Call for Papers: The 17 provinces of the Low Countries and the Iberian Peninsula: New perspectives and methodologies

Organisers: ForSEAdiscovery (Marie Curie Actions Programme PITN-2013, GA 607545), Faculty of Arts (University of Groningen), N.W. Posthumus Institute
Date: 28-29 September, Groningen, The Netherlands

The relations between the Low Countries and the Iberian Peninsula during the Early Modern Era have been an important field in European historiography for a long time. These relations, nonetheless, are usually understood in terms of war and peace between states, which runs the risk of neglecting the agency of individuals connecting both regions.

ForSEAdiscovery, in collaboration with the N.W. Posthumus Institute, is organizing a two-day conference that aims to gather senior scholars and early stage researchers who study the political, cultural and commercial networks that connected the two European regions in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The objectives of the meeting are:

1) To provide a comprehensive perspective of these multidimensional relations,
2) To share and discuss new perspectives and methodologies on the Iberian-Dutch history,
3) And to promote an intergenerational dialogue between young and senior scholars.

The conference will be divided into three main lines of research:

• Dynastic wars and the political reshaping of Western Europe. This section aims to reflect on how diplomatic and military networks involved in the Habsburg-Dutch war contributed to shape a political map of Atlantic Europe.
• Transnational commercial networks between the Low Countries and the Iberian Peninsula. This section is focused on the commercial and financial networks that bridged both regions despite the rising conflicts in the Atlantic.
• Constructing an enemy. This section assesses the emergence of new identities due to the war and the consequent movement of people; that is to say to what extent such a world conflict gave rise to new local identities of those who moved from one region to another.

We are glad to confirm the participation of dr. Ana Crespo Solana (CCHS-CSIC) and dr. Manuel Herrero Sánchez (Universad Pablo de Olavide) as keynote speakers. Each participant will have 20 minutes to present a paper. Sessions will consist of 3-4 presentations and will conclude with a general discussion of about 20-30 minutes. The participation of PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers is strongly encouraged. The organisers will offer accommodation for Wednesday (one day before the conference) and Thursday as well as reimbursement for reasonable travel costs.

Applicants should send an e-mail to g.jimenez.montes@rug.nl stating their affiliation and attaching an abstract of their presentation (ca. 200 words). The deadline for applications is May 7th 2017. For further information, please contact Germán Jiménez Montes (g.jimenez.montes@rug.nl).