The Claim to Social Resources: A Contested Issue in Trans-Atlantic Perspective 1776 to the Present

Conveners:

Daniel Letwin (Penn State University)
Christof Mauch (German Historical Institute)
Richard Wetzell (University of Maryland)

The German Historical Institute in Washington D.C. invites proposals for a workshop on the distribution of social resources in Europe and the United States since the late-eighteenth century. Ever since the American and French revolutions signaled the emergence of democracy, nationalism, and market capitalism, debate over popular access to a web of material advantages -- including health care, employment, schooling, housing, common space, political power -- has enlivened public discourse on each side of the Atlantic. To what extent are these the birthright of all members of society; to what extent, privileges to be restricted by gender, class, ethnicity, race, or other social distinctions? This question has been contested and resolved in diverse ways across the trans-Atlantic world. At stake have been the meanings of such core revolutionary ideals as freedom, equality, democracy, and solidarity. Our workshop will explore and compare how people of different countries and eras have debated the availability of various social resources. We are especially interested in the range of principles (liberty, equality, rights of citizenship, universal rights, etc.) that have been invoked as a basis for expanding, or curtailing, popular access to such benefits.

The GHI seeks proposals for papers (abstracts of 1-2 pages) that trace significant strands of this wide-ranging theme. Presenters might investigate debate over access to given resources (such as higher education, medical treatment, job training, voting rights) at certain times and places. We especially welcome papers that offer a comparative perspective across countries or periods. The particular subjects addressed in the workshop will depend on the topic clusters that emerge from the submissions.

The workshop, scheduled to meet September 22 to 24, 2000 in Washington D.C., will bring together approximately 12-15 historians and social scientists from both sides of the Atlantic. Proposals (1-2 pp) and a short CV should be submitted by June 15, 2000 to Baerbel Thomas, GHI <bkthomas@idt.net>.

Specific inquiries should be directed to:

Dr. Christof Mauch
Acting Director
GHI
1607 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
<mauch@idt.net>

For more information on the workshop please go to

<http://www.ghi-dc.org/conferences/soccfp.html>


Quelle = Email <H-Soz-u-Kult>

From: "Dan Letwin" (DanLetwin@aol.com)
Subject: CFP: The Claim to Social Resources (GHI) / Washington 09-2000
Date: 02.05.2000


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