Ce colloque trilingue (français, anglais, breton) souhaite aborder les migrations des populations celtiques en s’interrogeant sur la manière dont l’identité, étudiée ici sous l’angle de la religion, des croyances, des langues, des coutumes, des pratiques artistiques, des modes de vie, a pu évoluer au contact d’un nouveau contexte géographique, social et climatique. Comment ces changements de territoire ont-ils affecté cette facette de l’identité et fait évoluer l’identité religieuse de ces groupes ? Entre conservation, modification, échange, abandon ou perte, comment les populations celtiques ont-elles géré leur(s) langue(s), leur mode de vie, leurs traditions sur un territoire étranger ?

Argument

In 278 B.C., Central European Celtic groups traveled to Asia Minor before settling in Anatolia. This population, known as the Galatians, is thought to be the first documented Celtic community engaged in a migration. As centuries went by, the territory occupied by the Celtic peoples shrank considerably under pressure and influence from the Roman Empire and, later, the Germanic peoples.

Over the course of a few hundred years, Celtic peoples went from a third-century B.C. peak that saw them living on a territory ranging from the Atlantic Ocean to the Balkans, and from Scotland to the Iberian peninsula, to the British Isles and a small portion of Brittany, mostly on its western coastline. As the Roman Empire collapsed, Celtic peoples remained confined on the Islands except for one group of settlers travelling to what is now known as the French Bretagne.

For more than a thousand years, Celtic societies such as the Irish, the Scottish, the Welsh, the Bretons and the Cornish lived steadily on these lands. It is only in the 18th century and mostly in the 19th century that a new wave of migrations occurred. Whether for social, religious or economic reasons, a great number of these Europeans decided to move to North and South America, as well as Australia.

History has witnessed many movements of Celtic populations leaving their homeland to settle far away from their point of origin. Each of these large-scale events is accompanied by a reflection on Celtic identity as it faces a new land and its realities.

This international conference wishes to address Celtic identities as they are transformed, transmitted, modified, abandoned or defended by various populations in different settings. More precisely, religious practices, languages, artistic practices, lifestyles, traditions and beliefs will be studied through the transformations or stability triggered by new geographical, social and climatic environments. How did these new surroundings impact on these aspects of Celtic identities? How did Celtic populations deal with the changes, both positive and negative, brought on by relocating to foreign lands ?

The emphasis will be placed on movement and exchanges between Europe and America, with other aspects of Celtic migration in history taken into consideration. Contributions from all fields of studies will be examined, as a multidisciplinary approach involving History, Literature, Linguistics, Musicology, Religious Studies and others should provide a rich and dynamic discussion on this topic.

Submission guidelines

Paper proposals are expected before May 31th, 2016

and must be submited through the conference website : http://mitecelt.sciencesconf.org/

Questions regarding the conference and the venue can be addressed to : Dr Geneviève Pigeon: pigeon.genevieve@uqam.ca

This conference is open to everyone; however, PhD students and early-career researchers are warmly encouraged to submit a proposal.

Organizing Committee

• Gaël Hily (CRBC Rennes 2), Docteur en littératures celtiques médiévales et histoire des religions - EPHE, Paris., Chercheur associé au CRBC Rennes 2.
• Erwan Hupel (CRBC Rennes 2), Docteur en celtique, Maître de conférences en langue et littérature bretonnes, membre du CRBC Rennes 2.
• Geneviève Pigeon (CRBC Rennes 2/Brest -UQÀM), Ph.D. Sciences des religions. Chargée de cours à l'Université du Québec à Montréal, chercheur associé au CRBC Rennes 2.

Scientific Committee

• Gwendal Denis (Université Rennes 2 - CRBC R2)
• Gaël Hily (CRBC R2)
• Erwan Hupel (Université Rennes 2 - CRBC R2)
• Philippe Jarnoux (Université de Bretagne Occidentale - CRBC Brest)
• Michael Linkletter (Saint Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, Canada)
• Herve Le Bihan (Université Rennes 2 - AOROC)
• Geneviève Pigeon (Université du Québec à Montréal, Québec, Canada)
• Claude Sterckx (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgique)