Research at the Department of Contemporary History

The research of the Department of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna does not primarily focus on the 20th and 21st centuries in a national context, but rather goes beyond that. The inclusion of transnational approaches, the search for international influences and mutual transfers, as well as the view of the cross-border significance of events and processes, help to critically deal with existing research and to develop new perspectives on the past. They promote a paradigm shift towards a decidedly European and internationally comparative historiography. The research at the Department of Contemporary History is committed to these scientific approaches.

The Department of Contemporary History explicitly promotes a diversity of perspectives and methods in its research. Interdisciplinary approaches, openness appropriate to the topic, but also clarity in the theoretical positioning are essential. For example, cultural, visual and memory turns are critically adopted, historically contextualised and reflected upon. Comparisons, network and transfer analyses are also used.

This pluralism of research is reflected in the various research specialisms of the Department.

• Dictatorships, Violence, Genocide
• Media and Contemporary History
• Austrian Contemporary History as the History of the Republic in International Comparison up to the Present
• Contemporary History as the History of Knowledge and Science
• Contemporary Women's and Gender Studies
• Visual Contemporary History and Cultural History, Film and Other Media