Social and Labour History News

Conference in Odense M/Denmark from 8 to 9 October 2025

The conference will focus on societal and political challenges to postwar societies after World War II. The aim is to discuss how and if former collaborators, refugees, resistance fighters and other groups were reintegrated into societies after the war, and to what extent new ideas and practices of welfare, democratisation and resocialisation in postwar Europe influenced these processes.

From Warfare to Welfare? Resocialisation and Democratisation after World War II

How were former collaborators, displaced refugees, resistance fighters or war veterans reintegrated into societies after 1944/45? Did efforts to reintegrate them pave the way for welfare and democracy?

This international history conference on 8-9 October 2025 seeks to explore the processes of resocialisation and democratisation in postwar Europe.

The conference takes inspiration from ongoing research in Denmark (supported by VELUX FONDEN) at the University of Southern Denmark and three museums, which discusses to what extent authorities after the war tried to integrate German refugees into democratic frameworks and how the resocialisation of convicted collaborators as well as the reintegration of resistance fighters into postwar society was handled.

However, we aim to expand this scope to include broader geographical and historical perspectives.

By bringing together researchers from different disciplines and regions, this history conference seeks to contribute to broader understandings of how societies recover, rebuild, and lay the groundwork for democracy and inclusion in the wake of conflict.

We invite scholars to present their research on related topics in postwar European cases or in transnational comparisons.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
- Strategies for managing and reintegrating collaborators or former combatants.
- Narratives on punishment and resocialisation among convicted collaborators.
- Approaches to refugee resettlement.
- Democratisation of refugees and prisoners of war.
- Ideas of citizenship and welfare after the war.
- Welfare ambitions and ideals among the resistance movements.
- Policies addressing radicalisation and extremism in post-war societies.
- The role of state authorities in fostering reconciliation and citizenship.
- The role of civil society in fostering reconciliation and citizenship.
- Challenges faced by resistance fighters in adapting to peacetime societies.
- Recognition and commemoration: contested narratives and their social and political impact.
- The role of war victims in shaping post-war democratic and social policies.

Submission Details:
Please send proposals for contributions with a 300-word abstract and a brief bio to PHD Henrik Lundtofte, Archives of Danish Occupation History at Museum Vest hl@musvest.dk

Submission deadline is 1 May 2025. Accepted speakers will be notified by 15 June. We welcome submissions from established academics and early career researchers alike. Presentations will be 30 minutes, followed by discussion.

The conference will take place on 8-9 October 2025 at University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. Attendance and accommodation are free.

We prefer physical participation but are open to online talks as well. Contact: hl@musvest.dk

Kontakt

PhD Henrik Lundtofte hl@musvest.dk

Conference in Pula/Croatia from 18 to 19 September 2025

The series of biennial international conferences Socialism on the Bench have been organised since 2013 by the Centre for Cultural and Historical Research of Socialism (CKPIS), Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Croatia. Around a hundred participants per conference have been gathering to discuss different main themes. Selections of papers have been published in edited volumes and journals. This time the theme is defined as Global Socialism and Non-Alignment.

7th Socialism on the Bench: Global Socialism and Non-Alignment

The series of biennial international conferences Socialism on the Bench (Socijalizam na klupi) have been organised since 2013 by the Centre for Cultural and Historical Research of Socialism (CKPIS), at the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula. Around a hundred participants per conference have been gathering to discuss different main themes: Cultural and Historical Interpretations of Yugoslav and Post-Yugoslav Societies (2013), Socialism: Construction and Deconstruction (2015), Communists and Communist Parties: Policies, Actions, Debates (2017), Continuities and Innovations (2019), Antifascism (2021), and Crises and Reforms (2023). Selections of papers have been published in edited volumes and journals.

Recent years have been marked by war conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, challenges of the pandemics, shifting roles among global powers and continents, as well as growing migration, social tensions and environmental issues. By focusing on global socialism, the conference seeks to explore the reach of socialist ideas, their impact over the past century and a half, and their relevance to the present day, with particular emphasis on the period from the early 1950s to the late 1980s. This era saw socialism intersect with Cold War dynamics, decolonization and the rise of the Non-Aligned Movement. During this period, socialist ideas and revolutionary movements influenced societies across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Progress, cooperation, internationalism and peace often coexisted with conflict and competition in political, economic, cultural and other spheres. While maintaining a focus on the discourse and practice of socialism and non-alignment, their histories and legacies, the conference aims to address policies, ideologies, manifestations and actions on the international, national and local levels, both within and beyond the blocs, in Europe and the Global South, from the global stage to individual interactions within societies.

The conference programme will include three keynote speakers:

CHIARA BONFIGLIOLI (Ca' Foscari University of Venice)
TVRTKO JAKOVINA (University of Zagreb)
PAUL STUBBS (The Institute of Economics, Zagreb)

The goal of our conferences, as well as the entire mission of the Centre, remains the same: strengthening the cooperation among scholars with similar research interests, revealing thematic, methodological and theoretical similarities, getting to know different interpretations, enhancing dialogue and new research.

