AICHS
General Assembly
Amsterdam, September 2-3, 2002
MINUTES
The General Assembly of the ICHS, chaired by Professor
Jürgen Kocka, was held in Amsterdam on September
2 and 3 at the Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale
Geschiedenis.
Present:
* Members of the Bureau: Jürgen Kocka, President;
Eva Österberg, Vice-President; Jean-Claude Robert,
Secretary General; Pierre Ducrey, Treasurer; Catherine
Coquery-Vidrovitch, William C. Jordan, Koichi Kabayama,
José Luis Peset, Gregory Bongard-Levin, Member
Assessors.
· Representatives of the following National Committees,
Affiliated International Organizations and Internal
Commissions:
National Committees
No
Pays
Délégué
Délégué adjoint
1
Albanie
Absent
2
Allemagne
Horst Gies
3
Argentine
Absent
4
Australie
Martyn Lyons
Lucy Taksa
5
Autriche
Absent
6
Belgique
Absent
7
Biélorussie
Absent
8
Brésil
Estevao De Rezende Martins
9
Bulgarie
Absent
10
Canada
Greg Kealey
11
Chili
Absent
12
Chine
Absent
13
Chypre
Absent
14
Corée (République de)
Cha, Ha Soon
15
Corée (République Populaire de)
Absent
16
Croatie
Alexander Buczynski
17
Danemark
Absent
18
Espagne
Manuel Espadas Burgos
19
Etats-Unis
Dane Kennedy
Arnita Jones
20
Finlande
Marjatta Hietala
Hannes Saarinen
21
France
Claude Gauvard
Michel Balard
22
Grande-Bretagne
Jinty Nelson
Kenneth Fincham
23
Grèce
V. Papoulia
24
Guinée
Absent
25
Hongrie
Attila Pók
26
Inde
Absent
27
Irlande
K. Zellery
28
Islande
Absent
29
Israël
Absent
30
Italie
Paolo Prodi
Luigi Lotti
31
Japon
Yoichi Kibata
Hiroaki Ozawa
32
Lettonie
Absent
33
Lituanie
Absent
34
Luxembourg
Paul Spang
35
Maroc
Khalid Ben Srhir
36
Mexique
Absent
37
Mongolie (République Populaire de)
Absent
38
Norvège
Even Lange
39
Pays-Bas
Henk Wals
40
Pérou
Absent
41
Pologne
Stanislaw Bylina
42
Portugal
Absent
43
Roumanie
Dan Berindei
Constantin Buse
44
Russie (Fédération de)
Gregory Bongard-Levine
Alexander O. Tchoubarian
45
Slovaquie (République de)
Dusan Kovac
46
Slovénie
Absent
47
République Sud-Africaine
Absent
48
Suède
Rolf Torstendahl
49
Suisse
Regina Wecker
50
République Tchèque
Jaroslav Panek
51
Tunisie
Absent
52
Turquie
Mehmet Ipsirli
53
Ukraine
Iaroslav Isaievych
54
Uruguay
Absent
55
Vatican / Saint-Siège
Borromeo Agostino
56
Vénézuela
Absent
57
Viêt Nam
Absent
Affiliated International Organisations
No
Nom
Délégué
Délégué adjoint
1
Asso Int d’Etudes du Sud-Est EuropéenV.
Papoulia
2
Asso Int d'hist contemporaine de l'Europe
Jacques Bariéty
3
Asso Int d’Hist du Droit et des InstitutionsAbsent
4
Asso Int d’Hist EconomiqueJ. L. van Zanden
5
Asso Int des Études Byzantines
E. Chrysos
6
Comité Int d’Hist de la Deuxième
Guerre MondialeAbsent
7
Commission Int d’Hist socialeMarcel van der Linden
8
Commission Int d’Hist Ecclésiastique ComparéeWalter
Brandmüller
9
Commission Int d’Hist MaritimeAbsent
10
Commission Int d’Hist Militaire ComparéeP.
