Internationalism and Cultural Exchange 1870-1920 (ICE)

ICE is an interdisciplinary network which examines internationalist ideologies and processes of cultural exchange at a crucial historical moment. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were characterised by rising nationalism, imperialism and war. But they were also marked by movements for international cooperation, a developing international infrastructure, and experiments in transnational ways of living. The arts were central to this dialogue between nationalism and internationalism. Artists were expected to play their part in the building of national traditions, but their lives and practices were often cosmopolitan. Yet, despite the vigour of internationalist thinking, historical enquiry in the arts has been largely preoccupied with national traditions. ICE challenges that emphasis. It builds on recent initiatives by ICE convenors and others (conferences, publications, collaborations, exhibitions) to deliver a sustained and collective discussion about the role of arts-based disciplines in the expanding field of transnational history. The thematic structuring of our project proposes a constructive alternative to the model of national schools, making room for a radical reassessment of cultural canons, chronologies, movements, and artists' lives. There are three strands to our enquiry: 'Sites of Internationalism', 'World Citizens' and 'Language and Translation'. They examine the ways in which artists at the fin de siècle reimagined society, developing their own infrastructures and modes of communication in order to transcend national borders. The crossing of boundaries is fundamental to the project in several ways: the network is interdisciplinary, comparing a range of art forms; it involves collaboration between different universities in the UK and overseas, and between universities and research-active museums; its subject-matter is international; and it promotes the application of new research to teaching. The network will operate through a series of day workshops, culminating in a two-day plenary conference. These events will promote the development of a research community, supported by a well-maintained website and mailing list. Selected proceedings will be published as part of a dedicated book series under contract with Peter Lang. Museums and galleries, which in recent years have pioneered cross-cultural approaches to the History of Art, are closely involved with the project. We aim to generate ideas for cross-cultural exhibitions through the involvement of our partner at Tate Britain and other senior curators. The aims of the project are long-term, extending well beyond the two-year period of the networking award. To this end, we will seek funding towards a larger collaborative project. The network will deliver widespread benefits to academics, the public sector and the wider public. The project is international, both in concept and participants. It enables a selected group of leading scholars to collaborate, and to engage in sustained debate with colleagues from different countries, disciplines and types of institution. Our focus on internationalism at the 'long fin de siècle' (1870-1920) promises to transform understanding of an era which was crucial to the development of globalisation. It therefore contributes to a debate which goes beyond the concerns of cultural history in the period, towards a pressing contemporary problem. Policy makers and international organisations would benefit from a better understanding of the origins of cultural internationalism, as would interested members of the general public, and contemporary artists operating in an increasingly diasporic art world. ICE will initiate new readings of art in the context of internationalism and its variants (cosmopolitanism, transnationalism, globalism). In the process, it will contribute to larger projects of public dissemination (eg. exhibitions) which enhance wider cultural well-being.