Keynote lecture: Between evolutionary and container concept: Western self-assertions, German Westernizers, and the spatialization of political thought

Description

The “end of Western hegemonies” goes hand-in-hand with a remarkable resilience if not resurgence of ‘the West’ as a socio-political concept: firstly, “the West” continues to be a highly popular and effective framing device, and secondly, there is a perseverance of hegemonic notions of ‘the West’ that have a long tradition, with origins in the early nineteenth century (and what the German historian Reinhart Koselleck called the Sattelzeit). ‘Western hegemonies’ may have ended in various areas of life, but “the West” as a rhetorical pattern is very much alive. What current debates show, in fact, is that the concept of ‘the West’ proves useful even, and perhaps especially, when commentators lament its “crisis”, “decline”, “twilight”, or “end”. Indeed, one could argue that the greatest threat to “the West” as a socio-political concept is the lack of any threat – it does tend to be in fashion when confronted with “internal” or “external” threats that are considered anti-“Western”.

The lecture first provides a brief overview of examples of Western self-assertion, and attempts to stabilize “Western identity”, as well as examples of self-positionings “beyond the West”, and attempts to dismantle the “Western paradigm”. Second, it outlines an analytical framework, and explores two main semantic dimensions of the concept of the West: an open-ended evolutionary concept and a spatially-confined container concept. It also examines the function, appeal and usefulness of the concept: “The West” is not only a cipher for political values, cultural norms, and religious traditions; it is also an effective rhetorical tool to mobilize people for a cause, and to forge national, as well as transnational, identities. This part of the lecture refers repeatedly to the work of the most prominent advocate of “the West” in Germany, Heinrich August Winkler, esp. The History of the West and Germany’s Long Road West.

Third, and finally, the lecture explores the ‘Westernization’ of the political thought of two rémigré thinkers (i.e. scholars who emigrated from Germany in the 1930s and returned to Germany after the war), who proved highly influential for the formation of Winkler’s historical and political thinking: Ernst Fraenkel and Richard Löwenthal. This final part seeks to explore the rationale behind the spatialization of political thought, and addresses the question of when, how and why these two scholars appropriated the spatio-political concept of the West.

Period	2019
Event title	The End of Western Hegemonies?
Event type	Conference
Location	Jyväskylä, FinlandShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International