What is History under Debate?
HISTORY UNDER DEBATE is a sustained NETWORK which, in this day and age of fragmentation, brings together historians from all over the world, through both activities where they are present and the web, in and outside the academic institutions with a view to encouraginginterchanges and multilateral contacts among its members beyond the borders of each specialised field or nationality, beyond personal likes and dislikes or any blinkered ideology.
HISTORY UNDER DEBATE is a permanent FORUM of debate in a time of paradigmatic transition on methodology , historiography and the theory of history; on the renewed practice of history and historical spreading; on the teaching of history both at university and secondary school and its relationship with historiographical research and reflection; on the academic, professional and labour problems faced by historians, notably the young ones; on the interface and the commitment of the historian with the society, the politics and the culture of our time.
We do not mistake the intellectual praxis of tolerance with a blind, indifferent neutrality before the historical and historiographical problems of the past , present and future.
We believe in a commited but open historigraphical thinking, both critical and self-critical, coherent but never unified.
We seek to achive those possible and necessary consensus through academic and digital exchange of research, reflection and contrast of opinions in search of the new paradigm(s) to successfully face the historical and historiographical changes that the new Millenium brings along.
HISTORY UNDER DEBATE is an experience of WORKSHOP that attempts an updating in a time of great returns as regards the critical and reflexive use of sources, issues, theories and approaches to empirical research. All this is what we, no doubt, call retrospectively the profession of a historian. We are particularly interested in proposals for new lines of research, including those being born, or may be born of the creative reformulation of the received approaches, since it is our contention that the new is not necessaily good nor the old necessarily evil.
HISTORY UNDER DEBATE is, in short, a historiographical PROJECT in an age of individualism . It is an open and global project made up of young - and not so young- historians to change the world of history ( we would be satisfied if we became a positive influence on the changes in progress) with proposals for advancement and historical and historiographical progress which may be debated and agreed in the diverse community of international historians.
HISTORY UNDER DEBATE has given the 11 of September of 2001 an important passage like collective PROJECT with the processing and diffusion of a MANIFESTO that it defines to us as historiográfica tendency, without reduction of the plurality of the network, in debate and relation with the simple continuity of the historiography of the years 60 and 70, positivism that appears again and the posmodernismo that decays
Activities in progress:
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES . In July 1993 and 1999 took place the First and Second International Conferences ‘History under Debate' (HuD)in Santiago de Compostela (Spain) within the framework of the Xacobeo (Jubilee) by way of lay pilgrimages with the finantial sponsorship of the Xunta de Galicia ( the government of the Autonomous Community), the academic support of over one hundred international institutions and the participation of over 1,500 historians from more than 35 countries from all five continents. The six volumes of the first HuD conference and of the three volumes of HaD II they are possible to be consulted in www.h-debate.com. However the abstracts submitted to this second conference have already been published in this website. The third HuD conference will take place in 2004, when the next Xacobeo is celebrated. Up to that moment, HuD will work on, weaving the web, debating and experimenting.
INQUIRY. A team made up of lecturers from several Spanish universities has elaborated a data bank which comprises some 45,000 postal and electronic addresses of historians from all over the world who have already received our detailed International Inquiry ‘The State of History'. The objective of this inquiry is to acquaint ourselves both quantitatively and qualitatively with the situation of our discipline at the turn of the century as well as to study the change under way in historical paradigms , for which we have already received the necessary support by the Education Department of the Xunta de Galicia and the endorsement of the Spanish National Evaluation Agency to proceed with the project up to 2,001.
SEMINAR. Ever since 1994, the Permanent Seminary' History under Debate' has convened periodically in Santiago de Compostela (at the Instituto Padre Sarmiento of the Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas). To these meetings have already attended scores of lecturers from both Spanish and foreign universities. From July of 2001 the HuD Seminary is also made from chat.
Activities in the pipeline: journal, press, list in english, experimental workshops for empirical research
How to log on and participate in History under Debate If you wish to have up-to-date information on the activities of History under Debate and thus be able to take advantage of them the best way to do it is the Internet, especially this website, which is updated daily.
Alternatively, we have two mailing list, [H-debate and Inmediate History] which will enable you to receive information at your workplace or at home, send e-mails and participate in our debates or it may also be done on-line in our chat-channel, which enabled us to hold a Virtual Conference in July 1999 as a first experience.
Debating is an essential part of History under Debate and it is our wish that it continues to be so. The issues discussed in the July conference [1999] are still open (see abstracts) as well as the different assessments which, on the experience of the Second HuD conference, are being written as reviews for journals which we will publish anticipatedly . In short, anything related to history and the human being falls within our remit. We are looking foward to receiving your contributions (please brief texts) at h-debate@cesga.es. They will be circulated among our mailing lists and on the website except those whose content is not relevant, anonymous or do not show any measure of tolerance or respect to other people's opinions.
HISTORY UNDER DEBATE came into being in 1993 and has ever since been in constant developmet thanks to the huge support ( sometimes occasional sometimes sustained but always welcome) that our iniciatives have received across the world. Help us weave the HuD net, foster debate and reflection, work and innovate the profession of a historian and connect with society and its problems.
Thank you for your visit, may history be with you!