H. Kamphuis
11
Com. Int. d'hist. des relations internationales
Brunello Vigezzi
Jost Dülffer
12
Commission Int d’Hist de la Révolution
FrançaiseA. M. Rao
13
Commission Int de Démographie Historique
Absent
14
Commission Int de Numismatique
Marjan Scharloo
15
Commission Int des Etudes Historiques Slaves
Absent
16
Commission Int pour l’Hist des Assemblées
d’ÉtatJohn Rogister
17
Com. Int pour l'hist des universités
Hilde de Ridder-Symoens
Helga Robinson-Hammerstein
18
Commission Int pour l’Histoire des VillesThomas
Riis
19
Commission Int pour l’Hist et Théorie de
l’HistoriographieRichard T. Vann
20
Fédération Int des Sociétés
et Instituts pour l’étude de la RenaissanceAbsent
21
Fédération Int pour la Recherche de l’Hist
des FemmesPirjo Markkola
22
Instituto Panamericano de Geografia y Historia
Absent
23
The Int Asso of Historical Societies for the Study of
Jewish History
Absent
24
International Standing Conference for the History of
Education
Franck Simon
Craig Campbell
25
Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin
East
Michel Ballard
26
Société Internationale pour la Didactique
de l’HistoireAbsent
27
International Society for the History of Physical Education
and Sport
Thierry Terret
28
Union des Historiens Arabes
Absent
29
Union Internazionale degli Istituti di Archeologia,
Storia e Storia dell’Arte in RomaAbsent
Internal Commissions
No
Nom
Délégué
Délégué adjoint
1
Asso Contre la Manipulation de l’HistoireAbsent
2
Association des Historiens Africains
Absent
3
Comité International de Paléographie Latine
Absent
4
Com. Int. pour la Métrologie Historique
Absent
5
Commission Internationale de Diplomatique
Absent
6
Com. Internationale pour l’étude de la
Guerre FroideAlexander O. Tchoubarian
7
Com. Int. pour l’Histoire de la Révolution
RusseSalavat M. Iskhakov
8
International Association for Media and History
Absent
9
International Commission for Historical Journals
Absent
10
Majestas, Etudes de la Souveraineté
Absent
11
Peace History Society
Absent
Observers (applying for admission)
Nom
Délégué
Délégué adjoint
Com. Inter. pour l'hist. du voyage et du tourisme
Claudio Visentin
John Walton
Agenda:
Monday, September 2, 2002
Morning
1. Opening – President’s remarks2. Secretary
General’s report on the activities of the ICHS
in 2000-20023. Treasurer’s financial report and
appointment of two auditors.4. Presentation by Martyn
Lyons on the preparations for the Sydney Congress
Afternoon
5. Admission of new members to the ICHS
6. The ICHS’s relationship with UNESCO7. Approval
of accounts and vote on the Treasurer’s report8.
Nominating Committee proposals
Tuesday, September 3, 2002
Morning
9. Elections of the Nominating Committee
10. Structure of the Sydney Congress, and discussion
of proposed themes
11. Selection and approval by the General Assembly
12. Miscellaneous
13. Closing of the General Assembly
1. Opening statement
President Jürgen Kocka, after welcoming everyone
present, opened the session by asking those assembled
to observe a minute of silence in memory of François
Bédarida and Theo C. Barker, who both died in
2001. The President then invited Dr. Henk Wals, Assistant
Director of the Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale
Geschiedenis, to address the Assembly. On behalf of
the Netherlands National Committee and of the Instituut,
which was offering its hospitality by making its premises
available, he welcomed the delegates and gave a short
background on the Institute.
The President was once again given the floor. He reiterated
the primary mission of the ICHS, which is to be a gathering
place for historians from across the world. Now that
the organization is firmly rooted in Europe and North
America, it would seem necessary for it to become a
genuine ecumenical organization and expand significantly
in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Rather than emphasize
world history, it was important to promote exchanges
between historians and encourage a comparative approach
to history.
He then gave the floor to the Secretary General, who
proceeded with a roll call and a reminder on voting
rights: one single voice for each National Committee
and Affiliated International Organization, and no voting
rights for the Internal Commissions. Having achieved
and even superseded a quorum, with 30 National Committees
and 18 Affiliated International Organizations represented,
as well as three Internal Commissions, the General Assembly
was deemed authorized to proceed.
2. Secretary General’s report on the activities
of the ICHS in 2000-2002
Report of the General Secretary
The incumbent became Secretary General a little more
than two years ago, on 13 August 2000. The present report
will rewiew ICHS activities of the last two years, from
Oslo to Amsterdam.
1. Logistics and operations
The Secretariat General has moved from Paris to Montréal,
where it is housed in the Department of History of UQAM.
Thanks to the generosity of the University, the secretariat
has an office, and receives support in services and
in kind plus a small budget. The transfer was somewhat
eased because most of the documents prior to 2000 were
deposited by Professor François Bédarida
in the French national archives. Access to documents
is at present restricted (until January 1, 2006) except
for the Secretary General. As a matter of fact, all
the archives of the different Secretaries General since
Michel François (1950-1980) will be found in
the Archives Nationales de France under the call number
105 AS. In Montréal, the Secretariat has only
the current ICHS files.
The Secretariat does not have any full-time assistant.
