From: H-Net Announcements
>
>Symposium on UNESCO's History
>Location: Paris, France
>Respond by: September 20, 2004
>
>On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the adoption of
UNESCO's
>Constitution, (16th November 1945), UNESCO is organizing an
international
>symposium in Paris, in November 2005, in cooperation with the
Institute for
>Political Sciences in Paris, the University Panth=C8on-Sorbonne
(Paris I) a=
nd
>the Centre for History and Economics at Cambridge University
(United Kingdo=
m).
>
>This symposium is part of a larger programme to support
research on
>UNESCO's history and encourage critical and multidisciplinary
reflection on
>the history of the Organization and its past orientations,
activities and
>results. This programme, the "UNESCO History Project", was
launched by the
>Director-General of UNESCO on 30th April 2004 (for more
information, please
>consult http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ulis/circulars/cl3710.pdf).
>
>The History Project is a five-year programme; its orientations
will be
>influenced by the expressions of interests and ideas, in
particular those
>coming from the research community.
>
>Project description
>
>The objective of the symposium is to inspire and catalyze
research on
>topics relating to the history of the Organization. Rather than
providing
>official answers and final conclusions, the symposium aims at
multiplying
>approaches to UNESCO's history in a critical and pluralistic
spirit.
>Furthermore, the symposium will try to foster a better
understanding of the
>way in which the Organization's action, seen from the periphery
rather than
>from the centre, has been perceived and experienced by the
different actors
>concerned.
>
>UNESCO therefore invites students and researchers with
backgrounds in
>different disciplines, including history, political sciences,
the study of
>international relations, cultural studies, international law,
anthropology
>and sociology, to express their interest by suggesting papers,
themes or
>approaches for the symposium or in the wider context of the
history
>project. Examples of themes and issues that could be raised at
the
>symposium are: the origins of UNESCO, the role of the
Organization in
>broader contexts, such as the Cold War and the process of
decolonization,
>human rights, normative and standard-setting actions, cultural
diversity,
>sustainable development, cultural and natural heritage,
education for all
>and reflections on the mandate, values and "philosophy" of
UNESCO.
>
>All suggestions for themes and topics are welcome. Please send
your
>response, preferably before 20th September 2004, to the
coordinator of the
>UNESCO History Project, Mr. Jens Boel, Chief Archivist, UNESCO
(e-mail:
>[log in to unmask]). Replies received after this deadline, but
before 1st
>December 2004, can still be taken into consideration in the
planning of the
>symposium.
>
>Programme of work
>
>The symposium is expected to last for two days. It could
include four main
>sessions, three of which would focus on the institutional,
political and
>intellectual history of UNESCO, respectively. The topic of the
fourth
>session would be the identification of new, major research
themes. This
>final session would be the conclusion of the Symposium and
should therefore
>aim at opening perspectives for research works during the
period 2005-2010.
>
>The proceedings of the symposium will be published as the first
volume of a
>series of publications that will present the results of the
History
>Project. With this end in view, a scientific committee will be
established
>after the symposium to ensure the follow up on the activities,
promote
>historical research on the Organization and, depending on the
resources
>available, award study grants to students and young
researchers. An oral
>history programme could also be launched. UNESCO will attempt
to mobilize
>extrabudgetary resources from Member States and foundations in
order to
>finance these research and publication activities.
>
>A presentation of results and a general evaluation of the
outcomes of the
>project could take place at the International Congress on
Historical
>Sciences in 2010.
>
>Jens Boel
>UNESCO History Project
>7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, FRANCE