International Conference
“Peripheral” Decadences and Forms of Nationalism
Call For Papers
Under and Tuglas Literature Centre of the Estonian Academy of Sciences
in association with the Estonian Academy of Arts
Tallinn, Estonia
13–15 November 2025
The conference “‘Peripheral’ Decadences and Forms of Nationalism” focuses on the
interconnections of fin de siècle culture and nationalism in the Baltic and more broadly Nordic
contexts. The notion of “periphery” here offers multiple ways of exploring the fin de siècle
culture: the Baltic and Nordic countries have been traditionally regarded as (Euro)periphery,
while Decadent art has existed on the periphery of their own cultural fields. How did nationalist
discourses and ideas shape Decadence as an aesthetic in the region? How did Decadent
literature and art impact different forms of nationalism?
Fin de siècle Decadence, as a discourse and a distinct aesthetic, has usually been described as
cosmopolitan and global. This conference, however, explores its intricate relationship with
local national cultures and nationalist politics. We contend that transnational ideas and national
objectives coexist peacefully, playing a crucial role in the dynamics of smaller cultures at the
turn of the century and after. In the context of fin de siècle “peripheral” examples of Decadence,
representations of nation, race, culture and language uniquely convey both overripeness and
unripeness. Employing the organic metaphor, we might assert that a “young”, artificially
created organism establishes a significant connection with an overmature heritage. A young
and minor nation constructs itself atop the weariness of the so-called old world, with signs of
decline potentially heralding rebirth. Hence the manifold ways in which Decadence intersects
with nationalism suggest states of being that are ambivalently and affectively tied to transition
and change.
We invite researchers interested in Decadence Studies to analyse the interconnections between
the various forms of “transitional” Decadence and “transitional” nationalism in the history of
the so-called peripheral European countries.
Suggested topics:
Decadence
- as an organic process (in the sense of e.g. J. G. Herder, C. Darwin, H. Taine, P. Bourget, F.
Nietzsche, O. Spengler)
- and the stages of national growth and/or decline
- and the issues of nation, race and heredity
- and relationship between nation and race
- and nationalism from a gender-sensitive perspective
- and the discourses of nationalism and colonialism
- and affects (including extreme feelings such as ecstasy and apathy, euphoria and dysphoria)
in relation to forms of nationalism
- and melancholic expressions of belonging
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The conference is in-person and the working language is English. The papers are divided into sessions of two or three participants each. They are limited to a max 15 min presentation + 15 min discussion.
Proposals of abstracts and panels can be submitted until 28 February 2025.
Letters of acceptance will be sent out at the end of March 2025.
Abstracts of no more than 300 words should include a title, as well as a brief bionote, including the institutional affiliation.
Proposals should be sent to decadenceconf@utkk.ee. The conference fee is 120 euros for academics and 100 euros for PhD-students.
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Keynote speakers are Juliet Simpson (Art History, Coventry University, UK) and Jaan Undusk (Literary History, Under and Tuglas Literature Centre, Estonia).
The conference is simultaneously an interdisciplinary sharing platform proposed by the research team “Emergence of a Civilised Nation: Decadence and Transitionality in 1905‒
1940” (PRG1667 Under and Tuglas Literature Centre; supported by the Estonian Research Council) and the 15th International Conference of the Baltic Literary Scholars. It is
organised by the Under and Tuglas Literature Centre of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (Kohtu 6, Tallinn) in association with the Estonian Academy of Arts (Põhja puiestee 7, Tallinn).
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Organising committee
Tiina Abel
Mirjam Hinrikus
Linda Kaljundi
Merlin Kirikal
Viola Parente-Čapková
Riikka Rossi