[URBANTH-L] CFP: Claiming the World: Universalisms as Doctrine and in Action

[Angela Jancius]

The Department of History
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Announces
Claiming the World: Universalisms as Doctrine and in Action
A Graduate Student Conference
March 27, 2009

Deadline for abstract submission: January, 1 2009

 From the Roman notion of civitas to the Islamic duty of da'wah to
the French colonial mission civilisatrice, universal claims have
been deployed in the service of causes, movements, and ideologies
of all kinds. They attempt to create order, unity, and meaning, yet
thereby give rise to contestation. This conference seeks to address
the following questions: What kinds of universal claims have been
advanced and how have they been transformed over time in different
regions and historical periods? How do such claims take concrete
form in the actions of polities and the practices of communities
from the local to the global? How do they accommodate or resist
particularities or rival universalisms? We wish to consider a range
of entities that promulgate universal claims (such as states,
nations, empires, religions, and social and political movements) in
a multitude of realms (such as law, morality, norms, and
identities). As this conference is presented in conjunction with
the Center for International History's annual theme, 'In the Name
of Humanity,' we are especially, but not only, interested in the
ways in which universal claims have been embodied in the discourses
and politics of human rights and humanitarian intervention.

We invite submissions from all time periods - ancient, medieval,
early modern, and modern - and various geographic regions. Papers
on topics that are broadly transnational or global in scope are
preferred. Additionally, we encourage interdisciplinary research,
and although proposals with a historical perspective are
particularly welcome, we will also consider contributions from the
fields of anthropology, sociology, literary studies, political
science, and economics. Please send an abstract of no more than 300
words and a recent CV as email attachments (Word preferred) by
January 1, 2009 and any inquiries to Simon Stevens at the following
address: sms2236 at columbia.edu.

For more information regarding the conference, please refer to the
Center for International History's website (beginning December
15th): http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cih

Limited funding for travel and assistance in arranging accommodation
may be available.

Important dates:

Submission deadline: Thursday, January 1st, 2009

Conference: Friday, March 27th, 2009