaceful coexistence was key. This links closely to making sure that there would be no traffic between hermetically close sovereignties. An interesting thought raised was that cities can drive change too, for example in Italy the first same sex marriage was celebrated in Rome and then the laws changed nationally.

We then moved on to “Understanding Spatial Segregation in European Cities, Barcelona and Madrid cases” by Jesus Léal. He shared some interesting and challenging thoughts: that segregation is not the opposite of integration. There are integrated and non-integrated segregated groups. Furthermore, he invited the group to think about the structuring principle: living in close proximity does not necessarily mean integration. It is not a natural or spontaneous process. The impact of economic social and political variables will always be felt, and there are various inequality indicators in globalised cities which must be considered: social class, occupation, socioeconomic status, and race or ethnicity.

Another engaging talk was from Valentina Montaldo: “Culture counts: An empirical approach to measure the cultural and creative vitality of European cities”. She spoke about culture, why it matters, how it matters and how it shapes European cities. It is indisputable that culture is now understood as a resource for development. But she invited the group to start at the beginning by asking exactly what is culture. This was the starting point for her work; needing to create and develop a framework through which to measure culture. She started with a review of existing works on the topic and went on to create an impressive methodological study on the relationship between culture and city performance.

In particular, the students appreciated that this summer school integrated lectures with on-site visits. The students would learn about something in the morning, and then experience it for themselves in the afternoon. After the first morning discussing gentrification, the students spent the afternoon on a walking tour of the Marais. This invited them to really consider the changing face of one of the most prestigious and historical areas of Paris, from its humble beginnings to what it is now – a truly gentrified neighbourhood, unaffordable for most. After the lectures on Black Paris, the students visited Château Rouge, a guided tour by the organisation ‘Migrantour’ (a play on Migrant Tour). This allowed the students to discuss ways of life, of culture and the lasting legacy that immigration leaves. After the morning learning about the Barcelona model and the challenges and opportunities of hosting the Olympic Games, the students visited the urban development zone (ZAC) on the Left Bank. This enabled a discovery of one of the most important construction projects in Paris, which was then further enhanced by a visit to ‘Grands Voisins’. This is a project which began its life in an old Parisian hospital, and is currently in the midst of being transformed into a residential area. As it started as a temporary project, this called for the students to familiarise themselves with exactly how transitional urban planning operates.  Learning about World Museums and the new “star-architectural” cultural landscape in Paris was followed by a visit to the Louis Vuitton Foundation. This in itself is an astounding architectural feat, and invited students to discuss the purpose of these major “starchitecture” projects.

The week drew to a close with student presentations where the students worked together in groups to reflect upon the events of the week and share their comparative perspectives of modern cities. They presented in groups on four cross-cutting themes in front of their peers on Friday, July 12, before the closing of the Summer School.

Students were extremely grateful for the experience, one stating: “I would like to say thank you so much for organising such an interesting and thought-provoking summer school in Paris last week. I really enjoyed it and everyone I spoke to agreed that it was such a fulfilling experience. Thank you.” The combination of lectures and discussions, with visits informed by the nature of the academic discussion was unique, bringing academia to life in a particularly resonant way.

 

Written by Ms. Catherine White, Programme Officer, The Europaeum. July, 2019.

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24-26 June, Estoril, near Lisbon

Estoril, International Graduate Debate

‘The Transatlantic Alliance’

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SEMINAR for students on the MA European History & Civilisation
Also open to any member of the University of Oxford

‘European Empires’
Tuesdays, 10am, Gerry Martin Room, History Faculty, George Street

30 April   Dr Alex Middleton, Foreign Despotism & the Victorian Constitution

7 May   Dr Elizabeth Baigent, Seeing the Land, Drawing the Map, Making the Territory: Sweden in its Stormaktstid

14 May   Dr Peter Brooke, Ends of Empires

21 May   No Seminar

28 May  Professor Giuseppe Marcocci, Can We Speak of an Iberian Global Empire?

4 June  Dr Catherine Holmes, Approaches to the Byzantine Empire in the Age of Global History

11 June  Professor Mike Broers, The First Napoleonic Empire between: Model and Myth

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NEWS | April 2019

JOB OPPORTUNITY

The Europaeum announced a vacancy for a part-time Programme Officer, starting on 1st June (for 7, or perhaps 10 months). Deadline 15 May  more info

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30 May
Workshop ‘Trade unions, democracy and political power in France, the UK and Europe’, Oxford

Co-hosted by the Maison Francaise d’Oxford, and the European Studies Centre (Oxford), supported by the Europaeum network.

This workshop considered the nature of trade unionism, industrial democracy and trade union power in the UK, France and Europe. Special interest was shown for papers relating to trade unionism in France, President Emmanuel Macron’s ongoing and proposed labour reforms, and the rise of the ‘gilets jaunes’ (yellow vest) movement since November 2018.

Convenor: Dr Barry Colfer (Deakin Visiting Fellow, St Antony’s College, Oxford)

Participants included: Paul Nowak (Deputy Secretary General, British Trades Union Congress), Richard Hyman (London School of Economics and Political Science), and Esther Lynch (Confederal Scretary, European Trade Union Confederation), as well as several other contributors from Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy and the UK.

