The Intellectual History Of Patriotism And The Legacy Of Composite States In East-Central Europe

Research Project coordinated by Balázs Trencsényi, Assistant Professor, CEU History Department

Research Assistant: Márton Zászkaliczky

Introduction

The project seeks to reconsider the intellectual history and the heritage of patriotism in Europe. In the last decades, the question of collective identity became a crucial topic of research in the history of political ideas, breaking through the conflict of 'primordialists' and 'social constructivists' and leading to more text- and context-sensitive approaches of reconstructing the discourses of identity. In order to reap the fruits of these developments in our region, the project will bring together scholars to discuss the questions of political legitimacy in view of the multiplicity of the levels of ethnic, cultural and political allegiances characterizing East-Central Europe throughout the period in question. The ultimate aim of the project is to produce case studies and collected volumes, which would put our region "on the map" of European research and would also help disseminate the recent methodological achievements of intellectual history in our region.

The project has been supported by Pasts, Inc. Center for Historical Studies. Read more: http://www.ceu.hu/patriotism