Centre for Contemporary History
The Centre for Research on Contemporary History ( ZZF ) is an interdisciplinary institute for the study of German and European history, based in Potsdam. It is a member of the Leibniz Association and counts - together with the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich - one of the largest and most important research institutes in the field of contemporary history in Germany.
History
The ZZF emerged in early 1996 based on the recommendations of the Scientific Council of the research focus Contemporary Historical Studies, which was after the unification of Germany founded in 1992 by the Scientific Development Corporation new projects, a subsidiary of the Max Planck Society. The Science 2006 recommended the inclusion of the center in the Leibniz Association, which has taken place on 1 January 2009. Pending the inclusion in the Leibniz Association in 2009 the basic equipment ZZF the State of Brandenburg was born, while the German Research Foundation ( DFG) and numerous other foundations funded the implementation of projects.
By 1996, the ZZF or research focus time Past studies by Jürgen Kocka was conducted after Christoph Kleßmann took over the management of the house, from 1998, together with Konrad H. Jarausch. In December 2004, Martin Sabrow succeeds Kleßmanns. After the adoption of the co- director Konrad H. Jarausch in 2006, the ZZF was headed until 2011 by Martin Sabrow alone. Since Frank Boesch began its work as a director in October 2011, the Institute is headed back from a double peak.
Research Profile
The scientific work of the Institute is currently structured into five sections that deal with the following topics:
- Social History of Communism
- Economic and social upheavals of the 20th century
- The transformation of the political rights that norms and semantics
- Regime of the social in the 20th century. Mobilization, the welfare state and rationalization
- Time history of media and information society.
The ZZF has an internationally oriented visiting scholars program and works with numerous university and non- university research institutions at home and abroad. It is connected via joint appointments with the University of Potsdam and the Humboldt -Universität zu Berlin. It also cooperates with the universities in Berlin and Brandenburg in academic teaching and doctoral education. The Centre also performs advisory tasks in the area of the memorials and museum work.
A high priority acknowledges the ZZF the mediation of its tasks and work results in the scientific community a. His research results published it in numerous scientific publishers. Published in 2010, scientists from the Institute a total of 21 books about contemporary history topics. With public lecture series, conferences, workshops and multimedia sites, it contributes to the historical- political education and a public debate about contemporary history topics.
Publications
Since 1994, the ZZF are the series " Contemporary Historical Studies" out, which appears in the Böhlau publisher. By late 2010, it published a total of 47 volumes of the series.
Since 2010 in Wallenstein publishing the series ' history of the present "appears.
To provide an insight into the wide range of research projects, the Institute published annually since 2006 also the almanac " ZeitRäume ". Information on the scientific work and the structural and personnel development of the Institute 's annual report.
From 1994 to 2009, the ZZF published the " Potsdamer Bulletin for Contemporary Historical Studies". In addition to scientific contributions are immediately informed about the work of the center.
Multimedia offers
One of the main projects of the ZZF the internet is the portal contemporary history online, that the ZZF operates in conjunction with the Berlin State Library. Using the portal the ZZF has become in Germany the main provider of contemporary history specialist information on the Internet.
In addition, the electronic journal " Studies in Contemporary History / Studies in Contemporary History" is published three times a year. It is also available as a print edition published by Cambridge University Press, and is a forum for German, European and global history of the 20th century.
In Clio -online, the professional portal of the historical sciences, the ZZF is a member of the sponsoring organization. It also participates in the web platform, H-Soz -u-Kult, a subproject of Clio -online, which is also moderated technical forum and information and communication platform for historians.
With Docupedia - time history, the ZZF created a fold scientifically organized reference book for basic texts on contemporary historiography. The ZZF developed and operates it jointly with the Department of History at the Humboldt University in Berlin and Clio -online.
Designed jointly with the Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Germany radio ZZF also sites for insurrection of June 17, 1953 in the GDR ( " 17Juni53.de " ) and the history of the Berlin Wall ( " Chronicle of - Mauer.de ").
The Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED dictatorship and the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin the Website " Ungarn1956.de " which examines the background and effects of the Hungarian revolution of 1956 was born.
This allows the ZZF not only managed to take a " leading role in the field of electronic technical information" and a " leading position in the mediation of the results of contemporary historical basic research in the social discourse ," but also in the capital region as "the authoritative focal point of contemporary historical debate to be " perceived.
Courses
Since the winter semester 2008/09, the Freie Universität Berlin offers ZZF in cooperation with the Friedrich- Meinecke- Institut at the Master's program " Public History ".