Concept and preliminary programme of the workshop:

The term ‘civility’ has emerged as a key concept in the analysis of modern societies. It invites for an interdisciplinary and transnational investigation. The concept of ‘civility’ was constructed as an ideal to describe and criticise societies. Its normative content is inherent in related terms such as ‘civilisation’, ‘civil society’, ‘to civilise’, but it is also implied in opposite terms such as ‘uncivil’. Due to the broad and sometimes fluid semantics of ‘civility’, this terminology differs across time, place, and language and is contested within every given society.

In our discussion, we are interested in the different and sometimes contrasting uses of ‘civility’ and its meaning in specific national and cultural contexts. This leads us to the following set of questions: From a general perspective we ask which are the underlying norms that account for different meanings of ‘civility’? How is the concept applied and altered over time and in different contexts? The relationship between discourses and practices referring to ‘civility’ will be another focal point: How are ‘uncivil’ practices dealt with? When are they accepted and how is civility promoted and restored? And finally: What are the historical, cultural and geographical borders of the concept?

The workshop seeks to bring together speakers internationally renowned for their work on civility or closely related ideas and to discuss this concept both theoretically and empirically.

Thursday 23 April

4:30 pm Registration and Tea

5:00 Welcome speech by Dieter Gosewinkel

5:30 – 7:30 pm Panel I Civility – History of the Concept
Chair: Sandrine Kott
Speaker 1: Holger Nehring
Speaker 2: Konrad Jarausch Discussant: Bernd Weisbrod

Friday 24 April
9:00 am Tea

9:15 – 11:00 am Panel II: Civility and Social Rights
Chair: Wilhelm Heitmeyer
Speaker 1: N.N.
Speaker 2: Paul-André Rosental
Discussant: James Holston

11:15 am – 1:00 pm Poster Session for Doctoral Students

1:00 – 2:00 pm Lunch

2:00 – 4:00 pm Panel III: Civility and Human Rights
Chair: Jan C. Behrends
Speaker 1: Helmut Dubiel
Speaker 2: Mervy Frost
Discussant: Stefan-Ludwig Hoffmann

4:30 – 6:30 Panel IV: Civility and Citizenship
Chair: Günter Frankenberg
Speaker 1: Andreas Fahrmeir
Speaker 2: Catherine Colliot-Thélène
Discussant: Kathleen Canning

7:30 pm Dinner

Saturday 25 April
9:00 am Tea

9:00 – 11:00 am Panel V: Civility and Social Behaviour
Chair: Konrad Jarausch
Speaker 1: Chris Hann
Speaker 2: Ferdinand Sutterlüty
Discussant: Margrit Pernau

11:30 am – 1:30 pm Panel VI: Civility – Theory of the Concept
Chair: Dieter Rucht
Speaker 1: Franklin Adler
Speaker 2: Wilhelm Heitmeyer
Discussant: Günter Frankenberg

End of Conference