From 1917 to 1949, Europe saw a proliferation of internal conflicts and civil wars that were often connected with global conflicts and wars of decolonization.
Historians have long established the (re)founding nature of experiences such as World War I (often described as the crucible of the 20th century) and World War II. Despite the omnipresence of civil wars contemporary to these two major conflicts, their experience was almost often examined within narrow national frames. Yet , the experiences of Europe’s civil wars were both distinct and, above all, connected: many Spaniards who experienced exile during the Retirada joined the anti-fascist resistance in World War II; veterans of the Russian Civil War joined the Republicans; reporters sent to the Spanish Civil War travelled to other European conflicts to forge the narratives and images disseminated in the press and media; Greek officers who had served during the Russian Civil War featured prominently in the Greek Civil War. With time, these cross-national experiences were overshadowed by one-sided national narratives, with limited archives available, and the experiences of the other side of the civil war often preserved in exile, excluded from the national community.
The aim of this international conference is to examine everyday experiences in Europe’s civil wars of 1917 and 1949, and to explore how they were recorded and narrated at the time and after the conflict. We particularly welcome papers which seek to explore entanglements and interconnections between different civil wars. Topics we are interested in include:
- exile and exile communities after civil wars
- women’s experiences of civil wars
- food shortages / hunger during civil wars
- experiencing and explaining local violence in the civil wars
- circulation of stories and rumours about, and images of, violence.
- memoirs and literature during and after civil war
- archiving and commemorating civil wars
This list, however, is not exhaustive and scholars working on topics that fit in the conference’s general frame are welcome to apply.
This conference is part of ‘The Age of Civil Wars in Europe, c. 1914–1949’ ERC Advanced Grant Project (2022–2027, www.civil-wars.eu ). The project is hosted by the Centre for War Studies at University College Dublin (www.ucd.ie/warstudies), and its principal investigator is Professor Robert Gerwarth, and is funded by the European Research Council.
Date: 25-26 June 2026
Venue: University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Travel and accommodation costs: speakers whose proposals have been accepted will be funded by ‘The Age of Civil Wars in Europe, c. 1914–1949’ ERC Advanced Grant Project (2022–2027).
Please submit a short abstract of the proposed paper (300 words), and a short bio (150 words) by 13 February 2026
Selected speakers will be contacted by mid-March and will need to confirm their participation by the beginning of April.
Contact information: Please send your proposals to Dr. Gwendal Piégais, UCD Centre for War Studies; gwendal.piegais@ucd.ie