Internationalism and the Arts:
Cultural Exchange between Britain and Europe at the Fin de Sicle

04-05 July 2006
Cambridge, UK

Deadline: 2005-05-01

This conference will examine cultural expressions of internationalism
in Britain and Europe at the turn of the last century. Flanked by the
Franco-Prussian war (1870-71) and the Great War (1914-18), the fin de
siècle stands out as an era of rising European militarism. Themes of
national consolidation, isolation and aggression have become key to
any analysis of the period. However, what this conference seeks to
explore is the comcomitant drive towards an international political
and cultural identity. It invites papers which examine how artistic
and intellectual exchange between Britain and the Continent
contributed to the sense of a common European, even world culture, and
to a counter-current of political, internationalist optimism.

Topics may include, but need not be limited to:

- The proliferation of international cultural organisations at the fin
de siècle
- Cultural repercussions of internationalist organisation
- Great Exhibitions as sites for international exchange
- Avant-garde theatre as a pan-European movement
- Art for art’s sake and the transcendence of national boundaries
- The arts, internationalism and the peace movement
- Cosmopolitan individuals who acted as cultural mediators
- Lingua francas and artificial languages
- International journals and other publishing projects cultural
contact between Britain and any individual European country or countries

Dates: 4-5 July 2006
Venue: Magdalene College, Cambridge, UK

Enquiries, and abstracts of up to 300 words together with a brief
biography, should be directed to Dr Grace Brockington (contact
information provided below).

The deadline for proposals is 1 June 2005.

Dr Grace Brockington,
Clare Hall,
Herschel Rd,
Cambridge CB3 9AL, UK
Phone: (01223) 767 294
Email: geb23cam.ac.uk