070055 KU Reading Historiography (2019S)

The main topics of our reading are in the field of political history with a strong emphasis on the role of women in politics; state-building and nationalism are discussed as well as technological developments and how to deal with foreigners within the monarchy. Based on this, at the end of the class, the possibilities of using the concept of the "empire" for the study of the state and society of the Habsburg Monarchy will be explored.
Participation in this class requires a basic knowledge of the history of the Habsburg monarchy of the 19th century, which enables you to deal competently with the readings. The class is discussion-oriented. This requires careful reading of the readings prior to each session. During the session, the argument of the text will be discussed together and placed in the context of current debates.
Planned is the discussion of four topics:
1. an introductory discussion of the revolution of 1848/49 and its 'legacy'
2. An exploration of the new literature on neo-absolutism - with a focus on state-building and the citizens' response to the wider influence of the church
3. the view of the 'modern' Habsburg monarchy and its constitutional life, its technological achievements, but also its nationalism
4. The concluding observation asks - using the example of the 'Empire' - for the possibilities and limitations of using current political concepts to deal with the history of the Habsburg monarchy and discuss the different narrative patterns that structure scientific representations of the Habsburg monarchy.