Working Groups
Working Groups are entirely organized and managed by researchers with the aim of sharing common interests. There are no specific formulas for these groups and therefore the structure may vary in many ways concerning participation, reading, guest-speakers, etc. Researchers are encouraged to join and set up working groups. They should not only take advantage of helping to contemplate the fields covered by research seminars but also profit from the possibility of peer-to-peer learning and more open and flexible working conditions than can be provided by seminars.
Here below is a list of working groups which are active at the moment. If you are interested in one of these areas, send a message to the contact person. If you would like to set up a new working group, get in contact with the Departmental Assistant Ms Anna Coda
History and Politics
The working group ‘History and Politics’ discusses current issues of the entanglement of history and politics; ‘politics’ considered here in its very broadest sense.
The idea is to have a forum for exchanging information about the ongoing processes and events in our home countries, or in any other countries of interest. Topics range from commemorations to historical exhibitions and school book curricula and also include the broader field of public history. Our aim is to get an insight into the current struggles of different societies dealing with their ‘own history’.
The format of the working group is that of a discussion group: for every session we start with a short 'input' presentation from where the discussion begins.
To know more about the working group and the date and place of our next meeting please contact Karena Kalmbach .
Imperial History
The EUI Working Group on “Imperial History” discusses recent and current trends in the vibrant field of imperial history (understood in a broad sense) in the early modern and modern period.
It provides a forum for people working on different imperial contexts and topics to exchange ideas, discuss each other’s work and examine important literature in the field. At the same time, the Working Group will serve as a place to inform each other about future workshops, conferences and research programmes in various countries.
The group meets every two weeks, and the sessions will normally consist of the discussion of a pre-circulated text that is of common interest to the members of the Group. One researcher will then give a short introduction to the reading in order to open up the discussion. Alternatively, we will have a presentation by an invited speaker (both visiting researchers and professors of the EUI) on a topic that we would like to explore in more depth. All interested researchers are most welcome.
To know more about the working group and the date and place of our next meeting please contact Moritz von Brescius
Economic History
The working group on economic history will serve as a platform for the exchange of ideas on the current research in economic history carried out at the History and Civilisation department, and possibly beyond.
In particular, the group aims to overcome the growing tension between the so-called ‘new economic history’, which makes large use of statistical tools (Cliometrics), and a more qualitative, narrative approach. The group seeks to gather researchers (and professors) from a variety of backgrounds, who work on different topics and by using diverse approaches.
The meetings will take place once a week in the Badia Fiesolana, Seminario 4, at lunch time (12 noon). In each session one or two researchers (or a guest speaker) will present their work, followed by a discussion. The meetings should (1) be informative and enrich researchers’ knowledge about the current trends in the discipline and (2) allow participants to receive feedback and comments on their preliminary and advanced state of research. Finally, we will enjoy a common lunch.
To know more about the working group and the date and place of our next meeting please contact: Per Tiedtke and Gabriele Cappelli
Religious History
The Religious History Working group aims to provide a forum for all those researchers interested in developments in the study of the history of religion. Of particular interest to us are key concepts in the historiography as well as the formation of the historiography itself. It is hoped that our discussions will be bound neither by time nor space: medieval history is as welcome as the modern era and we hope to see some examples of religious history outside the confines of the European continent.
As such, our aim will be to facilitate the understanding and usage of general historiographical concepts by asking individual researchers how (or if) they would deploy such tools in their own specialisms. We also hope to bring out an interdisciplinary dimension by linking our group to those in the Department of Political and Social Sciences who also involve themselves with religious subjects of study.
This group will meet on a regular basis (every two weeks on a Wednesday afternoon). It is hoped that, in the course of each session, researchers will present a key concept in the historiography, making use either of important articles in the field or some of their own research. On occasion, the group will hopefully play host to both EUI and visiting professors who will present their work for discussion in an informal and friendly atmosphere.
To know more about the working group and the date and place of our next meeting please contact: James White and Brian Olesen