SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS: “MANORS AT WAR”, MANORIAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE 2024 KAMU Espoo City Museum has the pleasure of inviting you to the 8:th ENCOUNTER conference taking place on June 13th – 15th 2024 in Espoo, Finland.

The conference is held in conjunction with the research project of the KAMU Espoo City Museum: The Espoo Manor, which focuses on the Espoo Manor and its long and rich history. The results of the project are presented in an exhibition presenting the history of the Manor of Espoo and in a scholarly work titled: The Espoo Manor – The Manor on the King’s Road, both published in October 2023. The manor at war The Espoo Manor was founded by King Gustaf I of Sweden in 1556 as part of a network of royal demesnes designed to support the logistics of the Swedish army during the war with Russia 1554– 1557. Manors have historically played an important role during the many periods of conflict across Europe – as strongholds, supply depots, prisons, training centres, headquarters, and hospitals for example. During periods of occupation manors have usually fared badly at the hands of the invading army, and even sometimes at the hands of their own troops. Some manors, on the other hand, owe their existence to the riches their owners acquired in wartime. Manors also had a complicated role to play in both the build up to and the aftermath of wars – as symbols of resistance or occupation, as well as symbols of regeneration or a new political order. The theme of manors in times of war is regrettably current in Europe even today.

Call for papers Participants are invited to send proposals for presentations, which may approach the theme of the seminar, manors, and wars, broadly during the modern period (from about 1500 CE to the present), from different perspectives and addressing questions such as e.g.:

• How have manors been shaped by wartime?

• How did manors operate as economic and logistical centres during wartime?

• What is the history of women within manors and estates caught up in wars?

• When and why were manors rebuilt after periods of destruction during war?

• How did wartime affect the labour forces that manors depended on and what impact did this have?

• What stories emerge from manors in the aftermath of war – as remnants of lost communities, as symbols or resistance or occupation, or as legacies of a changed world?

• Manors and estates during and after the world wars.

• The mission of museums in their presentation of wars. How do museums deal with the dark heritage of war?

Research, preservation, protection and public communication of the cultural heritage of manor houses and estates and war. According to this multiscalar approach, three sessions of a maximum of four presentations will be organized. The length of the presentations is 20 minutes maximum and 10 minutes for discussion. The excellence of applications as well as the experience of the potential contributors will therefore be relevant for choosing the conference contributions.

Abstracts

Abstracts in English of a maximum of 300 words (references excluded) as well as a brief biographical note with your title and institutional affiliation may be sent to: susanna.aaltonen@espoo.fi The deadline for abstract submission is January 31st 2024. Notification of acceptance will be sent in February 2024. The language of the conference is English. The selected contributors may be exempted from the conference fee (150 Euro). The organizers are currently applying for additional funding. The conference programme and information for participants to follow.

Questions and preliminary applications may be addressed to Susanna Aaltonen susanna.aaltonen@espoo.fi or Tryggve Gestrin tryggve.gestrin@espoo.fi

More information can be found on the websites of KAMU and ENCOUNTER: https://www.espoo.fi/en/kamu-espoo-city-museum and https://encounter.network

Hälsningar

Göran Ulväng