On the 5th of March 2020, Liberas (Ghent, Belgium), in conjunction with the School of History, Religion and Philosophy at Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, United Kingdom) and the Leibniz Institute of European History (Mainz, Germany), organises an international colloquium devoted to the interdependency between blasphemy and violence in modern history. This international colloquium offers a much-needed analysis of a subject that historians have largely neglected, yet holds great relevance for contemporary society. Both young and established scholars will focus on specific incidents of blasphemy and sacrilege in Europe and the Arab world – a landmark case or a series of little-known micro studies –, examine its relationship with violence and discuss the legal background and context surrounding each incident. Drawing on a variety of chronological and geographical contexts, the colloquium will probe the phenomenon of blasphemy and its link to violence from different angles. All presentations will be given in English. The eve preceding the conference (4 March), internationally renowned expert Alain Cabantous will give a keynote lecture in French on blasphemy and sacrilege during the French Revolution.
For further information and the full programme, see http://www.blasphemyviolence2020.be/
There is no registration fee. If you wish to attend, please register via mail: inschrijven@liberas.eu. Please indicate in your mail whether you will attend the keynote lecture (in French) on Wednesday evening and/or the conference on Thursday.