Dr. Jonathan Singerton talks about Central Europe and the 19th century World
In December 2024, Dr. Jonathan Singerton (University of Amsterdam) was the featured guest speaker at the last lunch talk of the Fall 2025 semester. A full house assembled to hear Dr. Singerton take us on a journey across the Habsburg Empire and to spots far-flung from Vienna. Dr. Singerton told us a bit about his experiencing visiting Leiden for the event.
What did you talk about the Austria Centre Leiden lunchtime talk?
The core of my talk at the Austria Centre Leiden was on the historical entanglements of Habsburg history beyond the European mainland. Anchored in the nineteenth century, I recounted how Habsburg political interests developed in post-Napoleonic period and took on a global dimension in terms of economic and geostrategic thinking. The talk, entitled "A Spiritual Lacuna? Austria-Hungary’s Religious Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century" used the lens of the Austrian Empire's religious activities during this period as a means to explore these wider worldwide ambitions and influences. After detailing the expansive vision of the Viennese court together with their Trieste mercantile allies, I showed how these machinations tied into the wider resurgence of Christian, particularly Roman Catholic missionizing in the early nineteenth century that took the form of several charitable organizations based in Vienna and other parts of Central Europe. These organizations held considerable influence in the African interior and the American Midwest, both places of acute colonial conquest and of growing economic interest to the Habsburg monarchy.
How did the audience respond to your talk?
Leiden possesses a strong community of knowledgeable experts in the field of Central European history and it was deeply fortunate for many of them to attend this session. We were also fortunate to welcome many interlopers from other historical fields who found resonance in the global story portrayed by my talk, for instance the Austrian Empire's interest in the opening of China after the First Opium War. The talk lasted 45 minutes after which we spent around another hour answering and discussing questions posed by the audience, which, as a speaker, was both gratifying and exhilarating as these questions provoked new insights and thoughts into my research agenda. I am grateful for the suggestions raised by so many audience members and the lines of fruitful contact planted by such a dynamic exchange.
Why is it important to study Central Europe in The Netherlands today?
The Austrian government is right to support several Austria Centres across the world today as they all enrich and support the study of Central Europe from a broader perspective. Yet it is from the Dutch angle that we can profit the most. Long remembered in this country as ancient enemies, the Habsburgs are a dynasty intricately linked to the Low Countries through, first, the Spanish inheritance and then, as a neighbouring power during the Austrian period of rule in present-day Belgium right up until the fall of the monarchy. This connection is a long history, but one that still offers up fresh reminders of timely debates and themes: the nature of political rights and representation, the competition for resources, the effects of global trade, and the limits of just wars. It is a shared history. Recognising this interplay is one reason why the study of Central Europe is so important for the Netherlands, but studying this region here is a worthwhile endeavour because it combines one Europe's greatest scholarly environments in Dutch academia with the exploration of Europe's most complex and fascinating historical landscapes, the lands of the Habsburgs.
