January 25th & 26th 2024
Wednesday 24 January: talking about democracy in the Netherlands and Belgium
Morning, 10.30 start
Review of Dutch and Belgian trajectories:
Joris Oddens and Mart Rutjes, Henk te Velde, Brecht Deseurre, Marnix Beyen
Coffee break: 11.45-12.00
General discussion,: 12.00-1.00
LUNCH 1.00-2.00
Afternoon
Some contexts for democratic talk: we welcome thoughts and ideas that might suggest material for our thematic chapters
The 1860s 2.00-2.45– a period of crisis across much of our region. What would a snapshot of talk about democracy in that decade look like? Henk te Velde.
Histories 2.45-3.30– did historians of the period locate democracy in history, and if so how, eg in writing about the ancient world; barbarian invaders; the Reformation; the development of modern political institutions
Coffee break 3.30-3.45
Individualism, corporatism, collectivism 3.45 – 4.30– how often was democracy characterised as individualistic, and in tension with corporate and collective forms, old and new, how often as in tune with them? Initial speaker(s) Christophe Maes
Living democratically: 4.30-5.15. What might being a democratic sympathiser entail in terms of lifestyle? Initial speaker(s) Dirk Alkemade, Camille Creyghton
Thursday 25 January: rural society and its discontents in central and northern Europe
Welcome to newcomers, intro to the day: 10.00-10.15
Maartje Janse and Diederik Smit, 10.15-11.45: Rural unrest, popular politics and the problem of national security in the Netherlands, 1830-1848
LUNCH 12.00-1.00
Role of ‘rural society’ in the re-imagining democracy project 1.00-1.45
Yannis Skalli-Housseini, Klaas van Gelder, and Wouter Ryckbosch (Vrije Universiteit Brussel/State Archives) on rural protest and politics in the Austrian Netherlands
Anne Engelst Nørgaard (NTNU, Trondheim), on Peasant politics and democracy in Denmark
Martin Dackling (Lund University) on Rural society and politics in Sweden
Niels Grüne (University of Innsbruck), on Rural society and politicisation in South West Germany
Piotr Kuligowski (Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw) on Rural society and politics in Poland
General discussion 3.45-4.45
Closing remarks 4.45-5.00
Re-imagining Democracy 