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Parliamentary Means of Conflict Resolution in a Comparative Perspective
Workshop at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), School of History, Albert- Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 16-17 March 2012
Organisers: FRIAS School of History and the Academy of Finland Project Parliamentary Means of Conflict Resolution in Twentieth-Century Britain, University of Jyväskylä
Call for papers
The records on parliamentary speaking and decision-making constitute an extensive source material the potential of which has not yet been fully exploited in the study of parliamentary history either in national contexts and in a comparative perspective. Despite the rise of the study of parliamentary discourses within linguistics and political science, relatively little historical research on modern parliamentary speaking exists. Historians have mainly focused on the history of parliaments as institutions or on an individual politician’s participation in decision-making, sometimes also on parliamentary culture. Research on twentieth-century political history, with special and explicit focus on Parliament, is surprisingly scarce, too, especially in the case of Britain, the ‘mother’ of all parliaments.
In the Academy of Finland Project Parliamentary Means of Conflict Resolution in Twentieth- Century Britain (2010–2013), it is argued that parliamentary sources can shed light on parliamentary modes of conflict management and on the associated political use of language. The research team is interested in parliamentary means of conflict resolution, that is, in the practices and discourses of the parliamentarians that aimed at solving an acute domestic or foreign political crisis affecting a parliamentary democracy. They are likewise interested in potential conflicts between Parliament, the executive, extra-parliamentary associations, the media and the general public in connection with such crises, related to the democratic control of foreign and domestic policies. The project has discussed three main themes thus far: (i) the contexts and representations of parliamentary debates on conflicts; (ii) the concepts and rhetorical strategies used in parliamentary debates on conflicts; and (iii) the role of parliaments in attempts to solve international and national conflicts.
After two years of still ongoing research, the project members would like to invite scholars of various academic fields and national backgrounds interested in parliamentary discourse, decisionmaking practices and parliamentary control of policies to meet, to present related research papers and to discuss the shared problematic. We are actively seeking for cooperation with scholars working with these kinds of new, linguistically and culturally oriented approaches to parliamentary history. FRIAS School of History has kindly agreed on hosting the event on 16–17 March 2012 and sponsoring it. Two keynote speakers addressing broader methodological issues will also be invited. We shall be exploring the possibility of publishing the proceedings of the conference in one or two refereed series.
Any national or historical context of parliamentary debate and decision-making and interaction with the executive, media, extra-parliamentary organizations, transnational networks and the general public can be relevant for the thematic of the workshop provided that parliamentary means of conflict resolution and/or parliamentary oversight of policies are addressed. Comparative analyses of parliamentary debates surrounding domestic and international conflicts are particularly welcome, as we aim at international comparisons in various subtopics. The panels of the workshop will include parliamentary and media debates on domestic crises, parliamentary and media debates on international crises, parliaments and bilateral relations, and national parliaments and international organizations.
Those willing to accept the invitation and to give a paper at the workshop are kindly asked to send an abstract of no more than 250 words to Pasi Ihalainen (pasi.t.ihalainen@jyu.fi) by 30 November 2011 as a way of confirmation. The workshop is also open to participants (especially from FRIAS and the University of Freiburg) who do not wish to give a paper. Those interested in participating as audience are kindly asked to register by 31 January 2012 to facilitate practical arrangements.
Preliminary programme (22 December 2011)
Friday 16 March 2012
9.00 Opening of the workshop
Prof. Dr. Pasi Ihalainen (Jyväskylä/FRIAS) & Prof. Dr. Jörn Leonhard (FRIAS) (to be confirmed)
9.15–10.15 Keynote lecture
Dr. Hans Born (Democratic Control of Armed Forces, Geneva), Parliamentary Oversight of the
Security Sector
Chair: Prof. Dr. Pasi Ihalainen (Jyväskylä)
10.15–10.30 Coffee break
Theme I: Parliament and the Media
10.30–12.30 Panel: Parliamentary and Media Debates on Domestic Crises in Britain
Chair: Prof. Dr. Pasi Ihalainen (Jyväskylä)
Commentator: Dr Stuart Ball (Leicester)
Dr Robert Saunders (Oxford), Parliamentary Transition to Mass Democracy in Britain
Dr James Thompson (Bristol), Parliament and the Idea of Public Opinion in Britain 1870–1914
Laura-Mari Manninen (Jyväskylä), Discord between the British Parliament and the Women’s Social and Political Union: the First Conciliation Bill in 1910 as a Case Study
12.30–13.30 Lunch
13.30–15.30 Panel: Parliamentary and Media Debates on Domestic Issues in Germany and Poland
Chair: Dr. Jonas Harvard (Mid-Sweden University)
Commentator: Prof. Dr. Armin Burkhardt (Magdeburg)
Dr. Anna Björk (Jyväskylä, Political Science), Naturalisation and Staatsangehörigkeit: The question of a citizenship test and the reform of the Staats- und Reichsangehörigkeitsgesetz in 1913
Dr. Paulina Gulinska-Jurgiel (Potsdam), The Management of the Past as a Translation: Parliamentary Debates in the Aftermath of Dictatorship
Miina Virmasalo (Jyväskylä), Future of Nuclear Energy within the German Parliamentary Process: Environmental, Technical, Economical and Constitutional Conflict in the early 1990s
15.30–16.00 Coffee break
16.00–17.30 Panel: Parliamentary and Media Debates in Connection with International Crises
Chair: Dr. Rinna Kullaa (Jyväskylä)
Commentator: Dr. Hans Born (Democratic Control of Armed Forces, Geneva)
Dr. Jonas Harvard (Mid-Sweden University), Parliamentary Speaking and Media Narratives during the Falklands War
Teemu Häkkinen (Jyväskylä), The House of Commons and the State of the Constitution: The Decision to go to War against Iraq in 2002-2003
19.00 Dinner
Saturday 17 March 2012
9.00–10.00 Keynote lecture
Dr. Stuart Ball (Leicester), The Changing Role of Parliament in Twentieth-Century British Politics
Chair: Dr. Satu Matikainen (Jyväskylä)
10.00–10.30 Coffee break
Theme II: Parliament and Foreign Relations
10.30–12.00 Panel: Parliaments and Bilateral Relations
Chair: Dr. Satu Matikainen (Jyväskylä)
Commentator: Prof. Dr. Uwe Wagschal (FRIAS)
Prof. Dr. Anssi Halmesvirta (Jyväskylä), The Casement Report on Congo (1904) and Public Moralism in the House of Commons
Matti Roitto (Jyväskylä), The British Parliament, the Executive Branch and Relations with the United States in the Atomic Question of 1945-1946
12.00–13.30 Lunch
13.30–15.00 Panel: National Parliaments and International Organizations
Chair: Prof. Dr. Anssi Halmesvirta (Jyväskylä)
Commentator: Prof. Dr. Norbert Götz (Södertörn University)
Dr. Satu Matikainen (Jyväskylä), The British Parliament and Minority Protection under the League of Nations
Dr. Rinna Kullaa (Jyväskylä), The European Parliament and the UK Parliament – A Relationship in Foreign Policy
15.00–15.30 Final discussion: Publication opportunities
Chair: Prof. Dr. Pasi Ihalainen (Jyväskylä)