However, a graduate student working part-time is keeping
the ICHS files up to date. Thus, when trying to reach
me by phone, please do not hesitate to use my voice
mail system as I will always try to get back to you
as soon as possible, unless otherwise indicated in the
greeting message. However, since August 2000, e-mail
has become the most effective communication tool for
the Secretariat and has certainly helped in speeding
up exchanges between the Secretary General and the various
Committees and Organisations. Finally, the work of the
Secretary General has been greatly facilitated by the
cooperation of the members of the Bureau and the various
Committees, Organisations and Internal Commissions.
2. Objectives and achievements
In his various reports, François Bédarida
kept reminding of the three main objectives of ICHS:
renewal, rejuvenation and expansion. These objectives
remain and I will certainly pursue them.
a) Renewal of ICHS
The ICHS must keep abreast of the cutting edge of historical
research. And this is all the more important since our
quinquennial congresses always run the risk of appearing
out of touch with current trends. This is the reason
why the selection of the themes for the next congress
is so crucial. This is what the sub-committee of the
Bureau had in mind when preparing the proposals that
were presented to you. As this is the most important
task of this General Assembly, I will not insist any
longer since we will be discussing at length later.
b) Rejuvenation
It is essential for ICHS to make some room for the newer
generation of historians. Since 1992, the Bureau used
its regular meetings to organise systematically scientific
presentations by younger scholars when possible. Thus
at Princeton in 2001, three young historians presented
their research to the Bureau and in Amsterdam, a Symposium
was held on September 1st on the theme "Presenting
National History. Can it be Done?" It seems very
important to continue in this direction and every member
of ICHS should strive to put up regular scientific venues.
Already, of course, a sizeable proportion of our members
do hold regular meetings on an annual or biennal basis.
This should be encouraged.
c) Expansion of ICHS
Since Olso, numerous contacts were made concerning possible
candidates to ICHS and some are still in progress. But
there remains a lot to be done. However, because of
our participation to the Joint UNESCO-CISH Committee,
two developments occurred. The Secretary General got
in touch with the Association of Caribbean Historians,
which is actually considering joining ICHS. On the other
hand, the Association of African Historians, after a
long period of dormancy, experienced a wonderful restart
during its Third Congress in Bamako, Mali, in September
2001. This means that for the first time in years, we
received proposals for themes for 2005 from our African
colleagues. In a way, but only in a certain way, we
can say that one of the weak geographical spots of ICHS
has been corrected. There remains however gaping holes
in South America and in Asia. ICHS will have to continue
its efforts to try to overcome the organisational problems
that are directly linked to the lack of revenue of historians
in many parts of the world. This is a complex question
which might very well oblige us to modify the structures
of ICHS. Our actual structures are adequate for a certain
type of organisation of historians and we must find
how to reach out to all historians without jeopardising
the financial base of ICHS or crippling its means of
action.
This year the General Assembly will have to decide on
the admission of one new National Committee, that of
the Republic of Georgia, the transformation of the Commission
Internationale de Démographie Historique into
an Affiliated International Organisation and the creation
of one Internal Commission, the International Commission
on the History of Travel and Tourism. According to our
statutes this Commission will be changing its status
to Affiliated International Organisation in a few years.
There is a somber aspect of the picture since we must
remove three National Committees which did not answer
to any of our letters for more than ten years. According
to article 7 of the statutes of ICHS, "After five
years, that National Committe or International Affiliated
Organization shall be deemed to have withdrawn de facto".
Thus the committees of the People's Republic of Korea,
of Mongolia and of Uruguay will be removed from our
roster. Also Venezuela has resigned from ICHS. Together,
considering the eventual admission of Georgia, these
changes will bring the number of National Committees
from 57 to 54.
There remains much work to be done for the expansion
of ICHS, but I must add that the possibilities of action
on the part of the General Secretary are limited and
I would like to ask National Committees and Affilated
International Organisation to be proactive in that field.
Achievements
With those three broad objectives in mind the Secretary
General has worked on the following dossiers during
the last two years.
a) ICHS Information Bulletin
The Information Bulletin has a truly new look with the
new logo, cover and colors. We also changed the typography
a bit to enhance clarity and the table of contents is
now fully bilingual. The decision to publish the Bulletin
toward the end of the year did permit to include the
minutes of the 2001 Bureau meeting. As a matter of fact,
since the Bureau always meets in late August, it will
be systematically published in Autumn. Unfortunately,
Volume 27 (2001) was late coming out of the press and
could not be mailed until 2002. We expect that Volume
28 (2002) will be printed in November and mailed in
December. This will permit to include the minutes of
the General Assembly and the list of themes for the
Sydney Congress.
