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Marc Bloch in Brazil. History and Social Sciences

Marc Bloch no Brasil. História e Ciências Sociais

Marc Bloch au Brésil. Histoire et sciences sociales

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Published on Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Abstract

The conference proposes a critical reflection on the work and legacy of Marc Bloch (1886–1944), a central figure in historical studies as a social science. His path as a medievalist, co-founder of the Annales, and committed intellectual reveals an interdisciplinary and transnational approach that remains highly relevant today. The event aims to explore the reception of his ideas and their impact on the human and social sciences, bringing together history, theory, and political engagement.

Announcement

São Paulo – May 6, 7, and 8, 2026

Argument

Why a conference on Marc Bloch in Brazil?

In a country where university-level teaching of history is deeply influenced by historiographical studies, and where the Annales School, among other currents in the humanities and social sciences, has played and continues to play a central role, Marc Bloch (1886–1944) remains an essential reference. At the same time, the field of medieval studies in Brazil has experienced remarkable and diverse development over recent decades, making it even more relevant to critically revisit Marc Bloch’s work—as a medievalist and cofounder of the journal Annales—as well as to evaluate, from a historical and historiographical perspective, the reverberations, critiques, and transformations of his preferred themes in historical research in Brazil and beyond.

However, Marc Bloch’s importance transcends disciplinary and geographic boundaries. His work stands as an example of the international circulation of ideas, methods, and historiographical debates, while also deeply reflecting the transnational flows of intellectuals and researchers. His academic and personal trajectory was marked by exchanges with various historiographical traditions and by thought constructed in constant dialogue with different disciplines. His interdisciplinary approach—connecting history, sociology, anthropology, and economics—remains a fundamental reference for the study of past and present societies.

The relevance of Marc Bloch today is not limited to the study of his historiographical work. His thought, deeply tied to the intellectual and political context of his time; his service as a soldier and resistance fighter in both world wars; and his tragic execution by the Nazis on June 16, 1944—all contribute to endowing his trajectory with a unique intellectual and human dimension. Moreover, the reception and appropriation of his work in various national contexts highlight the global dynamics of historiographical ideas and their adaptation to local specificities.

This academic meeting aims to foster new reflections and research on the multiple facets of Marc Bloch’s work and his study topics, as well as his influence and reception in the field of the human and social sciences to this day. The proposal is to explore his contribution as a medieval historian, a theorist of history and society, and an engaged intellectual who positioned himself actively as a witness of his time. The event seeks to promote an interdisciplinary and international debate on his work, emphasizing both the historiographical dialogues it has inspired and the contemporary challenges to his legacy.

Proposals for papers should fall within one of the following thematic areas:

Historiography and theory of history

  • Marc Bloch’s contributions to historical method and the science of history;
  • The construction of a model of history as a social science;
  • The relationship between history and the other social sciences, such as sociology, anthropology, and economics;
  • The concept of “problem-history” and the comparative approach in historical analysis;
  • Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre: Annales and other historiographical currents;
  • Marc Bloch and the formal quality of his books: a model of historiographical writing;
  • History as a science of the present, Marc Bloch, and contemporary history;
  • Errors, forgeries, misunderstandings, and hallucinations as historical material;
  • The relevance of Bloch’s thought in the face of contemporary challenges such as disinformation and the manipulation of the past.

Economic and social history of the Middle Ages

  • The concept of feudalism and medieval social and economic structures;
  • Land, production, and labor dynamics in the medieval centuries;
  • The role of Christianity, the Church, and mental representations in the understanding of medieval social organization;
  • Class relations between lords and peasants and the formation of ties of dependency;
  • The interdisciplinary approach in the analysis of medieval societies;
  • Other research themes of Marc Bloch: “popular” art, “medieval inventions,” etc.

The historian and the citizen

  • History as a tool for understanding the present and the historian’s social responsibility;
  • The role of the historian in society and Marc Bloch’s intellectual commitment;
  • The circulation of intellectuals and the impact of war experiences on historical writing;
  • The influence of l’Étrange Défaite as both testimony and historical analysis of its time;
  • Bloch’s experience in the First and Second World Wars and his participation in the French Resistance.

