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SUMMARY:Monarchy and Modernity since 1500 - Speaker to be confirmed
DTSTART:20190108T090000Z
DTEND:20190108T060000Z
UID:TALK106474@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Carolina Armenteros
DESCRIPTION:Monarchy and Modernity since 1500\n\nEurope’s past is overwh
 elmingly monarchical\, yet the monarchies that remain in place today hardl
 y resemble those that governed Europe at the end of the Middle Ages. Moder
 nity has transformed monarchy from a matter of unquestioned and often sacr
 ed fact to a matter of largely secular and usually democratic choice. If t
 he words remain the same – along with many of the families\, their title
 s\, properties and places of residence – their meaning has changed profo
 undly over time and across countries\, so much so that\, along the centuri
 es\, the working mechanisms\, functions and powers of European monarchy ha
 ve been transformed. The academic literature\, however\, seldom measures t
 his distance between monarchy’s various historical meanings and its surp
 risingly frequent manifestations today.\n\nIn theoretical and speculative 
 disciplines\, the lack of inquiry into monarchy’s significance is due pa
 rtly to disciplinary divisions. Political theorists and intellectual histo
 rians rarely delve into the subject of monarchy\, while historians of mona
 rchy tend to focus on chronology rather than concepts. Monarchy’s own na
 ture has helped determine these divisions. With its providentialist\, semi
 -magic and mysterious foundations in the divine right of kings\, monarchis
 m is a double paradox\, a form of political theory that is at once anti-po
 litical and anti-theoretical. Innovatively\, this conference seeks to brea
 k disciplinary barriers by combining the outlooks of monarchical specialis
 ts on the one hand\, and of social\, cultural\, and political theorists on
  the other.\n\nProceeding from the premise that the nature of things is be
 st known\, and their development most determined\, during critical times\,
  this conference centers on three (long) key moments in the history of mod
 ern European monarchy: the English Revolution\, the French Revolution\, an
 d the mainstreaming of republicanism during the first half of the twentiet
 h century. These moments\, however\, are only referential\, and presentati
 ons studying the reinvention\, representation and conceptualisation of mon
 archy during other modern periods\, from 1500 to the present\, are also we
 lcome\, with Renaissance subjects possibly serving as introits and contemp
 orary ones as epilogues to the conference.\n\nThe main lines of inquiry ar
 e twofold\, one directed at monarchy’s political significance\, and the 
 other at its socio-cultural\, psychological\, religious and spiritual role
 s. The political-conceptual line of inquiry can include – without being 
 limited to – European monarchy’s historical relationship to legislatio
 n and the administration of justice\, as well as democratic\, republican\,
  and aristocratic traditions. The theological/sociological/anthropological
  perspective is instead concerned with monarchy as a series of rituals\, p
 rocessions\, celebrations and formal procedures that represent sovereignty
 \, organise time and relationships\, lend nations a sense of identity\, an
 d connect individuals emotionally with sacred spaces and powers\, especial
 ly as represented by the Catholic and Protestant religions.\nStudies of no
 n-European monarchical traditions are likewise accepted\, preferably with 
 reference to European ones. \n\nContributions may address one or more of t
 he following themes but are not limited to them:\n\n	Monarchy in politi
 cal thought \n\n	The relationship between spiritual and temporal powers
 \n\n	Royalism vs. monarchism\n\n	National and sovereign representati
 on\n\n	Monarchy in its relation with religion\, theology and spirituali
 ty \n\n	The royal imaginary\n\n	Monarchy and property\n\n	Monarch
 y and material culture: fashion and the built environment\n\n	Royal fea
 sts\, rituals\, processions and celebrations\n\n	Women and monarchy\n\n
 	Non-European monarchical traditions\, preferably with reference to Eur
 opean ones.\n\nWe invite proposals for 20-minute presentations\, which wil
 l be revised subsequently for publication in a peer-reviewed collective vo
 lume. Graduate students are welcome to participate\, and papers in Dutch\,
  English\, French\, German\, Italian\, Portuguese and Spanish are accepted
 \, although English is encouraged to facilitate communication. The confere
 nce will be held at the University of Cambridge on 8-9 January 2019. Pleas
 e email a 200-word abstract and one-page CV to Carolina Armenteros (cra22@
 cam.ac.uk) by 1 July 2018.
LOCATION:Faculty of Law
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