Description
The project unites colleagues from Hungary, Norway and Iceland to work together towards the elaboration of a joint international History MA programme called ’Microhistory’. Based on the experiences of a former cooperation in the field, participants will elaborate relevant educational material and also teach such experimental courses. The novelty of the project can be proved by the fact that microhistory is not yet present in the university curricula but on the level of the courses. The project partners aim to make the decisive step towards the teaching of the approach and the methods of microhistory in the organised form of independent History MA programmes. On the long term, this fosters a better understanding among different peoples, since microhistory does not poise different nations against each other, but rather stresses the common experience of ordinary folk in times past. The project envisages a preliminary phase of gathering data, followed by one workshop, then an academic year in which experimentary courses are held in the partner institutions, followed by two more workshops. As a result full documentation of a MA programme ’Microhistory’ will be offered to universities all over the world, so that they can introduce this into their History curriculum. Every partner has a serious experience in the field. Among the donor partners, Reykjavík Academy is affiliated with the very first institution in the world that specializes in the study of microhistory (Center for Microhistorical Research, see its webpage microhistory.org); University of Iceland is innovative in the field of humanities, open to the most up-to-date currents of thought in social sciences. At Volda University College, important researches are done on local history understood as microhistory. As for the project promoter Hungarian partner, Microhistory has been present on the curriculum of Eötvös University since 1995, and also courses on microhistory in English have been offered.
Summary of project results
Presently, microhistory is only available on the university curricula on the level of courses. The partner institutions of this project aimed at a break-through and teach microhistory in the form of an independent MA programme. On the long term, this fosters a better understanding between different people, since microhistory stresses the common experience of ordinary folk. First, the participants (partners and third country experts) made inquiries in their respective institutions about their attitudes as for participation; they reflected on the possible framework, form and content of this MA. The first workshop (Budapest, 25-27 September 2015) discussed these problems, and participants formed a network that can serve as a lasting basis for cooperation. During the project 8 pilot courses were held in the participating institutions with MA students. Several propositions concerning the curriculum of the joint MA in Microhistory were circulated and discussed. The results of these courses and the curriculum were discussed at the Volda workshop (25-28 April 2016), where a suggested curriculum was agreed on. The best working students of the pilot courses were chosen and prepared for the presentation of their results at the Reykjavík conference (27-30 June 2016). The discussions and their results are published on the project’s homepage. Also, it has emerged that it is the University of Iceland which is clearly determined to embark on an accreditation process to establish an MA degree in Microhistory, with other institutions (partners or third country experts’ institutions) supporting this on different levels of participation. The project has thus reached its aims: it has worked out the structure of the MA programme which is accessible on its homepage, it has created lasting contacts among institutions and researchers/teachers, it has tested students’s reactions and activity and finally it has encouraged the participating institutions to teach this MA programme in the future.
Summary of bilateral results
The University of Iceland was the most active partner in the working out of a joint MA programme Microhistory. Its members took part in the preliminary reflexions about the institutional framework and the structure of the courses of such an MA programme, they participated in the workshop’s discussions. They held a pilot course in 2015. The third workshop/conference of the project was organised by the University of Iceland. It has also become clear that the University of Iceland is willing to make the further step and work towards a future cooperation of the project and the realization of the programme worked out during the project time. The process of common reflexion and the meetings created living scientific relations between the participants. The Reykjavík Academy was also an active partner in the working out of a joint MA programme Microhistory. (It is an important factor that colleagues taking part in this project from the part of the University of Iceland, have been previously active in the Reykjavík Academy, so there is both an overlap and intensive ties between these two groups of participants of the project.) The members of the Reykjavík Academy took part in the preliminary reflexions about the institutional framework and the structure of the courses of such an MA programme, they participated in the workshop’s discussions. As it is within the Reykjavík Academy that the very first institution in the world specializing in the study of microhistory, the Center for Microhistorical Research is working, this helps the dissemination of the project’s results. As this is a scholarly publication, however, the final decision lies in the hands of the editors. The process of common reflexion and the meetings created living scientific relations among the participants. The Volda University College was an active partner in the working out of a joint MA programme Microhistory. Norwegian colleagues have been active in the joint thinking process about microhistory, its chances in scholarship and academic cooperation. Its members took part in the preliminary reflexions about the institutional framework and the structure of the courses of such an MA programme, they participated in the workshop’s discussions. The specialization of the Volda participants is the field of local history, which offers rich possibilities of research in microhistory. The process of common reflexion and the meetings created living scientific relations between the participants.