[H-verkko] CFP: Spaces, Languages, Time: the 15th International Conference on the History of Concepts

[agricola at utu.fi]

Agricolan Artikkelipyyntötietokantaan
( http://agricola.utu.fi/nyt/pyynnot/ )
on tullut seuraava ilmoitus:

Spaces, Languages, Time: the 15th International Conference on the
History of Concepts

Helsinki, 23–25 August 2012
The conference is organised by the History of Political and Social
Concepts Group and the Centre for Nordic Studies at the University of
Helsinki

Call for Papers


The history of concepts has established itself as a scholarly
movement in which language is regarded both as a mirror of historical
change as well as an engine for making change happen. Analyses of the
use of particular concepts for extended periods of time as well as
the scrutiny of rhetoric in individual speech acts have proven to be
useful for scholars in history, political science, sociology,
linguistics, translation studies and law, among other academic
fields.

Recent scholarship in the history of concepts has increasingly
focused on spatial dimensions of conceptual change. Studies comparing
uses of concepts in different settings, studies of transfers and
translations of particular concepts, as well as studies examining the
appropriation of political and social concepts to particular national
or regional political cultures, have all contributed to opening up
this field of enquiry. They have highlighted a conspicuous need for
better understandings of how spatio-cultural asymmetries affect the
use of political language in regions perceived as more or less
influential, how particular historical agents have used different
spaces of communication in their deployment of concepts, and how
political and social concepts have crossed linguistic, cultural and
national borders.

The analysis of concepts entering different languages – be these
scholarly, political or other linguistic communities that in a sense
have their own conceptual universe – may challenge the notion of
language altogether. In multi-lingual environments, for instance,
different natural languages have often served different functions in
society. This directly points to questions of how different functions
of languages have been affected by the introduction of new concepts. A
focus on how concepts are transformed, as well as how new concepts
trigger transformations in the culture they enter when introduced to
a new linguistic community, may well showcase the asymmetrical
relation between different languages.

The spatio-cultural dimensions of conceptual change are not void of
temporal properties. The outcomes of the introduction of new
political or social concepts to a particular language may have varied
effects depending on the level of receptiveness within a linguistic
community at a given time. Regional asynchronicities in the use of
concepts have played a role for individual agents as a way of timing
the introduction, redefinition or redescription of particular
concepts. A better understanding of the asynchronicities at play when
addressing the spatial dimensions of conceptual change may well be one
of the outcomes of an increased focus on cross-national,
cross-continental, and even global studies in the history of
concepts.

The 15th Conference of the History of Political and Social Concepts
Group welcomes both empirical and theoretical interventions which
will provide new insights on the spatial dimensions of conceptual
change, asymmetrical and asynchronic relations in the use of
concepts, as well as new viewpoints on how an emphasis on space may
guide us to further our understanding of the role of language in
historical change. As with earlier conferences, it also welcomes
suggestions for panels and papers that in general deal with empirical
or theoretical enquiries in wider fields of   conceptual history.

The conference organisers welcome paper proposals on the following
themes, but also welcome suggestions for additional panels, as well
as for individual papers in the history of concepts, that fall
outside the scope of these themes.

    1. Spatial Dimensions of Conceptual Change: Asymmetries and
Asynchronicities
    2. Conceptualisations of Language
    3. Theories of and Methods in the History of Concepts
    4. Global Conceptual History
    5. Concepts of Civil Society
    6. Conceptualisations of Citizenship
    7. Conceptual Change and Processes of Vernacularisation
    8. Conceptualisations of Historical Regions:
    From Latin America to Norden and Central-East Europe to
South-East Asia
    9. Conceptual Change and Scarcity of Time 

Scholars interested in presenting a paper are kindly asked to submit
a one-page abstract (max. 400 words). Abstracts should be sent to
Prof. Martin J. Burke (MBurke1 at gc.cuny.edu). Please include full
contact information and indicate to which panel the paper is
suggested. If the pre-supposed panels are not applicable, applicants
may contribute with suggestions. Exact panel titles will be decided
upon after papers have been accepted.


The deadline for paper and panel proposals is February 1st, 2012.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent on or about February 27th,
2012.

See http://www.hpscg.org for more information on key-note speakers,
accommodation and venues in the coming weeks. 

------------------------------------------------------
Ilmoituksen lähetti: Jani Marjanen <jani.marjanen at helsinki.fi>
Ilmoitus vanhentuu: 02.02.2012
Lisätietoja WWW-osoitteesta: http://www.hpscg.org/node/2089