Understanding Brexit. Britain and Europe in the Twentieth Century

/ Termine

Understanding Brexit. Britain and Europe in the Twentieth Century

Veranstalter
German Historical Institute London (GHIL): Andreas Gestrich / Michael Schaich; Institut für Zeitgeschichte München-Berlin (IfZ): Andreas Wirsching / Martina Steber
Veranstaltungsort
Institut für Zeitgeschichte München-Berlin, Leonrodstraße 46 b, 80636 München
Ort
München
Land
Deutschland
Vom - Bis
19.04.2018 - 20.04.2018
Deadline
06.04.2018
Website
https://www.ghil.ac.uk/understanding_brexit.html
Von
Malte Müller

The outcome of the Brexit referendum sent shockwaves through continental Europe and also through parts of the UK. While some believe that the end of British EU membership will lead the UK into economic and social decline, others rejoice in national independence and predict a shining future for Britain in the world. However that may be, the Brexit decision underlines Britain’s rejection of further European integration. It is highly significant and marks a historic turning point in British and European history.

For many this monumental decision came as a surprise. Since then, intellectuals and commentators have been searching for an explanation. For historians the Brexit decision was no less of a surprise than it was for other intellectuals, and they are no less challenged by it. It fundamentally questions common assumptions of twentieth-century history: about globalization, Europeanization, the power of neoliberalism, the welfare state, nationalism, identity, and democracy. This applies to interpretations of European history in general and of British history in particular, and above all to the understanding of Britain’s place in Europe.

This conference will take up the challenge. It asks how Brexit changes our views of twentieth-century British history. Do we have to revise established narratives about how Britain developed since 1945? How can we conceive of Britain’s place within European history? What does Brexit mean for our understanding of European integration?

The conference will discuss these questions by placing the British case into a wider European and transatlantic context. It will integrate political, social, economic and cultural history approaches to unfold the complexities and ambiguities of British twentieth-century history. Finally, it will think about historical trajectories and contingencies in Britain’s relationship with its European neighbours.

If you should be interested in participating at the conference, please contact brexit@ifz-muenchen.de.

Programm

Thursday, 19 April

2.00 – 2.30pm
Welcome
Andreas Wirsching (München)

Introduction: Narratives of British Twentieth Century History
Michael Schaich (London) and Martina Steber (München)

2.30 – 4.00 pm
Panel 1: Reluctant Partners? The UK and European Integration
Chair: Klaus H. Goetz (München)
James Ellison (Queen Mary, London): Rethinking Britain and Europe, 1945-73
Piers Ludlow (LSE): More Than Just an Awkward Partner? Britain’s Experience of Community Membership Since 1973

4.00 – 4.30 pm Coffee & Tea

4.30 – 6.00 pm
Panel 2: Democracy and Political Culture in Britain: Monarchy, Parliament and Parties
Chair: Emily Robinson (Sussex)
Dominik Geppert (Bonn): Brexit as a Product of Britain’s Political Culture
Ben Jackson (Oxford): Conceptualising Brexit: Sovereignty and Pluralism in British Political Ideologies, 1979-2016

7.00 – 8.30 pm Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Alfons-Goppel-Str. 11 (Residenz), 80539 München
Public Panel Discussion: Brexit. Zu Vergangenheit und Zukunft Großbritanniens in Europa
[Brexit. On the Past and the Future of Britain in Europe]
Chair: Andreas Wirsching, Institut für Zeitgeschichte München-Berlin
Discussants: Paul Lever, former British ambassador to Germany – Philip Oltermann, The Guardian – Gisela Stuart, former Labour M.P. – Andreas Gestrich, German Historical Institute London

 
Friday, 20 April

9.00 – 10.30 am
Panel 3: The Heritage of Empire. Relationships around the Globe
Chair: Magnus Brechtken (München)
Dane Kennedy (Washington): Brexit and Memories of Empire
Eckart Conze (Marburg): Special Relationships. Britain, Germany and the Dynamics of Transatlanticism

10.30 – 11.00 am Coffee & Tea

11.00 – 12.30 am
Panel 4: Cherishing the Market. The British Economy
Chair: Christiane Eisenberg (Berlin)
Martin Daunton (Cambridge): One World or Two Worlds? Defining Britain’s Place in the World Economy
Jim Tomlinson (Glasgow): Can De-Industrialization Explain the Brexit Vote?

12.30 am – 2.00 pm Lunch

2.00 – 3.30 pm
Panel 5: Society and Popular Culture
Chair: Frank Mort (Manchester)
Lawrence Black (York): A Eurosceptic Culture?
Christina von Hodenberg (Queen Mary, London): Mass Media and Narratives of Nation-Building

3.30 – 4.00 pm Coffee & Tea

4.00 – 5.30 pm
Panel 6: Identity, Immigration and Race
Chair: Andreas Fahrmeir (Frankfurt)
Elizabeth Buettner (Amsterdam): British Migration Fixations Since the Second World War: Europeans and Non-Europeans Compared
Mike Kenny (Cambridge): English Nationalism after Empire: Britannia Unchained or the Remaking of the English Working Class?

5.30 – 6.00 pm
Final Discussion
Chair: Andreas Gestrich (London)

Kontakt

Malte Müller

Institut für Zeitgeschichte München-Berlin
Leonrodstraße 46 b, 80636 München

brexit@ifz-muenchen.de

https://www.ghil.ac.uk/understanding_brexit.html