Centre d'Histoire de Sciences Po - Paris

Call for papers

COLD WARRIORS
The Cultural Avant-Garde of the Bipolar Struggle

Sciences Po, Paris

November 26-27, 2015

For most of the second part of the twentieth century, geopolitical issues remained at the
center of the historiographical debate on the Cold War. Culture and ideology, however, have
gained more and more attention in recent historiography. New emphasis has been placed on
the role of ideas and language, as well as on the agency of specific individual and collective
actors. In this perspective, the concept of the Cold Warrior appears crucial. Generally used to
refer to governments officials who were directly involved in the policymaking process, the
notion expands here to encompass all those thinkers actively engaged in the definition of the
nature of the bipolar struggle and the means necessary to wage it. At the same time products
and agents of decades of divisive experiences of politics, they built antithetical, antagonistic,
and more or less belligerent Weltanschauungen, often acting as cultural avant-garde of the West-
East confrontation. Their role was twofold: on the one hand, they had to define a common
image of the enemy; on the other, they had to construct their own side's self-representation
and self-legitimation.

Although this kind of historical analysis remains defined by the chronological boundaries of
the Cold War, the study of these embedded ideologists could be inserted in a broader
temporal dimension, as the confrontational dynamics that they contributed to set in motion
and the discursive categories they produced transcend traditional categorizations.

The two-day conference will focus on the personal paths of a number of political,
intellectual and institutional protagonists of the cultural struggle between the two blocs. Their
common denominator, far from being defined by geography or profession, will lay in their
willingness to engage with the ideological context of the Cold War and in their ability to
shape it. An important theme will thus remain the analysis of the relationship between the
intellectual and political power. The conference will bring together different case studies and
interpretations from both sides of the Iron Curtain, seeking possible syntheses and new
interpretations. Critiques of bipolarism, and the elaboration of non-aligned or neutral
positions will also be taken into account.

We invite proposals of 250-300 words from young researchers (PhD students, post
doctorate and early career researchers). We particularly welcome transnational and
interdisciplinary perspectives. Selected proposals will be divided into three panels with
commentary throughout the two days. Full papers shall be submitted in English and they will
be circulated in advance.

A cocktail reception in the first evening and a light lunch in the second day will be
offered to the participants. Depending of the funds available, some reimbursements for the
expenses could also be provided.

Please send proposals and any enquiries to chsp_cw2015@gmail.com by May 31, 2015.

Organizing committee
Bruno Settis
Gaetano Di Tommaso

Scientific committee
Prof. Jenny Andersson (CEE, Sciences Po)
Prof. Frdric Attal (Universit de Valenciennes)
Prof. Michele Battini (University of Pisa)
Prof. Mario Del Pero (CHSP, Sciences Po)
Prof. Anders Stephanson (LSE-Columbia University)

Keynote speaker
Giles Scott Smith (University of Leiden)