Starting with Volume 29 (2003), I intend to bring back
some form of historical material in the Bulletin. It
is important to disseminate historical information on
ICHS as a part of our ongoing reflexions.
b) Web Site
After the publication of the Bulletin earlier this year,
the information appearing on the Web site was partially
updated. However, I feel that up to now, the Web site
has not been used to its full capacity and I intend
to take responsibility for turning our site into a more
efficient communication tool for ICHS. This is all the
more important since we are beginnning to prepare actively
the 2005 Congress and also because the web site is a
powerful tool to break the isolation of many historians,
especially those whose countries are not members of
ICHS. I wish to thank the Treasurer for his work in
setting up and maintaining the web site up to now.
c) Relations with UNESCO
Relations with UNESCO monopolised a significant part
of my time. It must be reminded that, despite some misgivings
expressed by my predecessor about the Joint UNESCO-CISH
Committee, the Bureau decided in Oslo to continue this
experience. At first, things began auspiciously with
an a budget increase. The Joint Committe met in Paris
on 28 October 2001. The ICHS was represented by Catherine
Coquery-Vidrovitch, José Luis Peset and Jean-Claude
Robert. UNESCO was represented by Mr. Raj Isar, Chief
of the General and Regional Histories Division, and
Professor Jerzy Kloczowski, past member of the UNESCO
Executive Committee, chaired the meeting. The organisation
of four regional meetings was considered: Africa, Central
europe, Latin America and Arab countries. Two projects
were accepted immediately for financing, Africa and
Central Europe. Two new projects were approved in preliminary
form but needed some adjustments before being accepted,
the first one on Latin America and the second one on
Arab countries. José Luis Peset was to investigate
and present the Committee later with a more precise
proposal and Jean-Claude Robert was to to the same for
the Arab countries. In addition, Mr. Isar presented
two requests from his division. The first one was the
opportunity to have an analysis of the reception by
historians of the UNESCO's series of histories and the
second one, an opinion of CISH on the project by the
Director General concerning the development of a common
textbook on religions and cultures. In both instances,
since budgetary constraints were involved, the answer
from CISH was to ask Mr. Isar to check first if a distinct
budget was forthcoming.
Unfortunately, things began to deteriorate quickly.
First, in January 2002 we were told that the budget
was reduced and that it was being decentralized to the
various regional offices of UNESCO. This meant that
any coordination was becoming almost impossible. Then,
during the Spring, the early retirement of one administrator
and the sickness of another important member almost
brought the Comittee to a halt . So, in my opinion,
the future of this committee seems very uncertain to
say the least. On the one hand, unpredictable fluctuations
in administrative and budgetary policies render any
planification very difficult, and on the other hand,
UNESCO is more and more heavy-handed in tems of wanting
to influence the Joint Committee uniquely along the
line of its own policies. In this context, it will become
harder to ensure that ICHS has the complete scientific
freedom, which was one of the conditions of our acceptation
to participate.
Turning now to the International Council for Philosophy
and Human Sciences (ICPHS), the outlook is much more
positive. The ICPHS, to which ICHS belongs since 1949,
publishes the jounal Diogène and its broad objectives
are similar to our own. Despite a budget cut of 20%
from UNESCO, the Council was able to maintain its activities.
The Council plays an essential role since it is a place
where the interplay between international organisations
is achieved; moreover, the Council maintains a program
of subsisidies for international congresses and ICHS
has been regularly a recipient. It is then an important
forum of exchange and dissemination for ideas. On this
last matter, I remind Commitees and Organisations that
the journal Diogène is looking for proposals
for thematic issues; in 1994, François Bédarida
was the guest editor of an issue devoted to "The
Social Responsibility of Historians". Please contact
the Secretary General if you have any suggestion.
Conclusion
The task of the Secretary General is getting heavier,
but for the moment, I am still tying to find ways of
coping with the various demands. But, thanks to the
continuous support of the members of the Bureau, and
of the various Committees and Organisations, it is possible
to carry along. Of course, time constraints weigh very
heavily on the possibilities of action of the Secretary
General. Finally, I wish to thank again my university,
UQAM, for its continuous support and Sylvie Freney for
her good work.
*
* *
After the report was presented some observations were
made, first on the expansion of the ICHS, which seems
to be presenting some communication roadblocks, and
also the problem of structure. The possibility of a
sliding scale according to country or area of the world
was floated, but in the end was not approved because
it might mean creating two categories of members. The
discussion centered around the possibility of financial
aid for the next Congress and on the high cost of attending,
but given that the Treasurer’s report and the
report from the Organizing Committee of the Sydney Congress
had yet to be presented, it seemed more appropriate
to postpone the conclusion of the debate. The discussion
then turned to the Bulletin, which may have become redundant
due to the expansion of the Web site. But as it appeared
equally vital to ensure the ICHS’s visibility
on paper, it did not seem necessary to eliminate this
type of tool for communicating and disseminating information.
