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Huizinga Summer School 2012: National identity as cultural transfer

By now it has become an established fact that nationalism is a very international phenomenon. Starting from the insights of Anne-Marie Thiesse, the role of, specifically, intellectuals and their international interests has become a topic of investigation. Thus, the spread of nationalism can be addressed in terms of “cultural transfer”.

This implies that cultural transfer not only takes place between national entities, but that these entities themselves take shape, are articulated as self- images, as a result of transfer processes between societies and intellectual “hubs”. The modality in which such exchanges occur have been studied in the specialism of imagology: Self- images can obtain a specific profile as a result of antagonistic and contrastive self- positioning, or else of adaptation and internalization, or by way of parallel influences from a common external source-discourse. In any case, the crucial insight is that the formulation and instrumentalization of a national self- image is not an internalistically driven process, emerging wholly from within the bosom of a given cultural community or society, but part of a transnational traffic of communicated ideas.

The challenging task for the future is to study the intellectual exchanges between regions and realm that gave rise to Europe perceived to consist of modular nationalities.

Keynote speaker

With lectures by:

This Summer School is organized in cooperation with SPIN (Study Platform on Interlocking Nationalisms).

SPIN lecture

On Tuesday 26 June Anne-Marie Thiesse will present the SPIN Lecture 2012: The Transnational Creation of National Arts and Crafts in 19th Century Europe. Separate registration for this lecture is possible and required. For more information and registration visit this website.

Location

see agenda

Detailed programme