We hear about civil wars around the world on a daily basis. They cause damage and loss of lives. Some civil wars are undoubtedly very destructive, but all conflicts we call civil wars are not equally devastating. Perhaps it can be misleading to call some of them civil wars?
During this seminar, we will discuss whether there are similarities between the civil wars of the Middle Ages and today. More generally we will thematize the role of conflicts in creating and destroying communities, working from a thesis that conflicts play a more constructive role than one often believes.
The seminar is based on the research project The Nordic “Civil Wars” in the High Middle Ages in a Comparative Perspective, led by Jón Viðar Sigurðsson and Hans Jacob Orning, professors of medieval history at UiO.
Øyvind Østerud, professor of political science, UiO, and Henrik Vigh, professor of social anthropology, University of Copenhagen, will participate in the seminar, along with Hans Jacob Orning. Jón Viðar Sigurðsson will be chairman.
More information to come.
The Lecture Series: Civil Wars in a Comparative Perspective
This series of lectures are part of the project Civil Wars in a Comparative Perspective, funded by Research Council of Norway and Centre for Advanced Studies. The project is led by Jon Vidar Sigurdsson og Hans Jacob Orning, professors of history at Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo.
