Modernity is an essentially contested concept: depending on the research context, historians and social scientists understand “modernity” as a historical period, as an (unfinished) project and, more recently, as an object of historical study in itself – an understanding that is linked to the considerable criticism the concept has received over the last twenty years. Particularly historians working on “early modern” and medieval history have pointed out underlying normative biases, even going so far as to question the usefulness of modernity as a tool for historical analysis as such. The chronology inherent in the idea of modernity has attracted particular censure for perpetuating normative assumptions: pre- or non-modern times and spaces are considered deficient and backward, as not yet modern.

In our workshop, we want to reassess the analytical potential of the meta-concept of “modernity” and the idea of the modern. What are the benefits of “modernity” as an analytical tool? Should the term be employed differently or should we stop using it altogether? Are alternatives to this meta-concept available, and what are the benefits (and pitfalls) of using these? As historiographical debates differ quite significantly both between historical sub-disciplines and cultural-linguistic contexts, our aim is to provide a platform for historians, but also social scientists, to both discuss the various criticisms levelled at the concept as well as to sound out its analytical potential or possible alternatives. By bringing together scholars from different academic disciplines, this conference reassesses the concept of modernity and the idea of the modern from a cross-epochal and interdisciplinary perspective.

Contact & Registration
Christoph Haack
University of Tübingen
CRC 923 “Threatened Order – Societies under Stress”
christoph.haack@uni-tuebingen.de

Almuth Ebke
University of Mannheim
Chair of Modern History
aebke@mail.uni-mannheim.de