Heroes of the Counter-Revolution

The keynote lecture will be delivered by Carolina Armanteros (Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra – Santo Domingo, República Dominicana), whose many seminal books include The French Idea of History: Joseph de Maistre and his Heirs, 1794–1854 (Cornell UP, 2011) and Joseph de Maistre and his European Readers: From Friedrich von Gentz to Isaiah Berlin (Brill, 2011).

The concept of counter-revolution is as old as the beginning of the French Revolution. It appeared as early as 1789, as a term characterizing the resurgence of royal power against the National Assembly. Later, the royalist rebels of the Vendée were described as counter-revolutionaries. From an etymological perspective, however, the term has far outgrown the events of French history.Roughly speaking, every intellectual or practical manifestation that arose against revolutions was labeled as counter-revolution. The term was most often, of course, used in a negative sense. In Hungary, for example, the communist state party used it to refer to the events of 1956. In this way, it referred to opposition to progress, the defense of an 'old, failed, bad political order,' and the demand for its restoration. Today, however, an internationally intellectual interpretation of the concept of counter-revolution has developed. A rereading of its intellectual representatives has revealed that the term by no means denotes the expression of a morally bad worldview. As a result, nowadays it is much more closely associated with modern conservatism.For our conference, we primarily expect presentations that showcase the work of authors associated with the idea of the counter-revolution. We also welcome innovative interpretations of events understood as counter-revolutionary.

We invite proposals for papers that engage with the following topics, among others:

- Interpretation and presentation of the major or lesser-known works of counter-revolutionary authors

- The counter-revolution in the approach of conceptual history

- The counter-revolution in literature and other artistic dimensions

- Victories and Defeats: The Political Dimensions of the Counter-Revolution

- The Role of Religion in the Ideas of the Counter-Revolution

The conference has no registration fees. For a limited number of participants who cannot benefitfinancial support from their institution, accommodation bursaries may be available. Interestedapplicants should state this clearly in their paper proposals.

Abstracts of 300 words for 20 minute papers should be submitted to [email protected], along with the applicant’s name,a contact email address and a short (max. 200 words) biography.

All applications are welcomed and will be reviewedby the Organising Committee.

Location:

University of Public Service – Ludovika Campus, Wing Building, John Lukacs Lounge

H-1083 Budapest, Ludovika tér 1.