Finally, the question of the relationships between National
Committees and Affiliated International Organisations
was brought up. Efforts should be continued to find
a better way of cooperation between the two levels.
After the discussion, the Secretary General’s
activity report was unanimously approved.
3. Treasurer’s financial report and appointment
of two auditors
Pierre Ducrey presented his report and commented on
the financial statements previously distributed, which
are appended hereto. He presented the profits and losses
and the report of the 2000 and 2001 fiscal years, as
well as the auditors, TEMKO Lausanne SA. The accounts
and the reports were produced by the financial department
of the Université de Lausanne. The Assembly looked
over all the documents put together by the Treasurer,
including the list of members and the status of membership
dues paid or due by August 22, 2002. The presentation
did not raise any comments or questions from the participants.
After noting that the bulk of the monies held by the
ICHS came from membership dues, the Treasurer emphasized
that some members pay their dues irregularly or not
at all.
The ICHS’s cash reserves and the cost of travel
to attend the Bureau raised some queries. On the subject
of late payments, the Treasurer reminded the members
of the importance to have a sufficient reserve to compensate
for late revenues. As for travel costs, the Treasurer
noted that given the ICHS’s global nature, some
travel and operating expenses were to be expected, especially
since the composition of the Bureau was expanded in
order to be less centered on the countries of Europe.
The President added that expenses are kept to a minimum
since the host National Committees assume the cost of
accommodations and most meals when the Bureau convenes,
as was the case in Princeton and Amsterdam.
As there were no further questions concerning the Treasurer’s
report, two auditors were appointed: Professor Gregory
Kealy (delegate from the Canadian National Committee),
and Professor Marjan Scharloo (delegate from the International
Numismatic Commission). After the accounts are examined,
the commissioners will appear before the Assembly to
present their auditor’s report.
4. Presentation by Martyn Lyons on the preparations
for the Sydney Congress
Mr. Lyons stated that the point of the Congress was
to put historians of the world in contact with each
other for the purpose of advancing historical knowledge
and encouraging the activities of historians in Australia
and surrounding regions. The Congress will be held from
July 3-9, 2005. Mr. Lyons gave a detailed and well-documented
presentation on the structure of the Congress and on
the accommodations. The hotel prices are very reasonable,
and university residences will be available. He said
that much effort had been put into locating funding
sources and that negotiations were underway with various
organizations. Furthermore, a subsidy of 45,000 Swiss
francs that the ICHS would normally earmark for the
publication of the proceedings would be funnelled exclusively
into supporting young historians and colleagues from
developing countries. Young doctoral students would
be able to present their work during the Poster Sessions.
Beginning in 2003 there will be a web site (www.cishsydney2005.org)
to serve as a tool for communicating and providing information
on the 2005 Congress. The Organizing Committee is also
planning to offer a simultaneous English-French translation
service in the main amphitheatre during the three sessions
on the major themes. There will be at least one French-speaking
and one Spanish-speaking official on hand to welcome
attendees. Travel packages and a program for travel
companions will be offered.
The presentation of the report was followed by some
questions.
-On the amount determined for registration fees. Martyn
Lyons remarked that there was no increase because there
were now only two fee categories, and not three as in
Oslo. Furthermore, the Organizing Committee did not
want to accumulate debt. Registration fees represent
25% of the revenues of the Sydney Congress, and it is
not possible to reduce the percentage.
-On the publications emanating from the Congress. Many
participants remarked that active participation on the
part of the historians would be facilitated by getting
abstracts to them within a reasonable timeframe. A.
M. Rao suggested that each participant be given a syllabus
of the presentations as well as an abstract so that
participants could be effective in their discussions
of the themes presented. Even Lange pointed out that
this proposal required a great deal of coordination
and the active and genuine participation of all members
of the ICHS. Martyn Lyons remarked that each person
would receive a compendium of the abstracts of the various
presentations upon arrival, and that all reports would
be made available on the web site.
The President concluded the discussion by emphasizing
the support of the organization and of the deadlines
given.
5. Admission of new members to the ICHS
Jean-Claude Robert addressed the members again to present
a request for affiliation as a National Committee, a
change of status for an Internal Commission, and the
creation of a new Internal Commission.
The National Committee of Georgian Historians asked
to be admitted. In accordance with the ICHS constitution,
the Committee submitted its own statutes to the Secretary
General, who judged them to be in compliance. The Bureau
recommended that the new National Committee be admitted.
Their representatives were not able to go to Amsterdam,
however, and had advised the Secretary General of that
fact.
The International Commission on Historical Demography,
in compliance with the decision of the General Assembly
in Prague (1992), requested to be changed to an Affiliated
International Organization with voting rights at the
General Assembly. The Bureau recommended the approval
of the change.
