Call for Papers: Transnational War Volunteering: From Garibaldi to the Cold War

A conference will be held at the University of Leeds on 10 and 11 July 2018.

In the second half of the nineteenth century and in the early twentieth century supporters of Giuseppe Garibaldi volunteered their services and took part in the Polish uprising of 1863, the Cretan revolt of 1866-1867, the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, the Herzegovina uprising of 1875, the Greco-Turkish War of 1896 and the First Balkan War of 1912-1913.

A cohort of transnational Garibaldini volunteers also fought for France in 1914-1915 and the name of Garibaldi was once again invoked by the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). In many ways, Garibaldinism served as a bridge between different radical political creeds: anarchism, socialism and, later on, communism.

The conference seeks to explore traditions of transnational military engagement associated with political radicalism and the legacy of Garibaldi as well as to examine how practices of volunteering to fight against colonial occupation and perceived oppression continued into the Cold War.

We particularly encourage papers dealing with the participation of foreign volunteers in anti-colonial and/or Cold War conflicts in post-1945 Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Enquiries and proposals of up to 300 words (in English) should be sent to Dr Enrico Acciai by 31 January 2018.

The conference will be held at the University of Leeds on 10 and 11 July 2018. A keynote lecture will be given by Professor Lucy Riall (European University Institute).

Limited funds will be available to help pay for the travel expenses of participants, with preference given to early career researchers.

Enrico Acciai (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow)

Nir Arielli (Associate Professor of International History)

Please visit Garibaldnism for more information.