Society for French Historical Studies 60th Annual Conference

Marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War

Organized jointly by the Université du Québec à Montréal and Concordia University, this event will explore the general theme “War and Peace in French History,” with special reference to the centenary of the outbreak of World War I.

Some examples of topics related to the theme of war include: Quebecers and the Great War; the position of women; the role of propaganda; religion and armies; the colonial wars; French-German relations in the ’30s; and the German occupation (1940–1944).

There will also be presentations on other subjects related to the history of France, its colonies and the French-speaking world, from the Middle Ages to the present. Examples of these topics include: homosexuality and medicine; discourse and practices of The Terror during the French revolution; anti-Semitism; May 1968.

Montreal to welcome authorities in the field

Eminent scholars in French history and the Great War will be giving keynote lectures.

Christopher Clark

Christopher Clark is a professor of Modern European History at Cambridge University. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy and is the author of a very recent and already renowned book on the origins of the First World War, The Sleepwalkers.

Martha Hanna

Martha Hanna is an expert in Modern French History, with a particular interest in the cultural history of the First World War. A graduate of Georgetown University, she is a professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

John Horne

A member of the Royal Irish Academy, John Horne is a professor of Modern European History at Trinity College, Dublin. His research focuses on the history of 20th century France and the Great War, from a comparative and transnational perspective.

Antoine Prost

Antoine Prost is a professor emeritus of History at the Université de Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne. He directed the Centre d'histoire sociale du XXe siècle and currently chairs the scientific and educational committee of the Fondation nationale de la résistance, the scientific committee of the Verdun Memorial, as well as the scientific committee of the Mission du Centenaire de la Première Guerre mondiale. He is the author of several works, including La Grande Guerre expliquée à mon petit-fils (Paris: Seuil, 2005) and, most recently, Du Changement dans l'Ecole - les réformes de l'education de 1936 à nos jours (Paris: Seuil, 2013).

When:           Thursday, April 24 to Sunday, April 27
Where:         All conference sessions will take place at UQAM’s J.-A.-DeSève pavilion (320 Ste-Catherine St. E., corner Sanguinet).

Please see the full program for all times of the various events. Journalists are welcome and can register online.

Read the related article published April 14: "600 scholars discuss French history at landmark conference."