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INTERNATIONALISM AND THE ARTS:
Anglo-European Cultural Exchange at the Fin de Siècle

A three-day international conference,
Magdalene College, Cambridge, 3 - 5 July 2006
 
   
 
  This conference addresses two interrelated issues which are central to our understanding of European cultural and national identities, past and present: the nature and extent of artistic and intellectual exchange between Britain and Europe at the turn of the nineteenth century; and the rise of a (Eurocentric) internationalist cultural identity in an era of competing nationalisms. Flanked by the Franco-Prussian war (1870-71) and the Great War, the fin de siècle stands out as an epoch of rising European militarism. Themes of national consolidation, isolation and aggression have become key to any analysis of the period. What this conference seeks to explore is the concomitant drive toward an international political and cultural identity. Interdisciplinary panels will examine how artistic and intellectual exchange contributed to a sense of a common European, even world culture, and to a counter-current of political, internationalist optimism.

 

Discussion will focus on the following topics:
- The visual arts and their international infrastructures
- International journals
- Cosmopolitan architecture and interior design
- The international Arts and Crafts movement
- International exchange in the performing arts
- Anglo-German cultural relations
- Anglo-Belgian cultural relations
- Cosmopolitan individuals

 

The conference aims to create an international community of scholars who share an interest in the crossing of boundaries, whether between countries or disciplines. Participants come from the fields of Cultural History, the History of Art, Architecture and Design, Dance and Theatre Studies, Literature and Book History, the History of Ideas, Modern Languages, and Musicology. Countries of origin include Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, and the United States. Among those taking part are: Dr Anna Gruetzner Robins (University of Reading, UK), Dr Pamela Fletcher (Bowdoin College, Brunswick, USA), Rachel Sloane (Courtauld Institute of Art, London), Dr Myriam Boussahba-Bravard (University of Rouen, France), Dr Neil Stewart (University of Bonn, Germany), Dr Wolfgang Sonne (University of Strathclyde, UK), Dr Judy Neiswander (independent scholar, USA), Dr Andrzej Szczerski (University of Krakòw, Poland), Dr Polly Blakesley (University of Cambridge, UK), Dr Drew Milne (University of Cambridge, UK), Professor Tore Rem (University of Oslo, Norway), James Mansell (University of Manchester, UK), Daniel Laqua (University College, London), Dr Anne Leonard (Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, USA), Hannes Schweiger (University of Vienna, Austria), Dr John Trygve Has-Ellison (University of Texas, USA), Dr Petra Rau (University of Portsmouth, UK), and Dr Matthew Potter (University of Plymouth, UK).

The language of the conference is English.
   
 
written and designed by Grace Brockington & Ralph Kingston , 2005-6