Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung
Encyclopedia
The Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung (ZZF) (Centre for Contemporary History) is an interdisciplinary research institute
focusing on the contemporary history
of Europe, especially Germany, and member of the Leibniz Association.
, Germany
, was established in 1996 as the continuation of the Max Planck Society
research program on Contemporary History, originally founded in 1992. Its main operation was supported by the state of Brandenburg
, with additional financial backing from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
(German Research Foundation) for specific projects. Since 2009 the ZZF is a member of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community and therefore mainly funded to equal parts by the German Ministry of Education and Research and the Länder
.
Its current directors are Martin Sabrow and Frank Bösch. Past directors include Jürgen Kocka
, Christoph Kleßmann, and Konrad H. Jarausch.
, the comparison of post-war dictatorial
regimes in Central and Eastern Europe
, and the history and transformation of European memory. The Centre also organizes joint academic conferences, accepts visiting scholar
s, and coordinates memorial
s and museum
s. Additionally, the Centre also engages in the production of non-academic public lectures, conferences, workshops and multimedia based websites.
Sites on the portal devoted to the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
(17Juni53.de) and on the history of the Berlin Wall
(Chronik-der-Mauer.de) are particularly frequently used. The Centre also designed the website Ungarn1956.de (Hungary1956), on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 jointly with the “Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur
” (Foundation for the Reconciliation of the SED Dictatorship) and the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin.
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...
focusing on the contemporary history
Contemporary history
Contemporary history describes the period timeframe that is without any intervening time closely connected to the present and is a certain perspective of modern history. The term "contemporary history" has been in use at least by the early 19th century. In the widest context of this use,...
of Europe, especially Germany, and member of the Leibniz Association.
History
The ZZF, located in PotsdamPotsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, 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...
, was established in 1996 as the continuation of the Max Planck Society
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes publicly funded by the federal and the 16 state governments of Germany....
research program on Contemporary History, originally founded in 1992. Its main operation was supported by the state of Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, with additional financial backing from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
(German Research Foundation) for specific projects. Since 2009 the ZZF is a member of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community and therefore mainly funded to equal parts by the German Ministry of Education and Research and the Länder
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
.
Its current directors are Martin Sabrow and Frank Bösch. Past directors include Jürgen Kocka
Jürgen Kocka
Jürgen Kocka is a German historian.A university professor and former president of the Social Science Research Center Berlin , Kocka is a major figure in the new Social History, especially as represented by the Bielefeld School...
, Christoph Kleßmann, and Konrad H. Jarausch.
Research
The Centre cooperates with the doctoral programs of several universities, and other research programs. The emphasis is on production of scholarly papers and dissertations on the partition of Germany after world War IIHistory of Germany since 1945
As a consequence of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II Germany was split between the two global blocs in the East and West, a period known as the division of Germany. While seven million prisoners and forced laborers left Germany, over 10 million German speaking refugees arrived there from...
, the comparison of post-war dictatorial
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
regimes in Central and Eastern Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, and the history and transformation of European memory. The Centre also organizes joint academic conferences, accepts visiting scholar
Visiting scholar
In the world of academia, a visiting scholar or visiting academic is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university, where he or she is projected to teach , lecture , or perform research on a topic the visitor is valued for...
s, and coordinates memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
s and museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s. Additionally, the Centre also engages in the production of non-academic public lectures, conferences, workshops and multimedia based websites.
Publications
The Centre publishes several publications and websites:- Zeithistorische Forschungen / Studies in Contemporary History, an open access journalOpen access journalOpen access journals are scholarly journals that are available online to the reader "without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself." Some are subsidized, and some require payment on behalf of the author.Subsidized journals...
published also in print by Vandenhoeck & RuprechtVandenhoeck & RuprechtVandenhoeck & Ruprecht is a scholarly publishing house based in Göttingen, Germany. It was founded in 1735 by Abraham Vandenhoeck in connection with the establishment of the Georg-August-Universität in the same city....
. The journal contains both German and English articles, each with an abstract in both languages. - Zeithistorische Studien (Contemporary Historical Studies), a monograph series of which up to 2010 have been published 47 titles.
- Geschichte der Gegenwart (The History of the Present), a monograph series (since 2010).
- ZeitRäume (TimeSpaces), an almanacAlmanacAn almanac is an annual publication that includes information such as weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, and tide tables, containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar etc...
. - Zeitgeschichte-online (ContemporaryHistory-online), a web portalWeb portalA web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way....
.
Sites on the portal devoted to the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
The Uprising of 1953 in East Germany started with a strike by East Berlin construction workers on June 16. It turned into a widespread anti-Stalinist uprising against the German Democratic Republic government the next day....
(17Juni53.de) and on the history of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
(Chronik-der-Mauer.de) are particularly frequently used. The Centre also designed the website Ungarn1956.de (Hungary1956), on the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 jointly with the “Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur
Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur
The Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur is a government-funded organisation established in 1998 by the German parliament.Its mandate is to assess the history of the socialist regime of the German Democratic Republic , and its impact on the now reunified Germany.As its logo, the...
” (Foundation for the Reconciliation of the SED Dictatorship) and the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin.
External links
- Official Website /
- Web Portal “Zeitgeschichte-online”
- Journal “Zeithistorische Forschungen / Studies in Contemporary History”
- EurHistXX.eu – A network of European research institutes for contemporary history