HomeThe Ends of History. Apocalypse and Palingenesis in historical thought and political action (Europe-America, 19th-21st centuries)

The Ends of History. Apocalypse and Palingenesis in historical thought and political action (Europe-America, 19th-21st centuries)

Les fins de l’histoire. Apocalypse et palingénésie dans la pensée historique et l’action politique (Europe-Amérique, XIXe-XXIe siècles)

Los finales de la historia. Apocalipsis y palingenesia en el pensamiento histórico y la acción política (Europa-América, siglos XIX-XXI)

Revue « Amnis »

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Published on Wednesday, September 08, 2021

Abstract

The journal Amnis is intended as a space for interdisciplinary discussion on "The Ends of History. Apocalypse and Palingenesis in historical thought and political action (Europe and America, 19th-21st centuries)". This issue seeks to explore the ends (eschatology or apocalypse) and new beginnings (palingenesis) of history.

Announcement

Coordinators

Rodrigo Díaz Maldonado, Aix-Marseille Université et Ricardo Ledesma Alonso, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Argument

Just as every history book always contains an ideological dimension, all social and political movements imply a contract with history, an implicit connection that links the present action to an image of the past that the action itself is intended to reject or continue. This political use of the past assumes that history has a purpose (redemption, progress, order, freedom, social justice, etc.), and it also assumes that it is possible to start again if the path has gone wrong.

Naturally, secular visions of apocalypse and palingenesis of the historical process often flourish in times marked by major conflicts or problems. Today we can find them not only in the mass media and popular representations but also in the most elaborate political and academic discourses from all the ideological tendencies. Consider, for example, the nationalist/populist movements that have in the past and today spread on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite their obvious divergences, which in many cases place them at the opposite extremes of the traditional ideological spectrum, these manifestations share an eschatological vision of history and pose their ascent to power as a kind of national renaissance. The philosophies of history they present, elementary and often based on abusive uses of historical memory, are nevertheless very effective in mobilising vast political forces. Thus, the concrete actions of particular political groups are usually followed by historical justifications elaborated by their respective intellectual quarters. These versions are almost immediately refuted by their opponents, shaping in this way the public debate. Despite their appearance, these are not discussions about factual history, its methods or the notion of historical truth, or even about the memory of different groups claiming different values. Actually, they are about divergent and incommensurable notions of the course and purpose of history as a whole; a conflict between visions of history that pre-exist all real evidence. Hence the irresolvable and strident character of contemporary historical debates and the progressive radicalisation of their protagonists. We believe, therefore, that the notion of a historical finality is not, as many authors have thought, a relic of the past on the verge of extinction. On the contrary, its widespread presence, for better and worse, indicates that it remains a fundamental element in understanding the political and cultural development of contemporary Western societies.

Consequently, the 20th issue of the journal Amnis is intended as a space for interdisciplinary discussion on "The Ends of History. Apocalypse and Palingenesis in historical thought and political action (Europe and America, 19th-21st centuries)". Under the direction of Rodrigo Díaz Maldonado (Aix-Marseille Université) and Ricardo Ledesma Alonso (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), this issue seeks to explore the ends (eschatology or apocalypse) and new beginnings (palingenesis) of history. We aim to assess the influence of these notions, or their equivalents, both in political and social action, as well as in intellectual history, from the 19th century to the present in Europe and America.

Lines of research

  1.  Crisis and renaissance in social movements
  2. Inventing the Future: political discourse and the purpose of history
  3. The ends of history and the construction of national communities
  4. The Origins and the Promised Land in historical and political discussions
  5. Political and social radicalism and the construction of the historical process
  6. Religious movements: political action and uses of the past
  7. Secular messianisms: political leaders and historical manipulation
  8. Apocalypse and Palingenesis in the media
  9. Saving the people: redemption, progress, freedom and justice
  10. Prophets of extremities: intellectuals and the end of history
  11. Political manipulation of history and the memory politics
  12. Death and rebirth of historical meta-narratives

Submission guidelines

Proposals for articles (30 lines) can be written in French, English or Spanish. They should be submitted (with a Curriculum Vitae) before 15 December 2021 to the following address: amnis@revues.org. Accepted articles must be received by 15 June 2022 at the latest. Following submission to the journal’s scientific committee and two external reviewers, the articles will be published on the journal’s website in 2022.

Scientific committee

  • Angel Alcalde, University of Melbourne, Australie, Histoire.
  • Óscar Álvarez Gila, Universidad del País Vasco, (Vitoria), Espagne, Histoire.
  • Sylvie Aprile, Université de Paris-Ouest Nanterre, France, Histoire.
  • Avner Ben-Amos, Université de Tel-Aviv, Israël, Histoire.
  • Zoraida Carandell, Université de Paris-Ouest Nanterre, France, Littérature et culture espagnoles.
  • Martine Chalvet, Aix Marseille Université, France, Histoire.
  • Paulo Bernardo Ferreira Vaz, Universidad Federal de minas Gerais, (Belo Horizonte), Brésil, Communication Sociale.
  • Alec G Hargreaves, Florida State University (Tallahassee), Director Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, Etats-Unis, Littérature française et études francophones.
  • Pierre-Cyrille Hautcœur, EHESS, École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris), France, Sciences Economiques.
  • Jérôme Jamin, Université de Liège, Belgique, Sciences politiques.
  • Gerd Krumeich, Université de Düsseldorf, Allemagne, Histoire.
  • Stéphane Michonneau, Université de Lille, France, Histoire.
  • Ellen McCracken, UCSB, (University of California Santa Barbara), Etats-Unis, Littérature et etudes culturelles latino-américaines.
  • Mónica Moreno Seco, Universidad de Alicante, Espagne, Histoire.
  • Edilma Osorio Pérez Flor, Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y Rurales, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombie, Sociologie, Anthropologie.
  • Maitane Ostolaza, Université Paris Sorbonne, France, Civilisation espagnole.
  • Manuelle Peloille, Université d’Angers, France, Civilisation espagnole.
  • Alejandro M. Rabinovich, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de La Pampa (UNLPam), Argentine, Histoire.
  • Mario Ranalletti, Instituto de estudios históricos, Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero, Argentine, Histoire.
  • Jean-Robert Raviot, Université de Nanterre (Paris X), France, Civilisation russe.
  • Philippe Schaffhauser, Centro de Estudios Rurales. Colegio de Michoacán, Mexique, Sociologie et anthropologie sociale et culturelle.
  • Pierre Schoentjes, Université de Gand, Belgique, Littérature française.
  • Leonard V. Smith, Oberlin College (Ohio), Etats-Unis, Histoire.
  • Taline Ter Minassian, INALCO, (Paris), France, Histoire.
  • Dominic Thomas, UCLA, (University of California Los Angeles), Etats-Unis, études culturelles et politiques des mondes francophones.
  • Amarela Varela Huerta, Academia de Comunicación y Cultura, Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, Mexique, Sociologie.
  • Luis Veres, Universidad de Valencia, Espagne, Littérature latino-américaine.

Date(s)

  • Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Keywords

  • histoire, identité, nationalisme, apocalypse, palingenèse

Contact(s)

  • Severiano Rojo Hernandez
    courriel : severiano [dot] rojohernandez [at] univ-amu [dot] fr

Information source

  • Severiano Rojo Hernandez
    courriel : severiano [dot] rojohernandez [at] univ-amu [dot] fr

License

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

To cite this announcement

« The Ends of History. Apocalypse and Palingenesis in historical thought and political action (Europe-America, 19th-21st centuries) », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Wednesday, September 08, 2021, https://doi.org/10.58079/174a

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