For a long time after the emergence of national historiographies in the
mid-19th century, Slovak and Hungarian history writing have increasingly diverged, resulting in two completely different national historical canons. This sharp divergence has mainly been the product of two factors: on the one hand, history writing has concentrated mostly on political questions, formulated by positivist and/or Marxist methods, while on the other hand historians were seen as crucial actors in the process of nation-building serving legitimizing purposes.
Recent decades have, however, witnessed different historiographical
trends. Since the fall of communist regimes the governmental burden on historians has heavily decreased, in some cases even disappeared and historians have thus acquired a level of liberty unknown to former
generations. During these decades plenty of new methods have also
emerged, decreasing the weight of traditional political history. They
enable new historians to recall the polyphonies of the past to a
previously unknown degree.
This workshop aims to overview the outcomes of these processes focusing on the overlapping histories of Slovakia and Hungary, concerning particularly ethnic history. Histories of nation-building and ethnic relations were /per se/subjected to one-sided approaches but the emergence of critical theories of nationalism and ethnicity opened the way for the analysis of these questions in a more sophisticated way which at the same time provides an opportunity for historians to contribute to ethnic reconciliation in the region. The following approaches are particularly welcome: the application of microhistory, recent theories on nationalism, everyday history, histoire croisée, history of ideas, etc. on the Slovak-Hungarian past.
The organizers invite PhD candidates, post-docs and young academicians to present their research at the workshop in the form of 20 minute long oral presentations. All participants are requested to have a strong methodological emphasis in their presentations. Comparative studies are especially welcomed. Keynote speakers of the event include Joachim von Puttkamer (University of Jena, Germany) and László Szarka (Komárno University, Hungarian Academy of Sciences).
Travel costs for Slovak and Hungarian participants will be completely
covered. For participants from third countries a partial travel
reimbursement will be offered. Accommodation and meals will be provided for all participants. Applications including a one-page abstract, CV, and a list of publications shall be sent to bothorganizers at
otcenasova@gmail.com <mailto:otcenasova@gmail.com>and
balintvarga@gmail.com <mailto:balintvarga@gmail.com> until 10 May.