Internationalism and Nationalism in the League of Nations’ Work for Intellectual Cooperation

How did intellectuals and politicians confirm or reinforce national categories, even when they ostensibly promoted visions of an international community? The chapter addresses this question through a case study of the League of Nations’ mechanisms for intellectual cooperation. After a brief discussion of institutional aspects, namely the establishment of League-affiliated committees and institutes in the 1920s, the article focuses on the interplay of transnational and national practices. National actors—for instance intellectuals and organisations from Central and Eastern Europe—targeted the League bodies, evoking both cultural internationalism and national interests. Furthermore, nationhood was projected at international congresses—sometimes openly, sometimes in more subtle terms—with the pronouncements of delegates from Fascist Italy providing an interesting case in point. Finally, the chapter discusses how individuals sought to reconcile the multi-layered nature of their activities; to this end, it considers several figures who were involved in the League’s efforts to foster a “société des esprits.”