After having made the most of our wonderful trips abroad, it was finally time for us at the University of Warwick to host the peak event in March this year. Under the excellent supervision of Professor Rosie Doyle, the Warwick cohort met a few weeks in advance to discuss the plans for the conference ahead. The most difficult task was trying to brainstorm a schedule that made Coventry seem like a distant utopia. Unsurprisingly, this was an extremely daunting task.
Eagerly anticipating the arrival of the European cohorts, Mayukha and I thought merely about how much food and drink we could consume at Las Iguanas later that evening. Nevertheless, our last minute presentation edits were cut short as it was time to venture into Coventry to meet everyone else. Once at the hotel, it was lovely to see some familiar faces again including Professor Frederik Dhondt from Belgium who was responsible for organising the wonderful peak event last year. Mayukha and I recognised August from the VUB delegation whose cameo appearance in Brussels resulted in us being granted access to a luxurious Belgian city building. I am sure he was thrilled that we offered him the streets of Coventry in return. After a taste of Latin America, which humorously for some was slightly too spicy to handle, we gave some of the students their first experience of a British pub. Mayukha’s embarrassing attempts to drink a Guiness were spared by the fact we had the peak event the following morning. I would also like to apologise to the French delegation because there was no smoking area at the pub - I hope all is forgiven!
The Peak Event
When we arrived at the Peak Event, it was clear that Will won the award for best dressed. With the talks being held in the Junction building, the Belgian presentations were the opposite of a car crash. It was an honour to be the chair for a panel that spoke eloquently, thoroughly engaged our audience and answered my questions fantastically. Feeling like a football referee, it was a massive relief that I did not have to raise either the green or red cards even once. August expertly opened the conference with a presentation breaking down the groundbreaking nature of the 1831 Belgian constitution; providing us with an insight into the pathway towards universal suffrage in the country. This contextual background nicely supported Emma’s talk posed around the Catholic vs Liberal dichotomy within Belgian politics - her source analysis was particularly impressive in defining legal terminology that was novel to us Warwick history students. This linked brilliantly to the questions brought up by Melani in her presentation. The decision made by King William to go undermine the collective rights of the Belgian citizens was a really interesting case study. Rounding off a fantastically set of connecting presentations, Améline and Blue importantly discussed the role of women in Belgium and their hard fought struggle for the vote and other independent rights which included the abortion law. I must express my apology to Améline for asking her a question (which she brilliantly answered) in front of the group! Furthermore, I thought that Blue’s talk could be compared with the Warwick presentation on the process of abortion rights in Cuba which would be an interesting global approach to the history of abortion.
The impressive standard set by the Belgians was maintained by the Slovenian delegation. Those from Warwick who had attended previous EUTOPIA conferences were so happy to see the likes of Kristjian, Ajra, Luka and Teja again. It was great to hear another talk from Kristjian after he kindly welcomed us to Ljubljana in 2023. An impressive source analysis of local rebuttals against the establishment was topped off by a photo of Kristjian at the archives. Bringing the sun of Spain to the grey of Coventry, Luka brilliantly spoke on self-organised uprisings in Jerez. I was particularly intrigued by his insights gained from looking at guild structures; especially in the case of the winery guild. I noticed that there were similarities between the Venetian guild regulations for the production of murano glass and the power exhibited by the Jerez winery guild over their staple product of sherry. Where student protests nowadays resort to throwing paint and utilising social media to their advantage, Ajra would have reminded us of the strategic value of reading clubs if it was not for her unfortunate illness. We are all looking forward to her contributions to the blog nevertheless. Teja and Domen both expertly conveyed the concept of the Sokol association in the Slovenian context to their audience. From Ljubljana to Ljutomer, the evolving political dimension of the Sokol from the gymnastic clubs to a 5000 strong rally in Ormož was intriguing. When Nives spoke on a strive towards Slovenian national identity under the crown lands of the Habsburgs, I was extremely interested in the comparatives that could be drawn in the case of Italy throughout the Risorgimento - a case which I studied last year. Professor Doyle also noted that language was at the forefront of Mayukha’s presentation; however, unlike Nives, I would not describe my good friend as a polyglot. Although it was unfortunate that we did not get to see Benjamin in person, his virtual contributions to the event were extremely valuable. An institutional mechanism necessary for many lawyers today, we were all captivated by Benjamin’s discussion of how the Bar Association in Carniola developed.
