The European History Workshop (EHW) is proud to announce the workshop’s first book-talk of the semester, featuring the Charles Tilly Collegiate Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan, Prof. George Steinmetz. He has graciously agreed to speak about his recent book, The Colonial Origins of Modern Social Thought: French Sociology and the Overseas Empire (Princeton University Press, 2023). The publisher has generously provided the EHW with ten complimentary copies of the book to distribute to workshop participants (first come, first serve). If you are interested, please fill out this survey. We kindly ask that interested participants only request a copy if they anticipate attending the workshop.
Prof. Steinmetz will join us on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM at 1014 Tisch. The EHW will serve light refreshments. The professor’s talk will be followed by discussant commentary from the EHW’s co-coordinators, Keanu Heydari and Paige Newhouse, and then will open to questions and comments from workshop participants.
From the publisher
“In this provocative and original retelling of the history of French social thought, George Steinmetz places the history and development of modern French sociology in the context of the French empire after World War II. Connecting the rise of all the social sciences with efforts by France and other imperial powers to consolidate control over their crisis-ridden colonies, Steinmetz argues that colonial research represented a crucial core of the renascent academic discipline of sociology, especially between the late 1930s and the 1960s. Sociologists, who became favored partners of colonial governments, were asked to apply their expertise to such “social problems” as detribalization, urbanization, poverty, and labor migration. This colonial orientation permeated all the major subfields of sociological research, Steinmetz contends, and is at the center of the work of four influential scholars: Raymond Aron, Jacques Berque, Georges Balandier, and Pierre Bourdieu.”
From the EHW
Event Reminder: The EHW will be hosting a happy hour for graduate students interested in European history and related fields on Monday, October 9, 2023, at 5:30 PM at HopCat. The EHW will provide appetizers. All are welcome (and encouraged) to attend!
From graduate student workshops to book talks by internationally recognized scholars, we hope to provide a rich slate of programming for our graduate students and faculty. Keep an eye out for further emails with location details and confirmed meeting times.
Do you have a grant proposal, conference/seminar paper, or essay that you’d like to workshop with the EHW? Are you looking for constructive feedback from a supportive community of scholars? This semester, we still have space for two graduate student workshops! Email Keanu Heydari or Paige Newhouse as soon as possible for more information. Not in Ann Arbor? We’re happy to host a workshop with you via zoom.
Find our website here for the latest news and information about the workshop.
