Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism - Nation and Charisma - April 13-15, 2010 - London School of Economics and Political Science

From Indopedia

The Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) is holding its 20th Anniversary Conference entitled "Nation and Charisma", on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 13 - 15 April 2010 at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

-- Must nations have "founding fathers," and nationalist movements charismatic leaders? Does nationalism differ in this respect from any other mass movement? If nationalism is a species of secular religion, is it also therefore a cult of the hero or heroine? How important is leadership for the national cause, and what are its effects for good or ill? These are some of the questions which the ASEN's 20th Anniversary Conference seeks to address.

-- The conference will include keynote addresses from leading scholars in the field, along with opportunities for scholars from various disciplines to examine the relationship between nationalism and charisma in a series of panel sessions. Suggested themes include:

Charismatic Authority and Oratory / Charisma, Cultural Nationalism and the Arts / Religious Charisma and Secular Nationalism / Iconography and Personality Cults / Popular Mobilisation vs. Elite Manipulation / Charismatic Leadership from Above and Grass-root Movements from Below / Political Transformation of Charisma

-- The first day will explore the theoretical and historical relationship between nations, nationalism and the concept of charisma. The second day will address types of political leadership, ranging from right to left; religious to secular; democratic to authoritarian. The third day will explore how far charismatic nationalism is a movement from below or above, and how it responds to the national vision of historians, linguists, poets, musicians and other intellectuals. The conference will adopt an interdisciplinary approach focusing on historical, theoretical, and contemporary aspects of the theme.

-- The 2010 Conference Committee is now calling for papers to be presented at the conference. The application is open to any researcher who is interested in the study of nationalism, and PhD students and young scholars are particularly encouraged to apply. The abstracts of the proposed papers should not exceed 500 words and are expected by Friday, 13 November 2009.

-- Suggestions for panels and additional themes are also welcome. The Committee will notify applicants with its decision in December 2009.

-- Please see the ASEN website http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/ASEN/ for more information and to submit your proposal.

-- Papers submitted to the conference will be considered for publication in a special issue of Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (SEN). Please note that ASEN cannot cover travel and accommodation costs.

-- Presenters are expected to register for the conference. Further enquires are welcome at asen.conference@lse.ac.uk

-- The Association for the Study of Ethnicity& Nationalism (ASEN), London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE. / Tel: +44 (0)20 7955 6801 Fax: +44 (0)20 7955 6218