The International Commission on the History of Travel
and Tourism was created following a session at the Oslo
Congress and was asking for recognition. In accordance
with the ICHS constitution, the Secretary General examined
its constitution and the composition of its interim
Bureau, and found them to be in compliance. The Bureau
recommended the creation of an Internal Commission,
to become an Affiliated International Organization as
soon as possible. The Commission was represented in
Amsterdam by its secretary, Claudio Visentin.
Having won the unanimous approval of the General Assembly,
the foregoing applicants were admitted to the ICHS by
acclamation.
6. The ICHS’s relations with UNESCO
The subject had been dealt with extensively in the Secretary
General’s report and debated. Mr. Robert wanted
only to reaffirm his intention to revive the joint committee
provided that it upholds the ICHS’s scientific
autonomy. Each member was in agreement.
Representatives of the International Commission on Comparative
Ecclesiastic History filed an intervention proposal
by the ICHS to promote the teaching of classical languages
with national education authorities and international
organizations. After clarifying the intentions of the
originators of the proposal, the motion quickly resulted
in a consensus despite reservations expressed by certain
delegates. It would be the responsibility of each National
Committee to speak to officials in charge of education
at the national level in each country. The ICHS would
convey the proposal to the International Council for
Philosophy and Humanistic Studies. Rephrasing the proposal
resulted in a few amendments. The Secretary General
offered to prepare them for the next day and submit
them to the Assembly for approval.
7. Approval of accounts and vote on the Treasurer’s
report
The auditors read their report.
“Amsterdam, 2 September 2002
We, the undersigned, Marjan Scharloo and Gregory Kealey,
elected as internal auditors by the General Assembly
of CISH meeting in Amsterdam on 2 September 2002, have
examined the financial documents provided to us by the
Treasurer. We have reviewed the accounts for the fiscal
years 2000 and 2001 calculated by the Financial Services
of the University of Lausanne. And we have also received
the audited statements of the auditing company Temko
Lausanne SA. All these documents meet our expectations
and give us no cause for concern. We propose that the
General Assembly approve the CISH accounts and balance
sheets of 2000 and 2001, the report of the auditors,
and to discharge with honour the Bureau for its financial
management for 2000 and 2001.
(Signed) M. Scharloo and G. Kealey” The General
Assembly unanimously approved the report.
8. Nominating Committee proposals
After reading article 5 concerning the nomination of
a committee for election to the new Bureau in 2005,
the following candidates were presented to the Assembly:
Cha Ha Soon (Korean National Committee), Anna Maria
Rao (International Commission on the History of the
French Revolution, Italy), Jinty Nelson (British Historical
Association, Great Britain), Marcel Van der Linden (International
Commission for Social History, Netherlands). The President
emphasized that the Bureau’s selection was based
on a desire to strike a balance between the sexes, countries,
and National Committees and Affiliated International
Organizations. The vote would be held on the following
day, and other nominations might be received by then.
Tuesday, September 3, 2002
9. Election of the Nominating Committee
The President asked whether the members of the Assembly
wanted to amend the proposals submitted by the Bureau.
The response being negative, the four candidates proposed
were unanimously elected.
The new Nominating Committee will be composed as follows:
*Three members of the Bureau: Jürgen Kocka, Eva
Österberg, Jean-Claude Robert
*Four outside individuals: Cha Ha Soon, Jinty Nelson,
Anna Maria Rao and Marcel Van der Linden.
The new committee will hold its first meeting in 2004,
concurrently with the Bureau meeting in Berlin. In Sydney
in 2005, in accordance with article 5 of the constitution,
it “shall present its proposals at the first of
the two General Assemblies which take place at each
quinquennial Congress. Counter-proposals may be submitted
to the Board between the first and the second Assembly.
To be admissible, a counter-proposal has to be signed
by the representatives of five National Committees of
International Affiliated Organizations. The Board shall
be elected at the second of the two General Assemblies
held at the quinquennial Congress.”
10. Structure of the Sydney congress and discussion
of proposed themes
The Secretary General presented the outline of the Congress
and its three major themes, 25 specialized themes and
20 round tables. ICHS members have until December 31,
2002 to make proposals for the organizers, rapporteurs,
discussion leaders and even communicators. In February
2003 the Bureau will finalize the list to publish on
the web site. The President stated that the themes,
which are diachronic and represent a cross-section of
periods and geographical areas, were very broad on purpose.
He asked the Assembly to remain attentive as they vote.
A discussion followed on the structure of the Congress.
Some members wanted to collapse the number of specialized
themes and round tables, which would not be desirable
given the ICHS’s wish to be viewed as open to
the rest of the world. The Assembly approved the general
structure of the 2005 Sydney Congress.
