Shortly after the Second World War, Britain and Germany became again closely entangled in a set of multilateral alliances, such as the EC/EU and NATO, as well as in an ever-expanding web of transnational contacts, networks, and interactions. By contrast, the Anglo-German relationship to this day remains fraught when it comes to European integration: tensions over German reunification, the Maastricht Treaty, or Black Wednesday are still prominently ingrained in memories on both sides of the Channel. More recently, the Eurozone crisis as well as David Cameron's attempt to renegotiate Britain's role inside the EU have again powerfully illustrated competing British and German visions of Europe's place in the world. How can such continuing tensions over European integration be reconciled with the great extent of bilateral rapprochement that has taken place outside formal EC/EU structures since 1945?

This conference seeks to bring together scholars from a variety of backgrounds and all levels of seniority to shed fresh light on the evolution of the Anglo-German relationship since the Second World War, with particular emphasis on the European integration process in its wider transatlantic and global context. More precisely, the conference hopes to embed studies of Anglo-German relations inside the EC/EU much more firmly in the wider international history of the post-war world, hoping to overcome the narrow analytical confines of an overly EC/EU-centric approach. With the bulk of archival materials now freely accessible for the period up to 1985, the time indeed seems ripe to revisit the evolution of bilateral relations from new perspectives and methodological angles. Though the conference has a distinct historical focus, it also welcomes interdisciplinary proposals and contributions from other academic fields, including International Relations, Political Science, and Cultural or European Studies.

The conference deliberately adopts a broad definition of the Anglo-German relationship. It particularly welcomes contributions that seek to connect the history of bilateral relations over European integration with developments outside EC/EU structures, as well as contributions that utilize recent trends from cultural and social history in what might be termed a 'New International/Diplomatic History'. Potential topics may include, but are not limited to:
- The changing global context of the Anglo-German relationship
- Bilateral cooperation inside NATO and the transatlantic alliance
- Europeanization, socialization, and transnationalisation processes
- Comparative approaches to British and German European policies
- Mutual perceptions, stereotypes, and the media
- The role of state and non-state actors and organizations

The conference is consciously set up to foster links between British and German scholars by cooperating closely with the recently founded 'AG Internationale Geschichte' under the auspices of the German Historikerverband. There will be keynotes by Professor Andreas Rödder (University of Mainz) and Dr Piers Ludlow (London School of Economics and Political Science). Accommodation and reasonable travel costs will be covered for accepted speakers. Conference papers will be pre-circulated, since publication in form of an edited volume with a renowned international publisher is intended. We invite researchers of all stages to submit an abstract of up to 350 words (including name, paper title, institutional affiliation) as well as a short CV to both Mathias Haeussler (mhh29@cam.ac.uk) and Alexander Reinfeldt (alexander.reinfeldt@uni-hamburg.de) by 20 January 2016. Applicants will be notified by the end of January 2016.