Conceptualising statehood in the age of Brexit

Exeter’s postgraduate history journal, Ex Historia, are hosting an afternoon interdisciplinary PGR conference at the University of Exeter. The conference aims to explore how the history of states and empires can help us understand the current Brexit phenomenon. We welcome proposals for 10
minute papers with a flexible interpretation of the below themes. We invite papers from PGR students across university institutions and departments.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Conceptualising statehood throughout history
• The construction and dissolution of state and empires
• National identity and the rise of nation states
• The variable nature of statehood
• The history of Britain-European relations

The event aims to promote interdisciplinary discussions, develop the skills and knowledge of PGR students, and provide an enriched understanding of how we can learn from history, connecting academia with current international affairs. The keynote speaker will be Dr Robert Saunders, Senior Lecturer in Modern British History at Queen Mary, University of London. He has published widely on British politics and Brexit; his most recent book is titled Yes to Europe!: The 1975 Referendum and Seventies Britain. Furthermore, he has provided commentary and interviews on Brexit for BBC News, CNN and NPR. Please submit a 300 word abstract and a short biography to exhistoria@exeter.ac.uk by 15 February.