11. Selection and approval by the General Assembly
The Bureau established a list of suggested themes based
on the 265 suggestions it received from 25 National
Committees, 9 Affiliated International Organizations
and 4 Internal Commissions. After harmonizing the list
the Bureau came up with a list of 3 major themes, 28
specialized themes and 22 round tables. The list was
sent to ICHS members in May of 2002. Besides considering
suggested amendments or new ideas from the Assembly,
the Assembly would have to reduce the number of specialized
themes to 25 and round tables to 20.
After several interesting discussions involving many
of those present, the list of proposed themes was amended
slightly during the Assembly and some themes were re-formulated.
After examining the major themes, specialized themes
and round tables in-depth, the Assembly unanimously
approved the following list. It contains one additional
specialized theme in case it is needed:
__________________________
THÈMES MAJEURS (3 séances d’une
journée)
MAJOR THEMES (3 one-day sessions)
_______________
1. Humanité et nature dans l’histoireHumankind
and Nature in History
a) Écohistoire : théories et approches
nouvelles
Ecohistory : New Theories and Approaches
b) Les catastrophes naturelles et leurs suites
Natural Disasters and How They Have Been Dealt With
c) Les sciences de la nature, l’histoire et l’image
de l’hommeNatural Sciences, History and the Image
of Humankind
2. Mythe et histoire
Myth and History
a) Les mythes fondateurs dans l’histoire et la
construction des identités Foundation Myths
in History and the Construction of Identities
b) Mythes, pouvoir, histoire et la responsabilité
de l’historienMyths, Power and History, the Historian’s
Responsibilityc) Utopie et histoire
History and Utopia
3. Guerre, paix, société et ordre international
dans l’histoire War, Peace, Society and International
Order in History
a) Bellum justum : Guerres justes, paix injustes ?
Idées et pratiques discursives Bellum
justum : Just Wars, Injust Peace ? Ideas and
Discourses
b) Évolution du concept de paix et de ses conditions
dans l’histoireChanging Concepts and Conditions
of Peace in History
c) Guerre, violence et genre
War, Violence and Gender
THÈMES SPÉCIALISÉS
SPECIALISED THEMES
(26 SÉANCES D’UNE DEMI-JOURNÉE)(26
HALF-DAY SESSIONS)
1. L’histoire de l’Afrique dans une perspective
comparative : nouvelles approches African History
in Comparative Perspective. New Approaches
2. La culture politique en Europe centrale dans le contexte
européen et mondial
Political Culture in Central Europe in the European
and Global Context
3. La Chine et le monde à l’époque
moderne et contemporaine China and the World in
Modern and Contemporary Period
4. La christianisation : adaptation et appropriation
de l’Antiquité au XXIe siècle Christianisation :
Adaptation and Appropriation from Antiquity to the 21st
Century
5. Choc des cultures et identités : colons
et peuples indigènes
Collision of Cultures and Identities : Settlers
and Indigenous Peoples
6. Le colonialisme et le postcolonialisme
Colonialism and Postcolonialism
7. La mondialisation économique : perspectives
historiques et historiographiques
Economic Globalization : Historical Perspectives
and State of Research
8. Les débats autour de la tradition et de la
modernité : perspectives transculturelles
et historiques
Debates on Tradition and Modernity : Transcultural
and Historical Perspectives
9. Les empires du Proche-Orient et de la Méditerranée :
Étapes vers la mondialisation ?
Empires in the Near East and the Mediterranean
Area : Steps to Globalization ?
