University of Antwerp. Power in History. Center for Political History

Venue: Antwerp
Time: 18-20 October 2017
Proposals due: May 7, 2017

During the last decades, political historians have increasingly focused on the evolution of political consciousness among the „common people“ during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In that process they have often made use of all-encompassing notions such as politicization, democratization and nationalization. These have in common that they suggest an increasing commitment of a growing number of citizens in the political life of the nation, but because these concepts are so general and linear, they are hard to grapple with. Do they refer to an increase in consciousness and/or agency? Apart from the difficulty of measuring these processes, one can also ask whether they necessarily occur in parallel. A more active participation in electoral processes, for example, does not necessarily entail a greater commitment to political values, and membership of political associations can be inspired as much by individual calculations as by concern for the common good.

The conference „Subaltern political knowledges“ intends to take one step back and ask a question which Continue reading →