"Small Power is a Power? The role and resilience of small and medium powers during the Great War 1914-1918"

Call for papers: "Small Power is a Power? The role and resilience of small and medium powers during the Great War 1914-1918"

Instituto da Defesa Nacional – Lisbon, 3, 4 and 5 September 2014

The National Defense Institute, in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary History of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities-Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the Institute of Social Sciences-University of Lisbon, welcomes the submission of papers for the International Seminar “Small Power is a Power? The role and resilience of small and medium powers during the Great War 1914-1918”, which will take place in Lisbon from 3-5 September 2014.

The seminar aims to promote the study and deepen the knowledge of the national strategies and role played by small and medium powers during the Great War, keeping in mind the broader historical context in which the conflict took place.

The study of the role of small and medium powers, in international relations in general, and in the case of the First World War in particular, is an underdeveloped field of study, traditionally regarded as minor, yet it has great potential in the social sciences, namely: History, International Relations, Strategic Studies and Security Studies. The relevance of the actions and decisions made by Serbia or Belgium in the early stages of the Great War, and the resilience they showed in extreme circumstances are just an example of the interest in exploring the goals, the degree of autonomy and the options of small and medium powers, their relations with the great powers, and their ability to endure a conflict like the Great War.

The seminar also welcomes contributions from researchers aiming to relate wider theoretical questions to the empirical investigation on the role of small and medium powers during the Great War. It is also open to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches, prizing original contributions from diverse areas of knowledge.

The seminar aims to encourage the debate, from a comparative perspective, of the experience of small and medium powers during the Great War. The aim is also to be inclusive of different cases in different regions (Western and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, the Balkans, non-European powers) and of belligerents as well as neutrals.

Submission: 2 September 2013 to 15 March 2014

Acceptance reply: 15 April 2014

Submission process: Please send your identification (name, institutional affiliation and email address), Paper title, Abstract (maximum 700 words), and academic CV (1 page) via email to: smallpowerisapower@gmail.com

Working languages: English; Portuguese; French

Organising committee:

António Costa Pinto (ICS-UL)

Maria Fernanda Rollo (IHC and FCSH-UNL)

António Paulo Duarte (IDN and IHC-FCSH-UNL)

Bruno Cardoso dos Reis (ICS-UL and IDN)

Ana Paula Pires (IHC-FCSH-UNL)

- See more at: http://www.idn.gov.pt/index.php?mod=008&cod=03092014x2#sthash.yHHniBI2.dpuf