CFP: National societal actors in a multilevel environment – 12th HEIRS Conference – Louvain-la-Neuve

Processes of globalization have given birth to new (or renewed) fields 
of research in the social sciences. Numerous attempts have been made to 
develop transnational or global studies and history. It has been argued 
that history has to be written within a new framework that transcends 
national boundaries and takes into consideration the interconnectedness 
of human societies (Knudsen and Gram Skoldager; 2014: 146). Some authors 
have suggested a need to overcome an excessive focus on the state as the 
“primary unit of historical inquest” (Robin, 2009: 486). While 
recognizing the necessity to go beyond national histories for social 
science and historical analysis, however, the state and national actors 
are not necessarily weakened. We take the epistemological stance that 
there is no “necessary trade-off in power between national governmental 
and supranational institutional actors” (Kaiser and Meyer; 2013:1). 

Societal actors such as trade unions, employers’ associations, NGOS and 
political parties (Kaiser and Meyer; 2013: 5) are often constituted 
within a national context, where they evolve and from which they derive 
their resources and legitimacy. But while remaining firmly anchored in a 
particular country, these actors are also confronted with an evolving 
multilevel environment. Whilst more recent examples have undoubtedly 
been shaped by forces of globalization, it should be noted that the 
multilevel environment is not necessarily synonymous with globalization 
and naturally predates its emergence. This conference focuses on the way 
in which national societal actors cope with such an environment that 
offers them several possible tiers of action: the national, European and 
global as well as transnational forms of cooperation. Papers for this 
conference can discuss any (preferably European) national societal actor 
in national, comparative or transnational (cooperation) perspective, and 
any cause they might have been engaged in from EC legislation to the UN 
or other multilateral forum, from a contemporary or historical 
perspective. Papers can discuss many different questions: e.g. women’s 
rights (including equal pay), the control of multinationals, cooperation 
between national groups at the supranational level, global trade 
negotiations, environmental issues, problems arising from the delegation 
of power from a principal (the national actor) to an agent (the 
supranational actor), or changing dynamics between labour, capital and 
the state. We equally welcome papers with an empirical or theoretical 
focus. 

PhD students and early postdoctoral researchers are invited to submit an 
abstract of no more than 300 words and a short CV by 23 August 2015 to 
both Quentin Jouan at quentin.jouan@uclouvain.be and Andrew Waterman at 
andrew.waterman@port.ac.uk. There will be no conference fee. Depending 
on funding obtained we may be able to partially cover travel and 
accommodation costs of participants in need of financial support. 

The History of European Integration Research Society (HEIRS) is a 
postgraduate student network. HEIRS strives to foster collaboration and 
interaction among postgraduate researchers across Europe with an 
interest in European integration history. This conference will bring 
together PhD students and academics from various disciplines to discuss 
their work in a number of panels. In addition, there will be keynote 
lectures and speakers will be available for in-depth discussions. The 
conference is supported by the Centre for European and International 
Studies Research (CEISR) and the associated Jean Monnet Centre of 
Excellence for the Study of Transnational Europe at the University of 
Portsmouth as well as the Centre d’étude d’histoire de l’Europe 
contemporaine (CEHEC) and the Institute of European Studies at the 
Université catholique de Louvain.