International Workshop at the Georg Eckert Institute, 16-17 February, 2011

European Receptions of the Crusades in the Nineteenth Century - Franco-German Perspectives

The workshop is going to focus on media which serve to construct historical narratives and images such as school textbooks, historiographical works or works of literature. Discussion should explore the extent to which French and German representations of the Crusades differ, and whether and how they are interconnected. Interconnection is conceived here as multidimensional: between different historically effective medial arenas (the influence of historical research on textbook narratives, for example) and between the two countries, and on a European level. We will enquire into the conclusions to be drawn from the comparison of narratives of the Crusades with regard to contingencies, shifts or the consistency of their validity for the formation of national, European, Christian or secular identities. What do narratives about the Crusades tell us about historical interpretations and images of the enemy? Which social factors had a decisive influence on the reception of the Crusades in the nineteenth century, and on what sources is cultural knowledge about the Crusades based?

Contact: Ines Guhe

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