Call for Papers: Rebuilding Europe after Napoleon

On April 8 and 9, an international virtual conference is organised on how Europe was rebuild after the Napoleonic Wars by Prof Dr Beatrice de Graaf (Utrecht University/Security History Network) and Dr Alexander Mikaberidze (Louisiana State University). If you are interested in - or your current research is on - post-Napoleonic history and security studies, than this Call for Papers may be for you. More information of the conference and the CfP can be found on this page, or via the yellow button below.

Historic context: Europe after Napoleon

In 1815, with Napoleon finally defeated, Europe craved peace and stability after three decades of unprecedented revolutionary upheavals and warfare. Yet the threat of revolutionary terror still loomed large in the minds of European political leaders. Citizens, statesmen and sovereigns alike were deeply traumatized. To overcome the shock and horror of the past two decades, and to confront these new challenges, a coalition of the victorious European states launched an unprecedented international security cooperation system designed to mitigate the threat of war and terror, to maintain peace and stability, and to foster economic recovery in Europe.

Much more can be unearthed and analyzed about post-Napoleonic Europe.

The aim of the conference

The aim of this virtual conference is to build on recent historiographical work and explore how the European Powers in the years immediately after end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 (up until the Crimean War) transformed the norms of interstate relations, developed a new system of collective security and laid the foundation for transnational police networks. The theme of post-Napoleonic reconstruction and reform as a transnational, trans-imperial project has been addressed in recent years.

But much more can be unearthed and analyzed in a multidisciplinary approach of history, politics, culture, intellectual thought, sociology, strategy, security studies, study of emotions, etc. This conference therefore invites contributions ranging from the field of military security, defense works (fortresses), public governance, police and security studies (security agencies) to new concepts of governmentality and sociability, on economic and financial history (indemnities and reparations), including contributions on the more emotional, imaginative dimensions of the post-1815 reconstructions, regarding ‘the public spirit’, the aspect of fake news, the necessity to deal with trauma, and feelings of revenge or fear for terror.

The conference will be held virtually, on the Zoom platform, by Louisiana State University-Shreveport and University of Utrecht. It will be free and open to the registered participants. More information on the conference will follow soon, so keep an eye out on this page.