Call for Papers - Jahrestagung 2012
“The Emergence of Humanitarian Intervention. Concepts and Practices in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries” (Annual Meeting of the Arbeitskreis Historische Friedensforschung)
Veranstalter: Dr. Fabian Klose (LMU München) in co-operation with the Arbeitskreis Historische Friedensforschung (Professor Jost Dülffer, Köln, und Dr. Holger Nehring, Sheffield)Datum, Ort: 25 October to 27 October 2012, Munich
Deadline: 30 September 2011
Annual Meeting 2012 of the Arbeitskreis Historische Friedensforschung: “The Emergence of Humanitarian Intervention. Concepts and Practices in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries”
Call for Papers:
The issue of “humanitarian intervention“ stands, especially given NATO’s recent involvement in the civil war in Libya, high on the agenda of international politics. Since the end of the Cold War this kind of intervention has established itself in the sphere of international diplomacy. Starting from the creation of safe havens for Kurdish refugees in Iraq in 1991 and following the UN interventions in Somalia and former Yugoslavia in 1992 one key question has, repeatedly been raised and controversially discussed: is it legitimate to protect humanitarian norms and universal human rights by military force?
Scholars of international law and political science have already discussed this issue at some length, mainly focusing on the cases of intervention in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The aim of the annual meeting of the Arbeitskreis Historische Friedensforschung is to historicize the phenomena of enforcing humanitarian norms by military means. Historians will discuss this topic in a broader interdisciplinary dialogue with legal scholars,philosophers and political scientists. Apart from case studies relating to the twentieth century, the conference will also focus explicitly on developments in the nineteenth century in order to investigate the historical origins of humanitarian intervention and to link the experiences of two centuries of “enforcing humanity”.
Exploring the intersection of international law, international relations and the history of humanitarianism as well as of human rights the conference will be organized along four leading questions:
- Which concepts, actors, practices and historical developments of humanitarian intervention can be identified in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?
- Where do the philosophical and legal origins of enforcing humanitarian norms by military means lie?
- Which role has the mobilization of public opinion played in the decision for and against humanitarian intervention?
- What has the relationship between the humanitarian justification to protect and the interest of power politics to interfere in sovereignty rights of states been? Which chances and risks are implied in the concept of humanitarian intervention?
We expect that the proceedings of the conference will be published in English as part of the series “Frieden und Krieg” (Klartext, Essen) that is published in co-operation with the Arbeitskreis Historische Friedensforschung, subject to passing the usual peer review process. The conference will take place in Munich. Expenses for travel and accommodation will be covered.
If you are interested in participating at the conference, please send a brief abstract of your proposed paper (no longer than 500 words) and a short CV including information about your ongoing research project and related publications under the heading “The Emergence of Humanitarian Intervention” to the conference organiser at the following e-mail address not later than September 30, 2011.
Fabian.Klose@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Dr. Fabian Klose, Historisches Seminar der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 München.