After the lunch break, which I definitely did not spend editing my presentation, it was time for the French delegation to take the stage. Despite it being her first year at the conference, Warwick student Arushi did a fantastic job chairing the panel and asked some very thought provoking questions at the conclusion of the segment. Philippine began by speaking on literary censorship and its evolution. We thought it was fascinating that, despite the laudation of ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’, censorship continued to exist through the mediums of gender and sexuality in the twentieth century. The partnership of Aude and Ferdaouse on their podcast did make me worry because I thought my job on the Warwick History podcast was in danger. The integral role of trade unions as intermediates between the workers and their establishment was convincingly argued by both. Their argument was even supported by the strike we joined in Coventry the day after! Lisa’s unique focus on animal rights was a really creative and well presented topic. Her talk definitely had the best pictures on the slides! The Grammont Law was a novel concept to many of us and therefore, the presentation explained its aims and implementations very clearly. Finally, commendations go to Emma for managing to talk through a century of history regarding children’s rights in France. Her quote selections and source analysis were striking because they highlighted how children were increasingly thought about as perceptive and as an integral part of the family.
The Warwick presentations wrapped up a thought provoking event with Riaz and Arushi’s focus on abortion rights in Cuba. Their presentation kickstarted a global outreach in the research interests of our community with Latin America being an fascinating part of the world to study. Their methodology was also pioneering in the context of the conference. Aligning with trends within the modern historiographical discipline, their use of oral history to represent the voices of women often lost in textual documents was excellent. The contributions of both Emily and Lilly behind the scenes must also be commended. The cultural transmission of football across Latin America has been proved given that Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia have all competitively battled and outclassed our respective nations in recent history. However, Chris and Fred showcased that subjective rights relating to race, class and gender were mechanisms which prevented many from having the opportunity to play sport. The achievements of Afro-Brazilian, lower social class and female footballers in the twentieth century therefore go beyond their skills on the pitch. Franky, Will and Sean all passionately spoke about the Mexican Zapatista Movement and how the EZLN fought for the indigenous rights to land reform. The violent political unrest between the Mexican government and the EZLN raged throughout the long twentieth century in Mexico. The boys proudly highlighted the importance of such a struggle and how it relates to the contemporary climate in the nation today - Professor Doyle was really impressed. Attempting to apply the concept of social rights to the Renaissance, I spoke on the Venetian Patency Law of 1474 and how it offered craftsmen, humanists and other intellectuals copyright protection in the republic. It must be stressed that the state acted in their own self interests in order to profit from craftsmen staying loyal to Venice. With some familiar faces at the back, I did my best to keep a straight face throughout! Mayukha closed the day in impressive style. He broadened the discussion of collective rights to Asia with regards to language. Covering India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the postcolonial grapple for a unified cultural identity stemmed from the language licensed by those in government. Mayukha rightly questions whether this was representative of the wider populations. Thanks go to Soroosh, my colleague from the Warwick History podcast, for chairing the session to such good effect.
It would not be EUTOPIA without a valuable contribution from Frederik who closed the conference by talking about the online exhibition. We are all looking forward to seeing how students present their research findings in the near future.
Those who joined us in Leamington Spa later that evening had a chance to experience the unique (putting in nicely) atmosphere of an English pub. Whilst Mayukha frequents such an establishment every week, I thoroughly enjoyed a rare visit in great company. Given a previous presentation from Slovenian student Lovro on Styrian hops, I am not sure the same quality can be applied to the Guiness served on this occasion. It was also particularly impressive that the students were able to navigate their way to and from Coventry on the English public transport network notorious for being slow.
The following morning began with a tour of Coventry Cathedral whose ruins were a sight to behold. Emily and Arushi’s photoshoot in the cramped room at the top of the ruins was rather amusing whilst others were slightly less impressed by the actions of the surrounding seagulls… Nevertheless, it was a good opportunity to see inside a church which represented the spirit of the city centre. A surprise addition to the programme was a visit to a strike organised by the University and College Union (not quite comparable to the events of the Anzin strike)! The afternoon brought with it a chance to see the outskirts of Kenilworth castle on a sunny day which cannot be said to often in the West Midlands. Our last chance to meet as a group was later that evening. I must admit that a tour of my student accommodation was a downgrade from the tours we had of the culturally rich European cities of Ljubljana and Brussels previously! Hopefully, everyone had a good time as we once again returned to Leamington Spa to close off the trip.
Us at the University of Warwick would like to thank everyone who attended the conference both in person and virtually. The peak event each year is the climax of this EUTOPIA community as we all have the opportunity to unite in one place. We would love to meet everyone again at some point in the near future because the social aspect of the trip was also a resounding success. A final thank you goes to Professor Rosie Doyle for organising the activities on the trip and ensuring the peak event ran smoothly. We would all embrace the opportunity to keep in touch and especially if anyone by chance returns to the UK.
Ash Fowkes-Gajan
University of Warwick
Mayukha Rodrigo
Riaz Ali Hulston
Lilly Furssedonn
Arushi Singhai
Will Chatfield
Fred Teasdale
Chris Johnson-Bird
Emily Hearn
Franky Brown
Sean Kenniston
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