The history of the political (political history in social and cultural perspective) is a subject that has been particularly popular in Germany in recent years. As a theoretical-methodological concept it links many of the projects currently being carried out at the Institute, in a way that includes various different epochs. In comparison to more traditional approaches its key feature is a dynamic understanding of politics. The fundamental assumption is that what is designated as “political” is constantly open to renegotiation. This sort of political history therefore owes a great deal to cultural-historical approaches. In Germany it is called “Kulturgeschichte des Politischen” (cultural history of politics) or “Neue Politikgeschichte” (new political history). In recent years this approach has been embraced with great enthusiasm in both Britain and Germany. So far, however, there has been little exchange of ideas. The Institute’s aim is therefore to bridge this gap.

The projects currently being carried out at the Institute on this topic are:

• Research on the changing nature of the political public spheres, and, closely linked to this, the forms and styles of political communication from the Early Modern period to the present. Particular attention is paid to change and continuity in symbolic forms of communication, particularly political ceremonial, comparing Britain with Germany. Empirical and conceptual works also focus on structural changes in the political public, concentrating in particular on the scientization of the social in the modern age.
• Research on British self-observations (social research) as well as on British self-perceptions and perceptions of the other.
• Research on social and political notions of order, and the basic concepts of the political discourse. One key feature here is an examination of the change in and significance of political languages in the 20th century, as manifested, for example, in the Nazi dictatorship or in the resurgence of conservatism in the 1960s. A second is the question of spatializing politics and political concepts, which can, for example, be conceived of within the political image of the “West”, that of the region, but also within the concept and significance of boundaries.

In addition, the GHIL is also collaborating with the Royal Historical Society in editing a series of source material “British Envoys to Germany”. The focal point of this project on politics in diplomacy is the multi-faceted British perception of Germany, and the changes in the mechanics of international relations during the long 19th century.

‘People Count’: A History of British Self-Observations in Survey Research and Censuses in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries  (Kerstin Brückweh)

Theatrum Ceremoniale. Monarchy, Parliament and Ritual in England, 1688/89-c. 1800  (Michael Schaich)

„Conservatism lost – Conservatism regained“. Political Languages of Conservatism in the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1960s and 1970s  (Martina Steber)

Editorial Series: British Envoys to Germany and British Envoys to the Kaiserreich (Markus Mößlang)

Related Conferences and Seminars

Related Projects of Scholarship Holders