070181 UE Guided Reading Economic and Social History - Mountain Studies (2024S)

In this seminar we will become familiar with different approaches to the historical study of mountain landscapes on the basis of sources and research literature. The focus of the seminar will be on the 19th and 20th centuries and European mountain landscapes, especially the Alps and the Carpathians, although non-European and early modern or contemporary spaces and times may also be included. A number of current fields of research can be discussed through the prism of mountain research: social constructions of space, mountain management, environmental history, the Anthropocene, tourism, mining, hydropower, colonial and transregional conquest, exploration and development of mountains, wilderness, nature conservation, etc. Social and economic historical perspectives are broadly conceived in order to take into account the importance of cultural studies approaches to relevant questions. We develop research questions from the research literature and discuss the possible interpretations of selected sources.