The conference languages are Croatian (and mutually understandable languages) and English. Participants’ presentation time is 15 minutes. We accept individual applications, but it is possible to indicate the desire to participate in a specific panel. It is also possible to suggest events like book launches and round tables.

The conference will be held at the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula (Faculty of Humanities, Aldo Negri Street/Negrijeva 6, Pula), and in partnership with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation SEE. There is no conference fee. Conference organizers will provide a meal per day and arrange a discount at the recommended hotel. Participants will have to arrange and cover their own trip and accommodation.

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 1, 2025. By April 30, applicants will be notified about the acceptance of their proposal. For more information and the application form, please visit the conference website

https://www.unipu.hr/ckpis/en/socialism_on_the_bench/2025, or contact us at ckpis.conf@gmail.com.

Programm

Application process is open until April 1. Full programme will be available by June 30, and will include three keynotes and at least 65 participants. The programme starts on September 18 at noon and ends on September 20 early afternoon.

Kontakt

ckpis.conf@gmail.com

https://www.unipu.hr/ckpis/en/socialism_on_the_bench/2025

Discover Global Society: Special Issue on Transnational Pop Culture and Work

Guest Editors

• Professor Anja Louis, Sheffield Creative Industries Institute, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
• Dr Will Kitchen, Department of Creative Industries, University of Chichester / Bournemouth Film School, Arts University Bournemouth, UK

Deadline for Full Chapter Submissions: 30th August 2025

This topical issue of Discover Global Society aims to explore the intersections of popular culture and labour across national boundaries, examining how global flows of media, film, music, literature, video games, fashion, and other cultural forms influence, and are influenced by, work practices, identities, and economies. Cultural products play a vital role in establishing, maintaining and transforming our shared experiences of labour – both the forms of behaviour that we adopt during working and leisure hours, as well as the values that determine our vocational choices, training, expectations and relationships. 

This special issue aims to compile a global dossier of interdisciplinary critical analysis to illuminate and challenge how the cultural metaphysics of modern labour are disseminated and negotiated by various forms of art, entertainment and community production. 

Topics of Interest:

We invite submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Global perspectives on the values of labour (i.e., the culturally constructed and ideologically determined meaning of 'success', 'creativity', 'skill', etc.)
• Global perspectives on pop culture, wealth and social mobility
• Sustainable cultural production in a global context
• Global perspectives on leadership and pop culture
• Global perspectives on craft and craftsmanship in pop culture
• Financial and economic themes in pop culture production
• The relationship between popular culture, labour, AI technology and other forms of automation 
• The relationship between global pop cultures, work and gender
• The impact of transnational media on local labour markets and work cultures
• The role of pop culture in shaping transnational labour identities
• Case studies of specific cultural industries (e.g., film, music, fashion) and their global labour dynamics
• The influence of digital platforms on transnational work and cultural production
• Comparative studies of pop culture and work in different regions
• Theoretical approaches to understanding the relationship between pop culture and labour in a global context

Submission Guidelines

• Full chapters of between 6,000-8,000 words should be submitted via the Journal’s submission portal, along with a 250 word abstract and brief cover letter: https://link.springer.com/collections/ahbhaibhbi
• All submissions must follow the Journal’s formatting guidelines, which can be found here: https://link.springer.com/journal/44282
• Please note that the referencing style is National Library of Medicine; further details can be found here: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html

If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with the Guest Editors at a.louis@shu.ac.uk and wkitchen@aub.ac.uk with the subject line “Special Issue Submission: Transnational Pop Culture and Work.”

IMPORTANT NOTE

All articles published by Discover Global Society are freely and permanently accessible online without subscription charges. However, please be advised that Authors are required to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC). We therefore strongly advise publication via research funding, and encourage authors – particularly early-career and precariously employed academics – to explore the options below: 

Springer Nature offers agreements that enable institutions to cover APCs and other open access publishing costs. For more information, please visit: https://link.springer.com/journal/44282/how-to-publish-with-us.

For a list of the 350 global funding organizations that can help cover the APC, visit: https://www.springernature.com/gp/open-science/funding.

For information about fee waivers and discounts for scholars from particular global regions, please visit: https://www.springernature.com/gp/open-science/policies/journal-policies/apc-waiver-countries.

The Guest Editors do not personally receive any financial remuneration from Springer Nature.

Contact Information

Please submit articles via the link: https://link.springer.com/collections/ahbhaibhbi

Professor Anja Louis, Sheffield Hallam University, UK

Dr Will Kitchen, University of Chichester / Arts University Bournemouth, UK

Contact Email wkitchen@aub.ac.uk