75th CIPSH: Global History of Humankind

Project Chaired By:

• Laurent Tissot - Emeritus Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Neuchâtel.
• Katja Castryck-Naumann - Senior Researcher at the Leibniz Intsitute for the History and culture of Eastern Europe, Lecturer at Leipzig University.
• Matthias Middell - Professor of Cultural History and Director of the Global and European Studies Institute and the Research Centre Global Dynamics at Leipzig University.
• Jie-Hyun Lin - Professor of Transnational History and Director of the Critical Global Histories Institute at Sogang University, Seoul, and President of the Network of Global and World History Organisations.

In recent decades, not only the global order, but also individual societies, communities, epistemes and narratives have become increasingly fragmented due to overlapping political crises and the disruptive effects of climate change.

Writing the history of humanity in such a situation raises a number of fundamental questions about the relationship between the present and the seemingly ending era of globalizations, the future of the Anthropocene and world history writing. These questions will be discussed in this workshop, which is dedicated to the collaborative efforts of writing a contemporary “History of Humankind”.

The project is linked to the book series “History of Mankind”, which was launched by UNESCO in the 1950s (then called “History of Mankind”) as one of the pillars of the post-World War II peace strategy and as an academic project against epistemic nationalisms. The persistence of nationalist and Eurocentric frameworks in the first edition was severely criticized and led to a greater focus on regional histories written “from within”. As a result, the idea emerged to develop a “Global History of Humanity” that draws on different historiographical traditions, overcomes methodological nationalism and addresses the fundamental challenges of a globally oriented historiography.

This workshop will bring together scholars from four continents, diverse historiographical traditions and disciplinary backgrounds. They will discuss fundamental issues such as the unity and diversity of humans, the influence of individual and collective consciousness on historiography, and the globalization of memory.

Participation: Join us via Zoom.

Workshop Program 08.10.2024

The presentations last 30 minutes and are accompanied by a 15-minute discussion.

08:00
Welcoming Remarks
Matthias Middell (Leipzig – in person)

08:15
A History of the Unity and Diversity of the Humans
Luiz Oosterbeek (Lissabon – online)

09:00
We‘ve been saying since 1441 CE: Hands off Global Afrika‘s Solar Pulsations, Knowledge Capital,  and Demographic Time Bomb  
Lazare Ki-Zerbo (New Caledonia - online) &
Jean-Jacques Ngor Sène (Pittsburg–in person)

09:45
Can memory studies be combined with global history?     
Lim Jie-Hyun (Seoul – online)

10:30
Break

10:45                               
UNESCO’s World Histories – Lessons to be Learnt for a Contemporary History of Humankind
Katja Castryck-Naumann (Leipzig - in person)

11:30                                    
The second editions of The History of Mankind’s –   Adaptations to the epoch of Global History Writing?
Matthias Middell (Leipzig - in person)

12:15                            
Closing Discussion:
What can we learn from past attempts to write world history for the future?