These meetings aim to be a place for reflection on the enduring values that make Europe, beyond any geographical, political, or economic consideration, a cultural and spiritual reality. The recognition of this reality by the Europeans themselves is the irreplaceable foundation of an authentic institutional construction.
After addressing the question of the European imagination in 2007, this year the focus will be on the role and evolution of some of the archetypes that form the foundation of European culture. The symbol of the hero will be at the center of the discussions at these 2008 meetings.
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Program
Thursday, October 30, 2008
09:00: Opening remarks by:
Mr. Bernard ASSO, Deputy Mayor in charge of European Affairs – City of Nice.
Mr. Claude NIGOUL, President of the European Institute of High International Studies, Nice.
09:30: Introductory conference:
Georges Dumézil, the limits of heroism and the “warrior’s sin,” by Mr. Alain de BENOIST, Writer, Philosopher.
Outline of a cultural geography of hero representation in the European identity, by Mr. Gérard François DUMONT, Professor at the Sorbonne.
14:30
From the hero to the heroic society among the Indo-Europeans, by Mr. Jean HAUDRY, Professor at the University Lyon III, Director of Studies at the School of Advanced Studies, 4th section.
Roland, Tristan, Perceval: three faces of the medieval European hero, by Mr. Philippe WALTER, Professor of French literature from the Middle Ages at the University of Grenoble 3, Director of the Center for Research on the Imaginary.
From national hero to European hero: Alexander I of Russia, by Ms. Stella GHERVAS, Research Fellow at the University of Geneva and the Institute of Southeast European Studies in Bucharest.
Friday, October 31, 2008
9:00: The hero in contemporary European society: WHAT HAVE THE HEROES BECOME?
The hero in comic books, by Mr. Jean-François MATTEI, University Institute of France, Professor Emeritus at the University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis.
Round table: The multiple hero, mirror of society.
Synthesis and conclusion