10. Les images du Pacifique
Images of the Pacific
11. Les relations informelles dans l’histoire
: parentèle, clientèle, amitié
et réseaux sociaux Informal Relations in Early
Modern and Modern Society : Kinship, Patronage,
Friendship, Social Networks
12. Médias de masse et transformation de l’espace
publicMass Media and the Transformation of the Public
Sphere
13. Le rôle de l’expansion de la canne à
sucre dans les cinq continentsThe Impact of Sugar Cane
Expansion on Five Continents
14. Les manuels d’histoire, du récit de
la nation au récit des citoyens Textbooks :
from the Narrative of the Nation to the Narrative of
Citizens
15. L’histoire des sens History of the Senses
16. L’Europe des Lumières et communication :
expériences régionales et conséquences
mondiales Enlightenment and Communication :
Regional Experiences and Global Consequences
17. Construction et déconstruction de l’État-nation :
le cas des BalkansConstruction and Deconstruction of
the National State : The Case of the Balkans
18. Les rapports christianisme-islam dans l’histoireChristianity-Islam
Relationships in History
19. Les migrations de masse et leurs conséquences
économiques, politiques et culturelles
Mass Migrations : Their Economic, Political and
Cultural Implications
20. Le regard de l’Europe médiévale
sur l’OrientMedieval Europe Gazes Eastward
21. Modèles de formation de l’État-providence
dans un contexte mondial Models of the Welfare State
Formation in the Global Context
22. Religion et espace public
Religion and the Public Sphere
23. La gouvernance des villes dans l’histoireThe
Governance of Cities in History
24. Les révolutions au XXe siècle, du
général au particulier
Revolutions in the 20th Century : The General and
the Particular
25. Sport, politique et affaires
Sport, Politics and Business
26. L’instruction publique comme mécanisme
d’inclusion et d’exclusionEducation :
Mechanism of Inclusion or Exclusion
TABLES RONDES
ROUND TABLES
(20 séances d’une demi-journée)(20
half-day sessions)
1. Enfance et guerre
Children and War
2. La société civile : citoyenneté,
genre et espace public
Civil Society : Citizenship, Gender and the Public
Sphere
3. Injustice, mémoire et politique : les
demandes de réparation
Injustice, Memory and Politics : Cases of Restitutions
4. Les droits de l’homme : universalité
des aspirations et diversité des pratiques dans
l’histoireHuman Rights : Universal Claim
and Conflicting Practice from a Historical Perspective
5. Vieillesse et mort
Old Age and Death
6. Les historiens et leurs publics
Historians and Their Audiences
7. L’analyse du discours et la culture populaire
revisitéesDiscourse Analysis and Popular Culture
Revisited
8. Entre les sciences sociales et la littérature :
Quelle place pour l’histoire ? Between Social
Science and Literature : the Changing Place of
History
9. Au-delà du «virage culturel» :
l’avenir de l’histoire socialeBeyond the
Cultural Turn : The Future of Social History
10. Le corps politique : la politique du corps
Body Politics : The Politics of the Body
11. Histoire, anthropologie et archéologie
History, Anthropology and Archaeology
12. Les dictionnaires et encyclopédies historiques
Historical Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
13. Peuples et sociétés des montagnes :
nature et culture
Mountain Peoples and Societies: Nature and Culture
14. La question nationale dans l’intégration
et la désintégration de l’URSS.
Le rôle de l’historiographieThe National
Question in the Integration and Disintegration of the
Soviet Union. The Role of Historiography
15. L’histoire et les musées : nouveaux
discours ? History and Museum : New Narratives ?
16. La persistance des institutions : les interprétations
historiques
Persistence of Institutions in a changing World :
Historical Interpretations
17. Le terrorisme comme phénomène historique ;
concepts, approches et résultats
Terrorism as a Historical Problem : Concept, Approaches,
Findings
18. Vies ouvrières : histoire du travail
et autobiographies
Working Lives : Labour History and Autobiography
19. L’évolution des réactions devant
les inégalités : assentiment et protestation
au XIXe et au XXe sièclesInequality, Acquiescence,
Protest. Changing Patterns in the 19th and 20th Centuries
20. Le souvenir de la «Grande Guerre» à
l’approche de son centenaireRemembering the «Great
War». Toward the Centennial of WW I
12. Miscellaneous
-The Secretary General distributed and read the re-formulated
proposal on classical languages:
"Le Comité International des Sciences Historiques
(CISH) veut attirer l'attention sur l'urgente nécessité
de promouvoir, dans tous les pays, les études
classiques, entendues au sens de l'étude des
langues anciennes et des autres éléments
historiques à la base du développement
des cultures. Le CISH souhaite que l'importance de cette
dimension de la formation intellectuelle et culturelle
des générations futures soit reconnue
par les pouvoirs publics et par les instances internationales,
en particulier l'UNESCO.
The International Committee of Historical Sciences (ICHS)
wishes to stress the urgent necessity of promoting,
in all countries, the field of classical studies, understood
as the study of ancient languages and other central
historical elements constitutive of culture. The ICHS
urges that governemental and international bodies, especially
UNESCO, recognize the importance of this dimension of
the intellectual and cultural education of future generations".
The proposal was unanimously approved.
-The Secretary General discussed the worrisome situation
in India, citing cases of censorship of historians’
work, which led him to write a letter to the Indian
National Committee in accordance with Article 1 of the
ICHS’s constitution. The letter asked for the
Committee’s position with respect to those events.
So far, no reply has been received at the ICHS’s
offices. The situation is serious because if the Indian
National Committee has taken part in the censorship
it has breached the ICHS’s constitution.
-Even Lange confirmed that some difficulties were encountered
in the distribution of the Oslo CD-ROM to certain countries.
It will soon be sent to individuals that have paid for
it. He appealed to the National Committees for help
in verifying some addresses.
14. Closing of the General Assembly
Before everyone dispersed, the President thanked all
the participants for being there and contributing to
the discussions. He expressed his satisfaction with
the favourable prospects for the Sydney Congress.
