For centuries, Central Europe has been marked by conflicts, wars, paramilitary violence, revolutions and counter-revolutions, and repetitive acts of aggression by territories and states against their own citizens. Extreme violence and genocide characterized twentieth-century Europe to the degree that it has been referred to as both the “century of extremes” and the “century of violence.” And violence continues into the twenty-first century. Configurations and manifestations of violence affect individuals and transform states, societies, and communities geographically, demographically, politically, socially, and culturally. A constant within the historical trajectory of all societies, whether democratic or authoritarian, the exercise of state, group, and individual violence leaves scholars in the humanities and social sciences grappling with understanding its nature, causes, agendas, implications, and repercussions. Moreover, with the recent renaissance of far-right extremist movements and acts of individual and group violence related to a range of ideological, economic, and social factors, it has become especially urgent to reinvigorate scholarly discussion on violence, drawing on perspectives of different disciplines to open up new horizons on the subject.

This panel seeks to encourage interdisciplinary reflection on violence—as concept and phenomenon —in the context of Central Europe. For instance, how have the multiple histories of violence overlapped and intersected with each other there? How have scholars sought to make sense of the relation between violence and power in the region, taking into consideration its cultural, social, and political dimensions? When and why do individuals, institutions, and states come to believe that peaceful methods are insufficient to achieve social or political goals? How are various forms of violence used to exert control over individuals and societies? What kinds of linkages exist between violence and the modern state; how have scholars tried to understand them? What drives and maintains violence perpetrated against, or in the name of, religion or ethnicity? What about violence not necessarily driven by a form of ideology? How do we study, bring to light, and understand acts of everyday domestic or intimate violence and their impact on individuals and society? Finally, how do different experiences of violence influence remembrance and reconciliation? What role has conflict resolution played in stopping acts of violence and what are its limitations? How might the study of emotions help in our understanding of violence?   Position papers could take up any of these questions, drawing, for example, on a particular disciplinary perspective. They might also explore sources of violence including their determinants and drivers in acts perpetrated by individuals, institutions, or groups. Alternatively, papers could consider the spectrum of cultural-socio-political violence—sexual, linguistic, gendered, racialized, symbolic, material, colonial, individual—and the perpetration of mass violence. In their papers, participants could also discuss the social, psychological, legal, or physical consequences of violence. Another option would be to reflect on different vehicles and representations of violence in art, music, literature, the press, and media or in national, transnational, community, and individual memory. Contributions from all fields are welcome.