Social Stereotypes and History

Social Stereotypes and History

Veranstalter
German Historical Institute London
Veranstaltungsort
17 Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2NJ
Ort
London
Land
United Kingdom
Vom - Bis
28.10.2005 - 29.10.2005
Deadline
20.10.2005
Von
Matthias Reiß

Historians have for a long time studied national, racist and religious stereotypes to understand and explain the mental background of peoples’ actions in the past. Social stereotypes, however, defined as a widespread image of a particular group in society, have so far attracted little attention within the historical profession. In contrast, the concept of social stereotypes has been intensively researched and developed within the discipline of social psychology.

This conference will discuss the question whether social stereotypes can help historians to understand the linkage between mentalities and social practices in the past. In contrast to being just misguided and prejudiced notions of reality, social psychologists now hold that stereotypes do not have to be derogative per se and that they fulfil certain functions for the individual, social groups and society at large. Stereotypes reduce an increasingly complex reality into manageable parts to which people act and to which they expect the other person to react.

Among the questions to be discussed at the conference are why and how social stereotypes were formed, how and by whom they were defined and sustained, and what their functions and consequences were and still are. This includes the question to what degree stereotypical notions of groups in society have defined areas of historical research. Finally, does the analytical category of social stereotypes offer insights other categories fail to do, and where are the particular advantages as well as weaknesses of this concept?

Programm

28 October 2005

14:00-14:20 Coffee / Tea in the Common Room
14:20-14:30 Welcome
Prof Hagen Schulze (London)
Dr Matthias Reiss (London)

14:30-15:00 Keynote
Victoria Mather, Author of the “Social Stereotypes” Column in the Telegraph Magazine.

15:00-15:45 Theoretical Introduction
Prof Russell Spears (Cardiff)

15:45-16:15 Coffee / Tea in the Common Room

16:15-17:30 Section I: The Working World I
Chair: Prof Andreas Gestrich (Trier)

Prof Carolyn Steedman (Warwick): The Domestic Servant

Prof Alun Howkins (Sussex): The Agricultural Labourer

17:30-17:45 Coffee / Tea in the Common Room

17:45-19:00 Section II: The Working World II
Chair: Prof Hans Henning Hahn (Oldenburg)

Sabine Biebl (Munich): White-Collar Worker

Candace Benefiel (College Station, TX): The Librarian

29 October 2005

09:30-11:15 Section III: The Father
Chair: Prof Christoph Conrad (Geneva)

Dr Jürgen Martschukat (Hamburg): USA

Prof John Tosh (Roehampton): Great Britain

Dr Till van Rahden (Cologne): Germany

11:15-11:45 Coffee / Tea in the Common Room

11:45-13:00 Section IV: Ranks of Society
Chair: Dr Alex Zukas (San Diego, CA)

Dr Karina Urbach (London): The Aristocrat

Prof Andreas Fahrmeir (Cologne): The Bourgeois

13:00-14:00 Lunch

14:00-15:15 Section V: Crime and Punishment
Chair: Prof David Taylor (Huddersfield)

Dr Anja Johansen (Dundee): The Policeman

Prof Peter Becker (Florence): The Criminal

15:15-15:45 Final Comment
Prof Ute Frevert (New Haven, CT)

Kontakt

Matthias Reiß

German Historical Institute London
17 Bloomsbury Square
London WC1A 2NJ

0044 20 7309 2050
0044 20 7404 5573
reiss@ghil.ac.uk

http://www.ghil.ac.uk/ConferenceReiss3.html
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