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CALL FOR PAPERS/APPLICATIONS – NOW CLOSED

2-4 May
Spring School, Oxford

NEGOTIATION, PEACE & PEACE-MAKING

‘The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war’ (Desiderius Erasmus). Half a millennium after Erasmus’s famous declaration, 2019 reminds us of the need for effective negotiations. Marking the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Versailles, one of the most contentious and consequential peace agreements of the modern world, 2019 witnesses the ongoing negotiations surrounding Britain’s exit from the European Union. This Spring School brought together postgraduate researchers in Humanities and Social Sciences subjects to explore themes related to peace, peace-making, and negotiation in diachronic and multidisciplinary perspective. Studies of diplomacy and negotiation are increasingly emphasising the role of non-state actors in international affairs, the importance of soft, as well as hard power in inter-state and intercultural relations, and the need to understand the dynamics of peace, as well as those of war. Meanwhile the role of negotiation and peace within communities remains a vibrant area of scholarship. 

Plenary

Professor Sir Adam Roberts (Oxford) | The Peace to End Peace Dr Andrew Graham (Oxford), Dr Tracey Sowerby (Oxford) – Chairs

Plenary

Kate Jones (Oxford) | The Role of Law in Diplomacy
Dr Hartmut Mayer (Oxford), Chair

Plenary

Dr Liane Saunders (Foreign & Commonwealth Office): Diplomacy in the 21st Century – Comparisons & Contrasts with Diplomacy at the Ottoman Court in the 16th and 17th Centuries: A Practitioner’s View

Dr Tracey Sowerby (Oxford), Chair

Plenary

Professor Adrian Gregory (Oxford) | The Peace of Versailles

Dr Tracey Sowerby (Oxford), Chair

Panel | Ethnography, Violence & Peace

Dr Maxine David (Leiden) | The Power to Give Voice: Ethnography in Relation to Conflict

Fidelia-Danielle Renne (Oxford) | Communal Negotiations of War Crime Accountability: A Qualitative Case Study of the Mediums Utilized by Lebanese Citizens to Process Past Violence in Present ‘Peace’

Dr Barry Colfer (Oxford, Chair)

Panel | Soft Power & its Limits

Dr Tracey Sowerby (Oxford)| Soft Power & Early Modern Diplomatic Languages

Javanshir Bayramov (Bologna) | The Negative Role of Soft Power within the Armenian-Azerbeijani Conflict Negotiations
Dr Glyn Redworth (Oxford, Chair)

Panel | Gender & Negotiations

Dr Ruggiero Sciuto (Oxford) | The Correspondence(s) of Count and Countess Lorenzi and the Limits of an Ambassadress’ Autonomy

Juan Gutiérrez Ruiz (Madrid) | The Hispano-American Folklore Festivals of Cáceres (1958-1970): Hispanidad, Race & Gender in the Representation of the Festival Queen

Dr Tracey Sowerby (Oxford), Chair

Panel | Spaces of Negotiation & Defining Peace

Konstantin Wertelecki (St Andrews) | Bombs & Gardens: A Spatial Examination of ‘Peace’ in Interwar ‘British’ Florence

Massimo Gordini (Bologna) | Sant’Egidio in Central Africa: Religious Communities as Peacebuilders
Dr Maxine David (Leiden), Chair

Panel | Resources & Negotiations

Stewart Murphy (Oxford) | Overlooked & Overruled: The Agency of Colonial Actors in Shaping Britain’s Treaty of Ghent
Benedetta Cabitza (Bologna) | The Role of Geopolitics & Engery Dependence on the EU and its Peace Process
Eliška Černovská (Prague), Chair

Panel | Negotiating Communities

Jordan Brown (St Andrews) | The Normalcy of Militancy: Reframing the UWC and UCS in an Era of Radical Activism

Eliška Černovská (Prague) | Water for Security & Peace

Dr Maxine David (Leiden), Chair

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NEWS | March 2019

NEW MEMBERS: We are very excited to be able to announce that Freie Universität Berlin and KU Leuven have joined the Europaeum network. We are looking forward to working with our new colleagues and welcoming their students at our events.

See Press Release

See announcement on KU Leuven site

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NEWS | March 2019

TWO NEW TRUSTEES: We are honoured that two new members have joined our Board of Trustees:

Baroness (Margaret) Jay of Paddington is a Privy Councillor and a member of the British Labour Party. She was appointed a peer in 1992 and from 1998 to 2001was the Leader of the House of Lords. This included overseeing the major reform of the House of Lords.

In her earlier career she was BBC television producer and presenter. She has a strong interest in health issues, notably as a campaigner on HIV and AIDS. She was a director of the National Aids Trust in 1987 and is also a patron of Help the Aged.

Since 2001, she has continued to play an active role in politics, including chairing the Select Committee on the Constitution. Among numerous non-executive roles she has held include being a Director of BT Group.

Professor Sally Mapstone is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, the second woman in succession to hold this role.  She is a board member of Universities UK, a trustee of UCAS and a member of the advisory board of the Higher Education Policy Institute. She leads on widening access work for Universities Scotland. She is chair of the international advisory board for the University of Helsinki. In 2017 she received the Foreign Policy Association of America medal for services to higher education.  As an academic Sally is a medievalist, with expertise in the area of medieval and Renaissance Scottish literature. She is President of the Saltire Society, which champions Scottish culture.

See Press Release