The history of the German Empire between 1871 and 1914 has served not only as a prime example of the radicalization of the idea of the nation, but also has been written, even by its fiercest critics, solely from the perspective of the nation-state. In his talk, Prof. Conrad will challenge the traditional view of historians that German hypernationalism since the turn of the 20th century is to be explained primarily by domestic political, socio-economic, and cultural developments. Instead, he contends that Germany’s exposure to and active participation in processes of globalization contributed greatly to the radicalization of German nationalism. The peculiarities of German nationalism thus can be explained as a reaction to increased global connectivity.

Sebastian Conrad is Junior Professor for Modern History at the Freie Universität Berlin. His fields of research include modern German and Japanese history, theory and history of historiography, and the history of globalization. Among his numerous publications are two monographs: Globalisierung und Nation im Deutschen Kaiserreich (2006) and Auf der Suche nach der verlorenen Nation. Geschichtsschreibung in Westdeutschland und Japan 1945-1960 (1999). Edited books include: Competing Visions of World Order: Global Moments and Movements, 1880s – 1930s (2007), Geschichtswissenschaft in Japan (2006), Transnationale Geschichte (2006), Das Kaiserreich transnational (2004), Die Nation schreiben. Geschichtswissenschaft im internationalen Vergleich (2002). Recently Prof. Conrad was awarded the prestigious Philip Morris research prize.

This lecture is presented as the second in a series entitled “Germany in the World: The Nation Transcended in the Age of Globalization”. This series will run through the 2007-08 academic year and is intended to offer a platform to North American and European experts from a variety of academic fields (including economics, political science, history, urban and cultural studies and sociology) to contribute to the ongoing discussions regarding transnationalism and globalization by presenting their current research, most of which, but not all, is related to Germany.

Financial support for the lecture series has been generously provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Time: 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Location: 230R York Lanes

Please RSVP to ccges@yorku.ca