The reception of Marc Bloch’s work

  • The interdisciplinary reception of his work and its dialogue with other fields of knowledge;
  • The relationship between Bloch and the French sociological school as a paradigm of transdisciplinary cooperation;
  • The influence of his methodology and approaches on the development of historiography;
  • Appropriations, critiques, and reinterpretations of Bloch in national and international academic studies;
  • The introduction and diffusion of Marc Bloch’s ideas in Brazil, the Americas, and Europe;
  • The translations of his works and their impact on history teaching.

This conference is an initiative promoted by Suzette Bloch, granddaughter of Marc Bloch, and takes place in the context of his induction into the Panthéon, announced by the President of the French Republic in November 2024.

We invite researchers and scholars to contribute to this academic debate, reaffirming the relevance of Marc Bloch’s thought and his importance to history as a science and as a commitment to society.

Submission of proposals

Paper proposals must include a title, an abstract of up to 300 words, and a brief biography of the author (approximately 150 words). Proposals should be scientifically well-grounded. Submissions must be sent to the email address of the congress organizing committee: mbb2026sp@gmail.com

by September 1, 2025.

Languages: Portuguese, French, English, Spanish

Material conditions

Travel and accommodation expenses in São Paulo will be the responsibility of the participants. However, the event’s organizing committee will offer three grants for young researchers—including PhD candidates as well as PhD holders who defended their thesis from 2019 onwards. The grant application must be submitted along with the paper proposal and should include the date of the first PhD enrollment, the date of the thesis defense, the university, and the research topic.

Important dates

  • Deadline for submission of proposals: September 1, 2025

  • Notification of acceptance: November 2025
  • Conference dates: May 6, 7, and 8, 2026

Location: Campus of the University of São Paulo (USP)

Invited speakers

Lectures and special participations by Suzette Bloch, Marc-Louis Bloch-Dos Santos, Mário Sérgio Conti, Professors Hilário Franco Jr., Marieta de Moraes Ferreira, Joseph Morsel, Serge Paugam, Lilia Schwarcz…

For more information, please contact: mbb2026sp@gmail.com

Organization

  • Laboratoire de médiévistique occidentale de Paris (LaMOP UMR 8589 – CNRS – Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
  • Mundos em Transição / Mondes en transition (M-TRANS – IRL2034 – CNRS – Universidade de São Paulo)
  • École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)
  • Programa de pós-graduação em História Social da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (PPGHIS-UFRJ)
  • Programa de pós-graduação de História Social da Universidade de São Paulo (PPGHS -USP)

Organizing Committee

  • Suzette Bloch
  • François-Michel Le Tourneau
  • Eliana Magnani
  • Serge Paugam

Scientific Committee

  • Eduardo Henrik Aubert (USP – FFLCH – Departamento de Letras Clássicas e Vernáculas)
  • Mário Jorge da Motta Bastos (UFF – Departamento de História)
  • Suzette Bloch
  • Felipe Brandi (Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Portugal)
  • Flavio de Campos (USP – FFLCH – Departamento de História) 
  • Márcia Consolim (UNIFESP)
  • Gabriel Castanho (UFRJ – Instituto de História)
  • François-Michel Le Tourneau (CNRS – M-TRANS)
  • Eliana Magnani (CNRS – LaMOP)
  • Fernando Nicolazzi (UFRGS – LUPPA)
  • Serge Paugam (CNRS – EHESS)
  • Miguel Palmeira (USP – FFLCH – Departamento de História)
  • Maria Cristina Pereira (USP – FFLCH – Departamento de História)
  • Raquel Weiss (UFRGS)

Places

  • Universidade de São Paulo
    Sao Paolo, Brazil

Event attendance modalities

Full on-site event


Date(s)

  • Monday, September 01, 2025

Keywords

  • Marc Bloch, História, Ciências Sociais, Histoire, Sciences Sociales, History, Social Sciences

Reference Urls

Information source

  • Eliana Magnani
    courriel : bucema [dot] contact [at] gmail [dot] com

License

CC0-1.0 This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

To cite this announcement

Eliana Magnani, « Marc Bloch in Brazil. History and Social Sciences », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, https://doi.org/10.58079/145et

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