Legacies and Ruptures: Making Sense of Europe
The 2025 Conference of the Council of European Studies falls some eighty years after the end of World War II, and 75 years from the Schuman Plan and the beginnings of European integration. These anniversaries provide a valuable opportunity to consider the legacies of the past that continue to influence the polities, economies and societies of the wider Europe, as well as relations with those outside Europe. But the Conference also comes at a time of rupture in Europe, most obviously seen in the fact of a major inter-state war on its territory, but visible too in the populist backlash that is a challenge to the Europe envisioned in the immediate post-World War II period.
In these contexts, we welcome papers reflecting on the themes of legacy and/or rupture as they relate to Europe historically, now, or when considering future scenarios. We particularly invite papers from those disciplines under-represented in general European Studies conferences but which have potential to offer deeper understanding of where Europeans are today and how they got there. We encourage as well the formation of panels that cross a wide breadth of issue-areas or disciplines, particularly where they offer insights generated by inter-disciplinary work and collaboration. The war between Russia and Ukraine is at some level a war over territory with economic and political consequences for both – but more than that it is a war of memory, of identity and culture. Wars outside of Europe also impact Europe heavily notably Israel-Palestine and the EU’s response. As with so many of the crises and challenges faced by Europe, a complex of knowledge is required if we are to avoid reducing a wicked problem to a simple one. In reference to both legacies and ruptures, therefore, priority will be given to those papers and panels that make crossings, for example, from: history to politics, economics to culture, identity to colonialism, memory to war, democratic decline to neo-liberal logics, and gender to populism.
Conference Co-Chairs
Maxine David (University of Leiden)
Mark Pollack (Temple University)
Claske Vos (University of Amsterdam)
32nd International Conference of Europeanists
June 16-18, 2026
Conference Location: University College, Dublin
Are you interested in serving as a conference co-chair or member of the organizing committee? Send us an email at events@ces-europe.org
Held annually in international cities in North America and Europe, the International Conference of Europeanists is the preeminent gathering of scholars of Europe in the world.
If your university is interested in hosting the International Conference of Europeanists, please submit a formal statement of interest to be presented to CES’ Director and Executive Committee. The statement should include any relevant information about why your university would be a good host–including how committed your university (and/or surrounding institutions who might also participate) is to the study of Europe and evidence to support the idea that the local academic community would welcome such a conference. If you have particular questions about your university’s suitability, please contact CES at events@ces-europe.org.
