Institute for European History
Encyclopedia
Institute of European History (IEG) in Mainz
, Germany
is an independent research institute
that carries out and promotes historical
research on the foundations of Europe
in Early Modern and Modern times
.
government in Germany
, so as to overcome historically grown prejudice
s and obstacle
s to a peaceful coexistence of European ethnic and religious communities by a more accurate knowledge of such historical developments. Therefore, the IEG consists of a section on the history of occidental religion
(Abteilung fuer Abendlaendische Religionsgeschichte) and a section on political
and social history
(Abteilung fuer Universalgeschichte).
continent as well as the cultural context of Europe over centuries
and setting up its distinct characteristics in contrast to the other continents. Research at the IEG thus targets pan-European and partly European communicative connections originating in bilateral
and multilateral
transfer processes. Their protagonist
s did not necessarily have to be aware of their taking part in "Europe-wide" interrelations. The religious and confessional developments of these transfer processes are one important focus of research
at the IEG.
Also, research on the foundations of Europe maps the history of conscious
reflections on Europe and Europeans, and analyses
attempts at political unification, existing political plans for Europe, ideal conception
s and utopia
n visions of Europe – always including anti-European ideas in the picture. An integral element of this approach is the history of historiography
on Europe.
This concept
ual formulation
includes a reflexion of theory
and methods of historical research on Europe. The Institute of European History questions the focus of interest of 'European' approaches and reflects the underlying ideological propositions in historical research
on the history of Europe.
have been established that work inter-departmentally and include fellow
s into their programme. They are connected by an area of cross-departmental research European History Online / EGO and complemented by an area of non-programme-bound research ( graphic presentation). The four programme-bound research areas are set up for five years. They publish their research result
s in the publication
series of the IEG and in other media
, win the support of third-party funds, and analyse basic research results, also contributing to basic research with new data and source material:
Europa als Herausforderung für Politik, Gesellschaft und Kirche
Kommunikation und Transformation in Religion und Gesellschaft
Raumbezogene Forschungen zur Geschichte Europas seit 1500
Wertewandel und Geschichtsbewusstsein
. It also welcomes international researchers as fellows in residence with external funding. The IEG states that its research fellowship programme combines research, training
and international networking
. Fellows can pursue their individual research projects. They discuss problems and methods of European historical research in an interdisciplinary
and international surrounding. According to their special fields and interest
s, they are invited to participate in the academic
activities of the Institute. In cooperation with its international partners, the Institute supports the exchange of fellows to embed them in a network of European historical research.
Publications
The IEG edits a monograph serial and a serial for conference reports, the latter being published online or in print. It runs a server for historical digital maps (IEG-MAPS) und publishes European peace treaties of the early modern period.
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
is an independent research institute
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
that carries out and promotes historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
research on the foundations of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in Early Modern and Modern times
Early modern period
In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages. Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate, the timeframe spans the period after the late portion of the Middle Ages through the beginning of the Age of Revolutions...
.
History of the Institute
The Institute was founded in 1950 by initiative of the French militaryMilitary of France
The French Armed Forces encompass the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie. The President of the Republic heads the armed forces, with the title "chef des armées" . The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who...
government in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, so as to overcome historically grown prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
s and obstacle
Obstacle
An obstacle is an object, thing, action or situation that causes an obstruction. There are, therefore, different types of obstacles, which can be physical, economic, biopsychosocial, cultural, political, technological or even military.-Physical barriers:As physical obstacles, we can enumerate all...
s to a peaceful coexistence of European ethnic and religious communities by a more accurate knowledge of such historical developments. Therefore, the IEG consists of a section on the history of occidental religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
(Abteilung fuer Abendlaendische Religionsgeschichte) and a section on political
Political history
Political history is the narrative and analysis of political events, ideas, movements, and leaders. It is distinct from, but related to, other fields of history such as Diplomatic history, social history, economic history, and military history, as well as constitutional history and public...
and social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
(Abteilung fuer Universalgeschichte).
