Suchergebnisse

In Belgian historical research a lot of attention is given to local politics, also by the activities of local amateur historians. This research mostly bas a very limited scientific finality because the local political past is taken in isolation. 'Glocal history' requires representative data. Within a broader perspective one can consider the local political past in a global context. This 'global history' sees the local level as a field in which to analyze the political, social, economic and cultural developments in relation to each other. At the same time the local political sphere is considered a link between the individual citizen and higher political authorities. Local political structures act as a buffer between the citizen and (inter) national policy and are at the same time a grounds for experimentation.

'Are you not in prison yet?' or: how much of a minefield is commissioned research?Historical knowledge can be used for multiple purposes. Consequently, it is hard to make a distinction between studies that criticize government policies and those that support them. Besides, the impact of historical publications on major public debates is usually quite small. However, this should not dissuade historians from carrying out commissioned research which has its origins in a lively public interest in the subject. Otherwise they risk leaving this area wide open to terribles simplificateurs. Another question is the amount of freedom the researcher is allowed in order to carry out research and present results. The author shows that he experienced more freedom in this respect when he carried out research commissioned by the government than when he carried out research at the request of private interest groups. He also experienced external (efforts at) meddling with his research and publications when carrying out independent research, including threats of judicial prosecution. Independent research is therefore no less problematic than commissioned research. However, the latter may result in the historians' research agenda disintegrating. This article is part of the forum 'Geschiedschrijving in opdracht'.

L. de Vos, E. Gerard, J. Gérard-Libois, Ph. Raxhon, Lumumba. De complotten? De moord (Leuven 2004)The Lumumba Commission. Historiography and collective memory.Belgium has no political tradition with regard to setting up parliamentary inquiries into aspects of its national history. Its political culture and national consensus is often perceived as too fragile to allow an open debate on painful aspects of its past. This has not only been the case with regard to Belgium's role during the Second World War, but also for its politics in colonial Africa. Notwithstanding the ongoing controversies over the troublesome decolonisation of the Belgian Congo, it has taken four decades for the Belgian political establishment to allow a thorough reinvestigation of this episode, which has placed a heavy strain on relations between the former motherland and its colony for such a long time. The establishment in 2000 of a special commission of inquiry to investigate the murder in 1961 of Patrice Lumumba, the former Congolese political leader, was largely made possible after the transformation of the landscape of political parties in Belgium in the late 1990s. Both the establishment and proceedings of a special parliamentary inquiry reflected the profound political and ideological schisms about Belgium's role in the decolonization of the Congo. The commission showed that writing history is closely intertwined with a political agenda. For historians, who were involved in the commission of inquiry, it was necessary to achieve a balance between academic professionalism and the moral responsibility of revealing a painful past. Historical commissions of inquiry therefore provide a good example of the public role that historians play in a changing political context. This contribution establishes both the political and moral aspects of writing history as well as their theoretical and methodological assumptions.

Il mito dell'Olanda. Politica e storiografia in Italia nella prima età moderna Nell'Europa della prima età moderna la storiografia era utilizzata di consueto come strumento per ricollegarsi alle questioni politiche locali. Mentre gli storici dei secoli più recenti hanno preso in esame anzitutto gli autori che scrivevano direttamente della propria storia nazionale, nella prima età moderna l'opinione pubblica di un Paese si formava tenendo anche conto di avvenimenti storici stranieri o transnazionali, che portavano un contributo importante al dibattito storico locale. In quale misura la storiografia italiana asservì a tal fine? Questo contributo verifica se la storiografia italiana sulla guerra degli ottant'anni (1568-1648) abbia offerto un contributo, seppur velato, al dibattito politico italiano contemporaneo. La Rivolta dei Paesi Bassi e la Repubblica delle Province Unite erano, non di rado, elevate a modello o a termine di confronto per la situazione politica ed economica dell'Italia. Questo articolo prova ad individuare l'agenda politica sottostante a tre opere storiografiche scritte, rispettivamente, da Francesco Bocchi, Giovanni Costa e Gerolamo Conestaggio. A tal fine i dibattiti che si colgono in filigrana, sullo sfondo della materia storica, vengono interpretati alla luce del contesto politico italiano contemporaneo.

Different Views on the Role and Nature of HistoryIn his defence of the documentary series De Oorlog [The War], Hans Blom stresses how recent studies, new source material and proven forms of presentation determined this renewed public history of the Second World War. In doing so, he and the television team would have managed to avoid political and moral positions. Instead, I emphasize that – since Hayden White at the latest – we know only too well how the selection and combination of any kind of information are crucial to the histories we present and the political/moral messages that are implied. This exchange reveals the substantial differences in our views on the role and nature of history and I hope it will stimulate more critical assessments of audio-visual histories. This article is part of the forum 'De Oorlog'.

Jeroen Duindam, Historians and war: the metamorphosis of a traditional theme.This introduction describes the cold relationship between most academic historians and the field of military history. It argues that historians can no longer leave aside military history in considering the history of the state in Europe, European expansion, and a variety of other social and cultural themes. Special attention is given to the emergence of a social history of warfare and armies, and to the military revolution debate. Finally, a discussion of the exceptional position of the Low Countries as a 'school of war' puts into perspective the other contributions to this volume.This article is part of the special issue 'Legerorganisatie en oorlogvoering in de Lage Landen tijdens de zestiende en zeventiende eeuw'.