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| International Commission for the History and Theory of Historiography | |
|---|---|
| Name | International Commission for the History and Theory of Historiography |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Scholarly commission |
| Headquarters | International |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| Language | Multilingual |
International Commission for the History and Theory of Historiography is an international scholarly commission devoted to comparative research on historiographical traditions, methodologies, and theoretical reflection, engaging historians from diverse national and institutional backgrounds. The commission connects researchers working on topics related to Herodotus, Thucydides, Tacitus, Leopold von Ranke, E. H. Carr and draws on comparative dialogues with scholars associated with Annales School, Marxist historiography, Positivism, Postmodernism and Empiricism.
The commission was established in the aftermath of renewed international exchange during the mid-20th century, responding to cross-national initiatives similar to those that produced collaborations among International Committee of Historical Sciences, International Congress of Historical Sciences, Royal Historical Society, American Historical Association, and Comité International des Sciences Historiques. Early founders included scholars influenced by debates surrounding Rankean historiography, Positivism, Dialectical materialism, Annales School, and the methodological controversies linked to figures such as Marc Bloch, Lucien Febvre, Thomas Carlyle, G. V. Le Bon, and Karl Marx. The formative period intersected with institutional developments at University of Paris, University of Oxford, Harvard University, Princeton University, and University of Rome La Sapienza.
The commission’s stated objectives encompass comparative studies of historiographical traditions associated with Greece, Rome, Byzantium, China, Japan, India, Islamic Golden Age, and modern European schools including the Annales School and Marxist historiography. It seeks to foster dialogue among scholars working on texts by Herodotus, Thucydides, Sima Qian, Ban Zhao, Ibn Khaldun, Leopold von Ranke, R. G. Collingwood, Fernand Braudel, and Michel Foucault, while interrogating methodological frameworks articulated by E. H. Carr, Karl Popper, Hayden White, and Paul Veyne. The scope covers thematic intersections with institutions such as British Academy, Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Max Planck Institute for History, and Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.
The commission organizes itself through an executive committee modeled on governance seen in International Committee of Historical Sciences, European Science Foundation, Royal Historical Society, and American Historical Association, with elected presidents, secretaries, and working-group chairs drawn from universities including University of Cambridge, Yale University, University of Bologna, Humboldt University of Berlin, and University of Tokyo. Membership comprises national delegations, individual subscribers, and institutional partners such as Bibliothèque nationale de France, Library of Congress, Vatican Library, and Russian State Library, with affiliation norms reflecting standards used by UNESCO and Council of Europe cultural committees.
Major projects have included comparative histories of historiography published in series akin to those of Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Brill Publishers, and De Gruyter, and collaborative volumes edited by scholars associated with Fernand Braudel Center, Institute for Advanced Study, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, and Sciences Po. Notable edited collections and journals sponsored or co-sponsored by the commission align with titles such as History and Theory, Journal of Modern History, Past & Present, and Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales, and engage contributors referencing Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Simone de Beauvoir, Isaiah Berlin, and Benedetto Croce.
The commission convenes international conferences and symposia patterned after events like the International Congress of Historical Sciences, Symposium on Humanistic Studies, Weimar Classicism conferences, and thematic workshops hosted at Columbia University, Princeton University, Sorbonne University, Sapienza University of Rome, and Heidelberg University. These gatherings frequently feature panels on comparative traditions invoking authors such as Herodotus, Sima Qian, Ibn Khaldun, Niccolò Machiavelli, Edward Gibbon, and Leopold von Ranke, and attract participation from institutions including British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Biblioteca Nacional de España, and National Diet Library.
The commission’s work has influenced methodological debates involving E. H. Carr, Hayden White, Ranke, Braudel, Marc Bloch, Lucien Febvre, and Michel Foucault, shaping curricula at universities such as University of Oxford, Harvard University, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and University of California, Berkeley. Reception among historians has ranged from endorsement by proponents of comparative and theoretical approaches represented by Annales School and Marxist historiography to critique from defenders of empirical traditions linked to Leopold von Ranke, G. P. Gooch, and Lord Acton, mirroring broader disputes evident in forums like the American Historical Review and English Historical Review.
Prominent figures associated with the commission have included scholars comparable to Fernand Braudel, Marc Bloch, Lucien Febvre, E. H. Carr, Isaiah Berlin, Hayden White, Georges Duby, Natalie Zemon Davis, Edward Hallett Carr, Carlo Ginzburg, Lynn Hunt, Peter Burke, Dominique Pestre, Jörn Rüsen, and Frank Ankersmit, as well as institutional patrons from UNESCO, Council of Europe, British Academy, and American Council of Learned Societies. The leadership line has alternated between historians from France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, Italy, and Japan, reflecting the commission’s transnational membership drawn from University of Paris, Humboldt University, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Sapienza University of Rome, and University of Tokyo.
Category:International historical organizations