Current Research Programme
The IEG's research on the historical foundations of Europe considers both integrating and antagonistic movements and forces shaping the geographicGeography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
continent as well as the cultural context of Europe over centuries
Century
A century is one hundred consecutive years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages .-Start and end in the Gregorian Calendar:...
and setting up its distinct characteristics in contrast to the other continents. Research at the IEG thus targets pan-European and partly European communicative connections originating in bilateral
Bilateralism
Bilateralism consists of the political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. For example, free trade agreements signed by two states are examples of bilateral treaties. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which refers to the conduct of diplomacy by a...
and multilateral
Multilateralism
Multilateralism is a term in international relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue.International organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization are multilateral in nature...
transfer processes. Their protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s did not necessarily have to be aware of their taking part in "Europe-wide" interrelations. The religious and confessional developments of these transfer processes are one important focus of research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
at the IEG.
Also, research on the foundations of Europe maps the history of conscious
Conscience
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgement may derive from values or norms...
reflections on Europe and Europeans, and analyses
Analysis
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle , though analysis as a formal concept is a relatively recent development.The word is...
attempts at political unification, existing political plans for Europe, ideal conception
Conception
Conception, or a concept, is an abstract idea or a mental symbol.Conception may also refer to:* Conception, or fertilisation, the fusion of gametes to produce a new organism.* Conception , an album by Miles Davis...
s and utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n visions of Europe – always including anti-European ideas in the picture. An integral element of this approach is the history of historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
on Europe.
This concept
Concept
The word concept is used in ordinary language as well as in almost all academic disciplines. Particularly in philosophy, psychology and cognitive sciences the term is much used and much discussed. WordNet defines concept: "conception, construct ". However, the meaning of the term concept is much...
ual formulation
Formulation
Formulation may refer to:* Clinical formulation* Formulations * Formulation science* Pharmaceutical formulation:** Galenic formulation* Pesticide formulation...
includes a reflexion of theory
Theory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...
and methods of historical research on Europe. The Institute of European History questions the focus of interest of 'European' approaches and reflects the underlying ideological propositions in historical research
Historical Research
Historical Research is a scholarly journal published by the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London. It was first published in 1923 under the title Bulletin of the Institute of Historical Research. Beginning with Vol. 60, no. 141 , the journal appeared under its present name...
on the history of Europe.
Research Areas
For the years of 2007 to 2011, four areas of programme-bound researchResearch
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
have been established that work inter-departmentally and include fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
s into their programme. They are connected by an area of cross-departmental research European History Online / EGO and complemented by an area of non-programme-bound research ( graphic presentation). The four programme-bound research areas are set up for five years. They publish their research result
Result
A result is the final consequence of a sequence of actions or events expressed qualitatively or quantitatively. Possible results include advantage, disadvantage, gain, injury, loss, value and victory. There may be a range of possible outcomes associated with an event depending on the point of...
s in the publication
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
series of the IEG and in other media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
, win the support of third-party funds, and analyse basic research results, also contributing to basic research with new data and source material:
Europa als Herausforderung für Politik, Gesellschaft und Kirche
Kommunikation und Transformation in Religion und Gesellschaft
Raumbezogene Forschungen zur Geschichte Europas seit 1500
Wertewandel und Geschichtsbewusstsein
Research Fellowships
Since 1950, the IEG has awarded doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships for research stays in MainzMainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
. It also welcomes international researchers as fellows in residence with external funding. The IEG states that its research fellowship programme combines research, training
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
and international networking
Business networking
Business networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity...
. Fellows can pursue their individual research projects. They discuss problems and methods of European historical research in an interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinarity
Interdisciplinarity involves the combining of two or more academic fields into one single discipline. An interdisciplinary field crosses traditional boundaries between academic disciplines or schools of thought, as new needs and professions have emerged....
and international surrounding. According to their special fields and interest
Interest
Interest is a fee paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of the assets. It is most commonly the price paid for the use of borrowed money, or money earned by deposited funds....
s, they are invited to participate in the academic
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
activities of the Institute. In cooperation with its international partners, the Institute supports the exchange of fellows to embed them in a network of European historical research.
Publications
The IEG edits a monograph serial and a serial for conference reports, the latter being published online or in print. It runs a server for historical digital maps (IEG-MAPS) und publishes European peace treaties of the early modern period.