CFP: Republican ideas in East-Central Europe

Submission deadline: September 15

In recent decades, a growing corpus of literature has emerged on the history of republicanism. It is well established in the scholarship that the tradition is far from monolithic – for instance, there are important differences between the Italian, Atlantic, French, and German traditions. However, there has been far less appreciation of the specific features of the republican traditions in East-Central Europe (ECE). An intriguing corpus of literature has emerged on these traditions, such as those in the Balkans, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Hungary, and the Czech Lands, not to mention the Novgorod Republic. Nevertheless, in Western historiographical literature, republican ideals in these semi-peripheral regions are standardly viewed as mere imitations of the Atlantic model. Our conference, organized jointly by Ludovika University of Public Service (Budapest) and Charles University (Prague), welcomes papers that explore the question of whether there are any specific characteristics to the republican traditions of the ECE region. 

There is a link between Western and ECE variants of republican thinking to the extent that there are a number of ancient and early modern sources that are commonly appealed to in both regions. At the same time, republicanism in ECE is associated with local struggles for national self-determination, political independence, and is often characterized by an anti-imperial tone. Most important perhaps is the fact that ideas about local cultural identity strongly influence the conceptions of civic virtue employed by Eastern republican thinkers. This has led to specific modes for adapting classical republican concepts to the particular political context in the region.

In recent decades, a growing corpus of literature has emerged on the history of republicanism. It is well established in the scholarship that the tradition is far from monolithic – for instance, there are important differences between the Italian, Atlantic, French, and German traditions. However, there has been far less appreciation of the specific features of the republican traditions in East-Central Europe (ECE). An intriguing corpus of literature has emerged on these traditions, such as those in the Balkans, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Hungary, and the Czech Lands, not to mention the Novgorod Republic. Nevertheless, in Western historiographical literature, republican ideals in these semi-peripheral regions are standardly viewed as mere imitations of the Atlantic model. Our conference, organized jointly by Ludovika University of Public Service (Budapest) and Charles University (Prague), welcomes papers that explore the question of whether there are any specific characteristics to the republican traditions of the ECE region. 

There is a link between Western and ECE variants of republican thinking to the extent that there are a number of ancient and early modern sources that are commonly appealed to in both regions. At the same time, republicanism in ECE is associated with local struggles for national self-determination, political independence, and is often characterized by an anti-imperial tone. Most important perhaps is the fact that ideas about local cultural identity strongly influence the conceptions of civic virtue employed by Eastern republican thinkers. This has led to specific modes for adapting classical republican concepts to the particular political context in the region.

We welcome papers exploring the history of ECE republican traditions fromt he 17th to the 20th centuries, as well as theoretical approaches. The following subjects will reciveve special focus: 

- Key Concepts

- Conceptual and methodological approaches to republicanism

- The idea of freedom as non-domination in the context of the ECE republicanism

- Republicanism, monarchism and imperialism

- Republicanism as an anti-totalitarian/authoritarian tradition

- Republicanism, constitutional traditions, and constitutional design

- Republicanism, municipalism, local government and civic associations

Political Community

- Republicanism, nation-building, and the common tradition of uprisings, insurrections, and freedom fights

- Republican opposition to Habsburg, Russian, Prussian and Ottoman imperial rule

- Republicanism and communalism of the ‘old bourgeoisie’ (altes Bürgertum) and its cities

- Republicanism and the parliamentary tradition

- The relationship between republicanism, patriotism, and nationalism

- Republicanism and the formation of the old and new nation-states in the early 20th century

- Republicanism and the military

- ECE republicans and the market economy

Variations and Roots

- Cultural transfers between East-Central European, Atlantic, Italian, and Franco-German forms of republicanism

- Republicanism and the common heritage of classical Greece and Rome?

- Republicanism in the Habsburg lands from the 17th to the 20th century

- Transition from classical to modern republican political language

- Elite and popular discourses and forms of republicanism

- The case and legacy of “noble” or “aristocratic republicanism” (Poland, Hungary)

- Labour, peasant, and radical republicanism in ECE

- The republican moments of the pre-March period and 1848

- Republican ideas and the persistence of long traditions in the era of regime change and post-communism