CfP: Spatial Politics in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Regimes: Open Questions and New Research Approaches
Graduate students and other researchers are invited to submit proposals for a workshop titled “Spatial Politics in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Regimes: Open Questions and New Research Approaches.” The workshop will take place on 12th of April 2022 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, at the premises of the Study Centre for National Reconciliation (Tivolska 42, 1000 Ljubljana).
Thematic focus
One of the defining features of the “short 20th century” has been the rise of the authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. Although the differences between many of those authoritarian and totalitarian states have been profound, there were also a number of similarities and common characteristics. One of those was the extensive employment of spatial politics (e. g. building monuments, fostering certain architectural styles, developing new urban spaces etc.) as means of projecting power, expressing values or (re)shaping a new man. One need only think about many building projects undertaken (or projected) by Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, characterized by their excessive monumentality coupled with classicist architectural aesthetics. However, the spatial politics of totalitarianism was far from exclusively reactionary or monolithic, as it was also deeply connected with new avant-garde forms of architecture and urbanism.
Its complexity, as well as the fact that architectural and urbanist projects continue to shape urban environments and cultural landscape in general until today, has contributed to the fact that this research topic has already drawn much attention from international humanities and social sciences, especially since the 1980s. This rise in interest has been influenced by a simultaneous turn towards cultural history in its variegated forms. As spatial politics occupies a complex point at the intersection of political power, ideology, collective memory and identity formation, it offers a unique research opportunity not only for cultural history, but especially for interdisciplinary research. Scholars have thus extensively studied a number of research topics connected with the field of spatial politics, but most of the existing research remains confined within single national or ideological paradigm. Therefore, there exist a number of detailed studies dealing with, say, the history of architecture and its functionality in Nazi Germany, but not a lot of work studying this topic in a comparative and/or transnational perspective. Furthermore, there are also a number of (newer) research approaches which can be successfully applied to the study of spatial politics in authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, such as the methodology of border studies.
The workshop is intended to stimulate new insights in this research topic by bringing together scholars working on those research questions from different disciplinary and methodological perspectives. It is intended primarily for doctoral students who have completed substantial archival research, but senior researchers working on the theme at hand are invited as well. Workshop themes include (but are not limited to) the following broadly conceptualized interrelated research questions:
- What is the role of (symbolically charged) spatial features in forging collective identities and values? How and why did authoritarian and totalitarian regimes conceptualize, claim and (re)shape (public) space?
- What role did spatial politics have within various authoritarian and totalitarian systems? In what ways did they legitimize the ruling elite and its ideological programme?
- What were the main differences between different authoritarian and totalitarian regimes in the field of spatial politics? How did the role of spatial politics in non-democratic regimes differ from that in democratic societies existing at the same time?
- How did “common people” react to ideological impositions “from above”?
- What role does cultural heritage associated with authoritarian and totalitarian regimes play in contemporary societies? What are the differences between different national and ideological contexts?
We will host nine papers comprised of panels of three, taking place over a single day. Following the presentation of papers, there will be a discussion of the presented topics. Participants will thus have an opportunity to engage in a lively and lengthy discussion with some of the leading experts in the field, as well as doctoral candidates from around the world. Apart from presentations of papers, the workshop will include opening keynote remarks. Our workshop’s keynote speaker will be Professor Borut Klabjan (Science and Research Centre Koper; Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana) a distinguished expert in the field of spatial politics and memory studies.
Submission Guidelines and Funding
We encourage submissions from individuals at all universities and research institutes. Interested participants should submit a 300-word proposal and one-page Curriculum Vitae (in either Word or PDF format) to matic.batic@scnr.si. Proposals must be received before the 31st of January 2022. Papers for each panel will be selected in accordance with the workshop’s theme and based on their scientific potential. All participants will be notified of participation by the 15th of February 2022. Given that this workshop requires engagement with the written work of other participants, all panellists are asked to submit their papers 2 weeks prior to the workshop (i. e. by the 1st of April 2022). All questions should be directed to the email above.
The workshop’s host institution will cover the accommodation expenses (2 nights) for participants who do not receive sufficient funding from their institutions. However, travel expenses will not be covered. Meals will be provided throughout the workshop.
The workshop is part of a post-doc project “Fluid Landscape: Architecture, Identity and Border Space in the Northern Adriatic from 1943 to 1954”, funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS), under the grant Z6-3222.
Organisers
Matic Batič, PhD (Lead), Study Centre for National Reconciliation
Tomaž Ivešić, PhD, Study Centre for National Reconciliation
Damjan Hančič, PhD, Study Centre for National Reconciliation
Organising institution
Study Centre for National Reconciliation is a Slovene public research institution, active since 2008, whose primary aim is the study of contemporary Slovene history, with the special emphasis on the history of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. Our scholarly interests stem from the uniquely structured history of this area in the 20th century, as it was deeply interconnected with the rise and development of various forms of authoritarianism and totalitarianism, which have left deep marks in the social fabric lasting until today. The study of history in the 20th century can thus provide unique insights relevant for the Slovene society, still deeply marked by this legacy, but also for the international humanities. Consequently, our work deals with both aforementioned aspects. Apart from research work, we also collect and publish documents, stories, and memories of the witnesses from that time, participate in the educational process and connect with Slovenians in neighbouring countries and around the world as well as with similar international institutions.
Contact Info:
Dr Matic Batič, Research Fellow at the Study Centre for National Reconciliation, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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