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The fall of communism generated particular expectations about the future of
Europe. The expectation of a united Europe, inclusive of East Central
Europe, has not fully recognised the tensions created by different
perceptions of the role of national identity in the East and in the West.
The preoccupation of Western Europe with the preservation of some sense of
national identity within a united Europe runs parallel to the preoccupation
of Eastern Europe with securing and finalising the structure of the
nation-state. In other words, the current aspirations of Eastern European
nationalism, in many ways, reflect the aims of earlier European
nation-builders. A key factor in the process of nation-building has been
the assigning of specific symbolic roles to women in a national community.
To what extent do current differences in perceptions of national identity
impact upon debates about gender in different Europes?
This conference aims to explore the relationship between gender images and
national identities in Europe since the end of the nineteenth century. It
will focus particularly on the construction of gender identity and the use
of stereotypical images of gender in shaping nationalist discourse across
Europe. The conference will compare and contrast debates surrounding the
historical construction of national and gender identities in Western and
Eastern Europe and will explore the implications of the differences in this
area between the West and the East for the political processes in Europe
post-1989.
We are especially interested in receiving proposals for papers in the
following areas:
- How and why specific images of gender have been
selected to generate both nationalist discourses and assumptions about
national identity and the means by which these images have been
disseminated.
- The impact these images have on political processes,
particularly the development of gender emancipation movements.
- The impact of nationalist discourse on renewed debate around civil society and gender in contemporary multi-ethnic states.
- Nations and issues of gender in post-1989 Europe.
Plenary speakers will include:
Cherie Booth Q C and
Professor Sylvia Walby (Leeds)
Offers of papers, accompanied by an abstract of 300-500 words, should be
sent by post, e-mail or fax by May 7, 2001 to the address below.
For further information about the conference, please contact:
Vera Tolz and Stephanie Booth
European Studies Research Institute
University of Salford
Tel. +44 (0)161-2955606
Fax +44(0)161 2955077
email: v.tolz@salford.ac.uk and agb@globalnet.co.uk
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