International conference

Questioning European Values: (Re)Constructions of Europe

Ljubljana, 11 – 13 March 2011

Organized by Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
&
Consortium in Humanities (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania,
Croatia, Slovenia)

Call for papers

The widespread enthusiasm for Europe from the beginning of the 1990s is largely being
replaced by equally widespread resignation. It seems that the European political project is
continuing more on inertia than on genuine political, social, and economic ideas or coherent
programs. At the same time, the social, economic, and political problems that have caused
disappointment and disillusionment among the peoples of Europe are very real and persistent.
We are therefore confronted with a social, political, and economic crisis of Europe on the one
hand, and a crisis of popular political and social imagination on the other, allowing for project
Europe to perpetuate itself despite its increasing lack of political legitimacy and despite the
increase in social ills, which the EU is (if not outright responsible for) at least unable to
remedy.

Specific conference topics

Europe in Media and Public Discourse How is Europe as a political entity and
social agency constructed through mass media and parliamentary discourse? What do the
media coverage and political discussions on European political projects reveal about the
nature and functioning of the EU—and, perhaps more importantly, what do they downplay
and exclude? How does the public image of Europe encode, present, and/or distort its policies
and its structure?
Europe, the Welfare State, and Neoliberalism On the one hand, the EU presents
itself as the continuation and/or even embodiment of Europe's characteristic sensitivity to
issues of social justice and equality but, on the other hand, certain EU measures and policies
actually result in its precise opposite. The EU seems to be caught in crossfire of demands
from multinational corporations and financial institutions on the one hand, and its own
peoples on the other. Is there a way out beyond the old choice between the welfare state and
neoliberalism?
A Common European History? In the mobilization rounds for its political project
and enlargements, the EU seems to focus a lot on Europe’s common and glorious history,
while the actual history of Europe is a history of deep and violent ethnic, religious, class and
gender divisions, subjugations, and inequalities. How is this common history (discursively)
(re)constructed and/or invented? Is there a way to come to terms with such history that goes
beyond the paeans to contemporary “multiculturalism” and “celebration of diversity”? Can
European history teach us more than Christian charity and humility, liberal respect for private
property, and superficial tolerance?
Knowledge-based Economy and Knowledge Society The propaganda that followed
in the wake of the Bologna reform promised the rise of the knowledge society and
knowledge-based economy. Actual reforms of the universities involved budget cuts, closing
down certain departments, attempts to privatize the universities, and introducing (or raising)
student fees and credits. Does a knowledge-based economy mean an economy in which
knowledge production is commercialized, commoditized, and standardized? How are these
developments (discursively) legitimized? Is there more to European education than “skill-
enhancement” and “lifelong learning”?
Europe and Democracy Although political threats to democracy have been
successfully eliminated, a new threat has emerged with the development of the EU’s core
project: the single market with a single currency. The new threat to democracy seems to be
economic, wresting control over the most basic and crucial aspects of people’s lives—such as
working conditions and relations, wage policies, and governance of public institutions—away
from democratic supervision and control. Can democracy survive European integration? How
is democracy (discursively) (re)presented to different publics, and for different purposes?

Plenary speakers
Professor Bo Strath, Renvall Institute, University of Helsinki.
Professor Bob Jessop, Department of Sociology, Lancaster University.
Professor Andreas Musolff, School of Language and Communication Studies, University of
East Anglia.
Professor Chris Lorenz, Department of History, VU University, Amsterdam.
Professor Jonathan Charteris-Black, Department of English, Linguistics & Communication,
University of the West of England.

Important dates
30 November 2010, abstracts due.
31 December 2010, notification of acceptance.
31 January 2011, all conference fees due (registration fee & accommodation package).
28 February 2011, final program.
11 - 13 March 2011, the conference.

Registration fee
The registration fee is €120 and covers all conference materials, refreshments, and lunches.

Venue
The conference venue will be a recently renovated three star City Hotel, located at the city
center. City Hotel will provide a special room discount for conference participants for a
limited number of rooms.

Oganizers
Programme Comittee
Igor Ž. Žagar, Educational Research Institute & University of Maribor, Slovenia.
Primož Krašovec, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Jef Verschueren, University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Guenther Kress, Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom.
Organizing Comittee
Igor Ž. Žagar, igor.zzagar@gmail.com.
Primož Krašovec, primoz.krasovec@gmail.com (please use this email address for questions
and inquiries regarding the programme).
Sabina Ž. Žnidaršič, sabina.znidarsic4@gmail.com (please use this email address for
organizational, financial, and technical matters and questions).

For all the details, please check the conference website.

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