Airy Curtains in the European Ether: Broadcasting and communication technologies in East/West-relations during the short 20th century
The European research team “Transmitting and Receiving Europe” (TRANS), a group of historians of media and technology actively engaged in the European network “Tension of Europe” (see: http://www.histech.nl/tensions/), has the opportunity to meet in the frame of an ESF-Inventing Europe venue in Lisbon. During this 1,5 day event (which antecedes the 2008 SHOT annual meeting), we would like to organize a TRANS workshop focusing on the role of broadcasting and communication technologies in East/West-relations during the short 20th century. Broadcasting infrastructures played a crucial role in the material, institutional and symbolic integration and fragmentation of Europe as a communication space. We would like to invite papers dealing with one of the following topics, preferably in a comparative geographical and historical perspective:
-Spill over: regional interferences of nationalized broadcasting spaces
-Institutions and peoples as mediating gateways between East and West
-The technopolitics of transnational radio and television infrastructures (frequency allocations, transmission networks)
-Crossing borders: transnational radio and television programme exchanges
-Technologies of fragmentation: jamming and standards wars
-Media amateurs, civil disobedience or practices of resistance in the Cold War
Although the Tensions of Europe network has a clear focus on the history of technology, we would like to encourage proposals from other disciplines like international relations, political history or media studies, approaching the topic from alternative perspectives. It is envisaged to publish a selection of the most substantial and interesting papers in an edited volume.
Proposals should not exceed 500 words and should be accompanied by a short cv (max. 1 page). While we cannot cover all costs, we do have a limited amount of funding available to help with travel and accommodation for some participants. We would like to ask those who have departmental project funds available to consider using these in the first instance. Please let us know when you submit your abstract if you will require additional assistance.
The deadline for the submission of abstracts is June 15th 2008. Please send all the required information to Andreas Fickers: A.Fickers@lk.unimaas.nl