TURMOIL / DANS LA TOURMENTE: Instability and Insecurity in Eighteenth-Century France

International, interdisciplinary conference at the Humanities Institute, UCD Dublin: September 7-8, 2018

The global instability and insecurity of the 21st century have many precursors in 18th-century France. This conference seeks to identify and analyse the diverse theories, causes, reflections and expressions of that 18th-century French turmoil as they are represented textually and visually, either contemporaneously or subsequently. Examples of turbulence reflected in literary texts might include John Law’s monetary scheme, the convulsionnaires, the Lisbon earthquake, epidemics, scientific advances, and European conflicts. In the ferment of para-revolutionary years, intimations of literary and artistic unease take numerous forms: in literary, historical, philosophical, visual and musical texts and paratexts.

This conference asks whether there is a progression in the nature of turmoil as treated by earlier philosophes, by revolutionaries and by libertines? The multiple forms of creative expression which depict and critique this disturbance across the century offer broad scope for reassessment of canonical material and for consideration of peripheral authors and lesser-known texts. To what extent is the 18th-century French experience unique? Is it pertinent to draw comparisons between that early modern expression and the depiction of modern-day phenomena in terms of violence, mob rule, or a climate of fear? Are Enlightenment and revolutionary ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité doomed to remain aspirations, permanently threatened by instability and insecurity?

Call for papers: http://turmoilconferenceucd18.com/call-for-papers

Sponsorship

This TURMOIL (18th-century French) interdisiplinary and international conference is being organised by Associate Professor Siofra Pierse and by two PhD students (18th-century French).

We would be delighted to receive sponsorship for any of the following:

1) flights and accommodation for two Invited Keynote Speakers
2) refreshments for attendees of the conference (over two days)
3) conference dinner subsidisation
4) conference lunch subsidisation
5) special sponsorship of individual promising young scholars or registered PhD students from Ireland or abroad
6) publication arising from the conference talks

Sponsorship at any level will be immensely welcome and will be fully acknowledged on websites, in the conference accounts (which will be made freely available) and any conference publicity internally, nationally and internationally.

The conference website may be viewed at: (opens in a new window)http://turmoilconferenceucd18.com

Any queries please contact: (opens in a new window)siofra.pierse@ucd.ie