Conference: Beyond the Western Front, The Global First World War

Conference Event: Beyond the Western Front: The Global First World War

Friday 1 and Saturday 2 July 2016

Albert Hall Conference Centre, Nottingham

In a British context, and with significant exceptions, the First World War is still interpreted through a white British narrative that prioritises the Western Front as the principal site of conflict and sacrifice. The commemorative landscapes and rituals created after 1918, and re-affirmed each year in the UK and on the Western Front, preclude a broader understanding of the war as a global conflict and its impact into the 21st century. The dominance of this ‘First World War orthodoxy’ has hindered popular British opinion from understanding, or even being aware of, alternative views and experiences.

Through a combination of papers, presentations and workshops, this free event will examine different understandings of the war and seek to provide a broader cosmopolitan context in which to place the British First World War orthodoxy. The event will present and discuss views from a variety of national, faith and other emerging communities whose histories are rarely considered, and for whom the traditional Armistice Day celebrations may have strikingly different meanings.

It is hoped that the debates at the event will prompt further research and collaboration between academics and communities.

Find out more and book your free ticket here.

The event will take place at the Albert Hall Conference Centre. Click here for directions.

The event is organised by The Centre for Hidden Histories, on behalf of the five national World War One Engagement Centres funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.