Border crossings: in the light of history

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• Prof. Chris Clark (St Catharine's), Dr Joya Chatterji (Trinity) , Prof. David Reynolds (Christ's)
• Saturday 02 November 2013, 15:00-17:00
• Lady Mitchell Hall, Sidgwick Site, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DA.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Cambridge Festival of Ideas.

Nationalism has been one of the most dynamic yet dangerous ideologies in modern history. Politicians encourage us to think that national frontiers are firm and unchanging, central to our identity. But in this session, members of the History Faculty reflect on the porous nature of borders. With Professors David Reynolds, Chris Clark and Dr Joya Chatterjee.

THE BALKANS AND THE LEGACIES OF 1914 Prof. Chris Clark (St Catharine’s) Professor of Modern European History Until recently, a bronze plaque in Sarajevo commemorated the moment in June 1914 when the young Bosnian Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated an Austrian Archduke and took ‘the first steps into Yugoslav liberty’. National tensions wrought havoc on the Balkan peninsula in 1912 and 1913 and triggered the outbreak of the First World War. After the collapse of Soviet power, they helped to bring about the dissolution of the Yugoslavian state. Chris Clark unravels the legacies of a region in which political borders and cultural identities have never coincided.

MAKING AND BREAKING MODERN SOUTH ASIA Dr Joya Chatterji (Trinity) Reader in Modern South Asian History The British Raj came to an abrupt end in 1947 but millions of people in South Asia are still living with the legacies of its break-up. Joya Chatterji unravels the tangled story and the nationalist mythologies spun around it. A schools project she has developed in London with migrants from Bangladesh shows how a clearer understanding of the past can promote reconciliation in the present.

BRITAIN , EUROPE AND THE LEGACIES OF 1940 Prof. David Reynolds (Christ’s) Professor of International History The events of 1940 cast a long shadow over modern Europe. They drove Britain away from the continent, just at a time when it had been drawing closer to France. Across the Channel, however, the appalling legacies of 1940 for France and Germany persuaded these two countries to transcend their long cycle of border wars and forge an unprecedented European Community. David Reynolds reflects on the frontiers of the mind that often matter as much in history as visible national borders.

The event is free but booking in advance is required. Booking information: www.cam.ac.uk/festival-of-ideas or: 01223 766766 Bookings open on 23 September, 10 am.

This talk is part of the Festival of Ideas 2013 series.

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• Lady Mitchell Hall, Sidgwick Site, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DA

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