Call for papers: ECMS 2014

De tweejaarlijkse European Conference on Masonic Studies vindt volgend jaar september plaats in Manchester. Het is de vierde keer dat deze academische bijeenkomst wordt georganiseerd. In zekere mate is dit de 'schaduwconferentie' van de veel grootschaliger International Conference on the History of Freemasonry, en kan ze wel worden gezien als de opvolger van de ter ziele gegane jaarlijkse Canonbury Conference (de website canonbury.ac.uk bestaat intussen niet meer). De ECMS wordt niet rechtstreeks vanuit de academische wereld georganiseerd, maar wel door verschillende Europese Grootloges en onderzoeksloges. Een onafhankelijk werkend academisch comité garandeert het wetenschappelijk gehalte van de bijeenkomst. Vorige editie vond plaats in Bayreuth, in maçonnieke kringen bekend om het vrijmetselaarsmuseum dat er zich bevindt en de internationaal bekende onderzoeksloge Quatuor Coronati - Freimaurerische Forschungsgemeinschaft (In andere kringen is Bayreuth om bijkomende redenen bekend). Een bespreking daarvan werd opgenomen in het juni-nummer van 2012 van The Square. The independent Magazine for Freemasons, p.71:

Het thema van de 2014-editie is vrijmetselarij en natievorming, met klemtoon op de periode 1790-1830. De call for papers, die op 30 september 2013 wordt afgesloten, bevindt zich hieronder:

Call for Papers: 4^th European Conference on Masonic Studies (ECMS) Manchester 12^th - 14^th September 2014: ‘Alle Menschen werden Brueder?’ Freemasonry and the European Community in Stress, 1780-1830

Deadline: 30 September 2013

The 4^th European Conference on Masonic Studies (ECMS) will take place in Manchester from 12^th to 14^th September 2014. Earlier ECMS conferences took place in Vienna (2008), Perugia (2010), and Bayreuth (2012). The ECMS conferences are supported by several European Grand Lodges and research lodges, but they are completely independent from any masonic organisation.

The focus of the Manchester conference addresses the crucial period of transition throughout Europe resulting from the French Revolution, the expansion and fall of the Napoleonic empire, war inflation and the beginnings of industrialisation. It has been termed the ‘sattelzeit’, the saddle-period (Reinhart Koselleck). In many places it witnessed the change from an ‘ancien régime’ to that of the nation-state, from a society of ‘estates’ to a class structure, and to a fresh political consciousness. It saw a re-definition of the relation of church and state, with often a certain loss of control of public life hitherto exercised by the Church. Hence cultural life experienced fundamental changes.

And of course the international state system was reshaped several times. The phrase ‘the European community in stress’ emphasises the accelerated transformations of European societies and of their relationships to one another. In this period freemasonry changed as well: its social structure, its role and impact in the community, its relation to religion, together with its rituals—all underwent fundamental revisions. Due to an increasingly nationalist character, international masonic networks— the transnational relations of Grand Lodges and lodges – on the one hand became more limited, while on the other hand freemasonry has been claimed to be an important element in the emergent globalisation and colonisation of the world by the major European powers, namely the British and the French.

Papers dealing with the changes reflected by freemasonry during this period 1780-1830 are warmly invited. In particular, papers addressing international aspects, or comparing the developments in different parts of Europe, will be especially welcomed. Papers should be in English. The conference will strictly adhere to academic standards. Thus double peer-review will be applied anonymously to all proposals presented to the scientific committee of the conference, the members of which will include Martin Papenheim (Germany), Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire (France),  Andreas Oennerfors (Sweden), Jeffrey Tyssens (Belgium) and Jan Snoek (Netherlands).

Proposals in English should be no longer than about 500 words and sent as a DOC-file to conference@martinpapenheim.com before 30 September 2013.