There have been, and will be, numerous conferences about the causes and consequences of Britain’s departure from the European Union. This conference was not one of them. Rather, we chose to think about history in light of Brexit.
Our event brought together PhD students from universities across Europe to explore the questions that Brexit poses for how historians should think about the political history of Europe. You can find the full programme here.
The purpose of this website is to act as a record of our conversations. The pre-circulated papers of the conference will be published here, alongside broader summaries of the conference proceedings.
Our Partners
Our meeting is the annual conference of the Association of Political History. To find out more about the organisation, you can visit its website.
We are also pleased to say that our conference was co-sponsored by the Strand Group and the History of Parliament Trust.
In the Press
- 'Brexit is not a product of history: it’s something entirely new' (KCL's Professor David Edgerton in The New Statesman)
- 'By blocking Brexit Labour is betraying the whole point of its existence' (The Telegraph)
- '"It can be marshalled to support almost anything": Why both sides of the Brexit debate are obsessed with history' (The New Statesman)
People
Professor of History
Themes
'Europeanness'
What is the nature of European political identity in relation to its past? Is the history of modern Europe, after all, a unitary one or is it a history in fragments?
Exceptionalism
Is British history best understood as an ‘island story’ set apart from that of other nations? Or is every European nation’s history exceptional?
Historiography
What does Britain’s departure from the European Union say about classic works on national identity and nationalism?
Borders
How important are borders to the political story of modern Europe? Have they divided nations like they divide states?
Speakers and Commentators
Speakers
Björn Reynir Halldórsson, University of Iceland
François Courvoisier, University of Geneva
George Evans, King's College London
Giulia Letizia Melideo, LUISS Guido Carli University
Jean-François Delangre, University of Geneva
Lasse Lassen, Universität Bielefeld
Lauri Niemisto, University of Jyväskylä
Martin Johansson, Stockholm University
Miel Groten, Vrije Universiteit
Risto-Matti Matero, University of Jyväskylä
Stuart Smedley, King's College London
Talitha Ilacqua, King's College London
Tom Kelsey, King's College London
Wiivi-Maria Jouttijarvi, University of Jyväskylä
Commentators
Giovanni Orsina, LUISS Guido Carli University
Henk te Velde, Universiteit Leiden
Ido de Haan, Universiteit Leiden
Irene Herrmann, University of Geneva
Jussi Kurunmäki, Stockholm University
Lucy Riall, EUI Florence
Margit can der Steen, Universiteit Leiden
Pasi Halainen, University of Jyväskylä
Pertti Ahonen, University of Jyväskylä
Richard Vinen, King's College London
People
Professor of History
Themes
'Europeanness'
What is the nature of European political identity in relation to its past? Is the history of modern Europe, after all, a unitary one or is it a history in fragments?
Exceptionalism
Is British history best understood as an ‘island story’ set apart from that of other nations? Or is every European nation’s history exceptional?
Historiography
What does Britain’s departure from the European Union say about classic works on national identity and nationalism?
Borders
How important are borders to the political story of modern Europe? Have they divided nations like they divide states?
Speakers and Commentators
Speakers
Björn Reynir Halldórsson, University of Iceland
François Courvoisier, University of Geneva
George Evans, King's College London
Giulia Letizia Melideo, LUISS Guido Carli University
Jean-François Delangre, University of Geneva
Lasse Lassen, Universität Bielefeld
Lauri Niemisto, University of Jyväskylä
Martin Johansson, Stockholm University
Miel Groten, Vrije Universiteit
Risto-Matti Matero, University of Jyväskylä
Stuart Smedley, King's College London
Talitha Ilacqua, King's College London
Tom Kelsey, King's College London
Wiivi-Maria Jouttijarvi, University of Jyväskylä
Commentators
Giovanni Orsina, LUISS Guido Carli University
Henk te Velde, Universiteit Leiden
Ido de Haan, Universiteit Leiden
Irene Herrmann, University of Geneva
Jussi Kurunmäki, Stockholm University
Lucy Riall, EUI Florence
Margit can der Steen, Universiteit Leiden
Pasi Halainen, University of Jyväskylä
Pertti Ahonen, University of Jyväskylä
Richard Vinen, King's College London
Our Partners
Association for Political History
The History of Parliament
The Strand Group
Contact us
If you would like to know more about the conference, please do get in touch with Thomas Kelsey: