Political in Political History – Meaning and Understanding of Politics
5th Workshop for PhD Candidates in Political History (First Session)
17–19 June 2019, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Application Deadline: 15 February 2019
The question of what is political seems like a banal one as it is such an obvious part of our everyday lives and experiences. Most of us follow politics and are dependent on the political institutions defining the framework we operate within. But are historians taking the concept of politics for granted? Is politics too often understood only as parties and parliaments? The first session of the fifth annual workshop of the Political History PhD Network focuses on the meaning and understanding of politics. We invite PhD Students to discuss the complexities of the concept of political in the field of political history.
Politics is a subject that gathers and unites academics from different backgrounds and traditions. Historians interested in politics have studied, among other things, ideas, intellectuals, political cultures, parliamentary rhetoric, and social movements. But what are we talking about when we talk about politics? The analytical nature of politics should be one of the defining subjects of debate in the field of political history, enabling scholars of different subjects, cultures, and eras to participate in a shared theoretical and methodological discussions. We believe that such discussions would enrich the field of political history.
The tradition of political history practised in the University of Jyväskylä has traditionally emphasised the political in political history, a result of multidisciplinary co-operation with political science and applied linguistics. An inclusive understanding of the nature of politics is one of the founding principles of the political history practiced in Jyväskylä. Hence we encourage the participants of the first session of the 2019 Political History PhD Network Workshop to submit papers on the following themes:
- Political and politics as analytical concepts
- Historical uses of the concepts of political and politics
- Differing understandings of the nature of politics
- Political agents, movements, parties, and ideas
- Transnational and global influences
- Politics – continuity and change in the long term
Practical Information
Proposals for papers should include the title, an abstract of maximum 300 words, and a short CV of the applicant. Please send proposals to phdpolhis@gmail.com before 15 February 2019. Notification of acceptance will be announced before the 15 March. Participants are expected to submit a 3 000 – 5 000 word paper ahead of the workshop by 10 June. An amount of funding is available for travel reimbursements. Participants who wish to apply for a reimbursement should indicate this on their application.
For further information and questions please contact us at phdpolhis@gmail.com and visit our website. We also encourage you to join the Political History PhD Network on Linkedin, and sign up for our monthly newsletter by writing us an email.
Zachris Haaparinne, MA, MSSc, PhD Student (zachris.e.haaparinne@student.jyu.fi)
Juho Saksholm, MA, PhD Student (juho.m.saksholm@student.jyu.fi)
Joonas Tammela, MA, PhD Student (joonas.s.tammela@jyu.fi)
