Submitted Abstract
This application is for funding the research visit of an outgoing, senior researcher based in Luxembourg, Dr. Spero S.Z Paravantis. He is the PI of the CORE junior project BENELUX, which addresses the separation of European and Cold War historiographies by researching the impact that the US policy of containment had on the European Integration (EI) movement. Project BENELUX looks specifically at the Benelux region, and the role that US financial intervention (in support containment) had on EI from 1948 to 1960. This project sheds light on the question of the impact that the early Cold War American military and financial intervention in Western Europe had on the early European Integration movement by examining the reactions of the Benelux nations to those developments, the role the Benelux played in US containment strategy, and how the Benelux contributed to the development of a common European security strategy. As a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, Institute of European Studies (IES), Dr. Paravantis’ will 1- analyse the results of the US-based archival research for project BENELUX (to be completed in August 2017), 2- draft two of it’s planned publications, 3- work on the edited volume of the contributions presented at the project BENELUX conference, held at the MSH BELVAL, on March 30 and 31 2017, and 4- give 2 lectures. In so doing, he will conduct the research and publishing objectives outlined in Project BENELUX, but they will now benefit by being performed under the guidance of senior US-based experts in International, Cold War and BENELUX history. This will allow for a much more knowledgeable exploitation of the archival resources, and greatly enhance the quality and visibility of his publications. Since this project examines US involvement in Europe, it is only natural to seek out a research visit at an American university which has an unmatched focus and profile in European studies. The IES at Berkeley is one of the biggest European studies departments in the US, and, considering that it is a strategic partner of the university of Luxembourg, is the perfect institution with which a research visit can be collaborated. Jeroen Dewulf, head of the IES and of its Benelux program will be the host of the researcher research visit, and he will also collaborate with co-host Mark Bevir, Professor of Political Philosophy and International Historians John Connelly, Daneil Sargent and Stefan Ludwig Hoffman. These Berkeley-based experts will provide invaluable feedback on the research findings thus far, and the drafting of his articles. They will be able to help the PI address any gaps in the US research, and consult with PI regarding additional sources. Working with these professors will also greatly enhance the quality, visibility and impact of the findings of project BENELUX, by getting their insight into the Benelux / US relationship, and incorporating them into the work that he will produce and present in Berkeley.