Asynchronous Histories Summer School
Call for Applicants
First Edition: Conceptual Change
22–26 September 2025, Warsaw
The Asynchronous Histories Summer School aims to explore regions and moments in history marked by the coexistence of asynchronous sociopolitical tendencies and processes. These conditions often reveal paradoxical outcomes when seemingly well-established actors and mechanisms are put into practice. The absence—or inefficiency—of "The Great Synchronizer," whether imperial order, centralized state apparatus, or the power of capital, has, in various periods and regions, created fertile grounds for blending the old and the new in unequal and unexpected ways.
Rather than viewing this coexistence of asynchronicities as a static phenomenon, we understand it as a dynamic and intricate process. In such situations, old forms may act as tools paving the way for new developments, while new forms may consolidate old arrangements, laws, and privileges. This interplay also triggers epistemological challenges, as research tools developed in global centres often fail to yield productive results when applied to these complex settings. This is why it is both challenging and indispensable to abandon normative definitions of phenomena and states of affairs in favour of listening to local actors, whose diversity ultimately calls into question apparently universal models and descriptions of reality—models that, in practice, are deeply rooted in Western centres.
In the first edition of the Asynchronous Histories Summer School, we seek to stimulate reflection on the theme of conceptual change, broadly understood. Our goal is to examine how concepts, ideas, and ideologies evolve amidst the coexistence of asynchronicities. We aim to move beyond binary perspectives, such as portraying given actors as never-fully-Western imitators or as guardians of domestic traditions. Instead, we propose thinking outside such frameworks, exploring the diverse intellectual stakes pursued by actors in the world's "grey zones."
Exemplary areas of inquiry include:
1. Western ideologies in non-Western settings.
2. Domestic political terminologies and procedures.
3. Christian ideas in non-Christian worlds.
4. Non-institutionalized areas of intellectual debate.
5. Transfers as resistance; transfers as domination.
6. Unrealized potentials, repressed imaginaries, and projects halted midway.
7. Local academic traditions in the history of ideas or philosophy.
Among the distinguished lecturers for the first edition are:
• László Kontler (Central European University)
• Franz Fillafer (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
• Augusta Dimou (University of Leipzig)
• Waldemar Bulira (University of Maria Curie-Skłodowska in Lublin)
• Jan Surman (Academy of the Sciences of the Czech Republic)
• Elías José Palti (University of Buenos Aires; National University of Quilmes)
• Olena Palko (University of Basel)
• Banu Turnaoglu (Sabancı University)
• Maciej Janowski (Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences)
• Jani Marjanen (University of Helsinki)
Organizing Institutions: Institute of Applied Social Sciences, University of Warsaw in partnership with Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences, and The History of Concepts Group
Organizing Comittee: Anna Gulińska, Bartłomiej Błesznowski, Jan Krakowian, Piotr Kuligowski
Eligibility and Application
We welcome submissions from PhD students. Advanced MA students and early career postdocs (up to two years post-defence) are also encouraged to apply.
Please submit the following materials by May 31, 2025:
• A short CV (maximum two pages).
• A concise description of your research interests (up to 1,000 words).
Send your application to ahss.warsaw[at]gmail.com
The participation fee is 150 EUR. In justified cases, this fee may be reduced.
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