On 20 and 21 October, the conference "Reconstructed pasts: the manipulation of historical references in the contemporary discourse on democracy", organised by the University of Burgundy, will take place in a hybrid form.
Most of the lectures will be in French. The objectives of the conference will focus on the political and ideological uses of historical reference points, and the debate will be based on the following questions:
What functions do these references serve? Who (what groups, movements, etc.) use them? How are they used? What types of arguments are deployed? What discursive strategies are drawn on? What are the motives underpinning the evocation of historical events? Might they be used to denounce threats to democracy? To highlight its flaws? To explain current phenomena? To engage the public? In what contexts are these references to past events used? Is there a link with certain types of events? Do these discourses on democracy have an emotional/emotive dimension? To what extent is history revised and (often) redacted according to specific interests? What does recourse to the past reveal about conceptions of democracy, and about the construction and the evolution of collective memory in the societies under study?
The study of these phenomena in different national contexts should also enable researchers to determine the impact of specific experiences on the choice of references and political uses of the past, and to identify similar strategies and elements in different discourses.
You can consult the programme at the following link.
For registration, please contact Marine Paquereau.
