International workshop “Narrating Europe’s Pluralities”
How is Europe’s plurality represented in different narratives? This question will be explored in an international workshop entitled “Narrating Europe’s Pluralities: Unity, Diversity and Exceptionality”, which will take place at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg in Münster on 1 and 2 September 2022.
Europe was and is a continent of pluralities: here in a small area can be found the most diverse historical and legal traditions, as well as countless, sometimes conflicting, constructions of identity. At the same time, various narratives exist that attempt to establish the unity of Europe. In order to create a common identity, recourse was and is made not least to law, for example to the common heritage of Roman law or the tradition of human rights ushered in by the Enlightenment. In contrast, counter-narratives have emerged that emphasise diversity.
The interdisciplinary workshop will engage critically with different narratives and examine them from the perspective of legal pluralism. “We will explore how narratives of unity shape and are shaped by legal and political pluralism in Europe. We will also examine to what extent there is space for pluralism within coherent narratives. The aim is to shed light on the impact of these narratives on perceptions of Europe, both for law and policy-making and for society as a whole”, explain the two organisers, archaeologist and legal historian Dr. Emilia Mataix Ferrándiz (University of the Basque Country/EViR Fellow from September 2021 to April 2022), and political scientist Dr. Zoë Jay (University of Helsinki). The two-day workshop will be held in cooperation with the University of Helsinki’s Centre of Excellence “Law, Identity and the European Narratives”.