Open seminar: Are There "Good" Civil Wars?
We regularly hear about civil wars around the world that cause destruction and loss of life. While some civil wars are undoubtedly devastating, some conflicts can even be seen as constructive. Perhaps they shouldn't be called civil wars at all?
During this seminar, speakers will discuss whether there are similarities between contemporary civil wars and those of the Middle Ages and illustrate the role of conflicts in creating and destroying communities. Their thesis: Conflicts play a more constructive role than one often believes.
The seminar, hosted at Litteraturhuset, is based on the research project The Nordic “Civil Wars” in the High Middle Ages in a Comparative Perspective, led by Jón Viðar Sigurðsson and Hans Jacob Orning, professors of medieval history at the University of Oslo.
In addition to Orning and Sigurðsson, speakers include Øyvind Østerud, professor of political science at UiO, and Ebrahim Afsah and Frederik Rosén, faculty members at the University of Copenhagen.