We invite presentation proposals for an interdisciplinary conference on ‘Culture, Theology and World War I’, which will be hosted by The Oxford Research Centre for the Humanities (TORCH) on Friday 19 September 2014.
This conference marks the centenary of the so-called Manifesto of the 93 (Aufruf an die Kulturwelt), a famously influential document of leading German intellectuals appealing to the ‘civilized world’ to recognize Germany’s war effort as a noble case of self-defence reluctantly undertaken in the defence of ‘culture’. The consequences for international cultural and academic exchange were significant, and 120 British scholars soon responded with a public counter-statement prominently noted in the New York Times.
Our conference brings together British, German, and American historians, ethicists, and theologians to re-examine the signatories’ intentions in view of the document’s historical setting, the meaning of its appeal to ‘culture’, and the role played by theological motivations.
Although the Aufruf and its responses have over the years been the subject of extensive historical analysis, its centenary in 2014 presents a notable opportunity to revisit certain neglected aspects of its cultural setting, impact and reception.
More specifically we wish to examine the remarkable number and ideological diversity of theologians represented among the signatories, and to probe the extent to which their involvement was shaped or influenced by theological ideas or developments:
- Was the Manifesto’s nationalistic posture the product of 19th-century liberal theology?
- What were the sources and meaning of the underlying presuppositions about ‘culture’?
- How formative was the role played by traditional Lutheran two-kingdom politics?
- Was Catholic (and even Jewish) participation a function of the politics of emancipation or of deeper convictions?
With an eye to subsequent developments, we also welcome papers addressing questions of reception, including:
- The signatories’ own divergent reflections in hindsight (noted by the New York Times as early as 1919),
- The supposed connection with Karl Barth’s post-war attack on liberalism, and
- The manifesto’s effect on the post-war renewal of international collaboration in scholarship (as well as e.g. in ecumenism or in missionary efforts in former German colonies).
Each short paper session will be 30 minutes long, including discussion. Please submit a title and a short abstract (100-150 words) to the Conference Coordinator through the contact section of the conference website. The review of proposals will begin immediately, and will conclude not later than Monday 1 September 2014.
Publication of the best peer-reviewed papers is anticipated in 2015 in a dedicated issue of the Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschichte/Journal for the History of Modern Theology.
For more information, please see the conference website or email the Conference Coordinator (Jeremiah Coogan) at manifesto.1914@gmail.com.