The workshop “Comparative History: Theory and Practice” was a unique event organized at the Faculty of History and Psychology of the State University of Moldova. From the autumn 2006 the faculty takes part in the international network, created and developed within the CEU-HESP Comparative History Project, initiated and coordinated by CEU, Budapest. This workshop served as a unique opportunity to launch the CHP in Chisinau, as well as to meet the scholars from different Romanian universities. There were representatives from CEU (our former students Andrei Cusco and Viktor Taki), from our partner-university, such as the University of Bucharest (Victor Rizescu and Dan Dungaciu) and from other universities that are interested in enlarging the ways of cooperation and communication in general, and within CHP especially (University of Oradea and University of Iasi).
In the first part of the workshop the Chisinau coordinator, Dr. Svetlana Suveica, presented the aims and goals of the project, as well as the first achievements of the Moldovan colleagues that became grantees within CHP. The Rectorate representative, as well as the Dean of the Department, greeted the CHP initiative, underlined the importance and the role of comparative history methods in the process of study and research. They assured of high support to such events organized at the faculty and hoped for similar future achievements.
The second part of the workshop was dedicated to the comparative history of empires. The speakers presented their research results on the theory and practice of empires, covering the period from Medieval to Contemporary epochs.
In the next panels, the speakers presented case studies on South-eastern Europe in comparison. They analyzed various approaches on religious policies, minority issues, participation in World War II, Cold War era, as well as on contemporary South-eastern Europe.
All the speakers presented high quality papers, based on archival documents and a huge variety of bibliography and studies. The intense discussions that took place between the modules were evidence for the great interest of the audience in controversial subjects of this general topic.
Dr. Emil Dragnev, Head of UNESCO Chair of South-eastern Studies, invited the participants to present their papers for publication in the next number of PONTES, Review of South-East-European Studies, sponsored by UNESCO.
At the same time, the participants in the workshop witnessed a high interest of MA and PhD, as well as of graduate students in the theory of comparative method. There were discussion on the methodology and tools of comparison, applied to different case studies. The students, as well as the participants in the workshop underlined the lack of special publications in the field and the necessity to make efforts in this regard.
The last panel was dedicated to the prospects of cooperation within CHP. The participants made practical suggestions on the ways of establishment the links of cooperation within the CHP network, in order to exchange ideas and materials that will contribute to the development of a network of well-prepared comparative young researchers. Other ideas were raised on the elaboration of module courses that could be taught simultaneously in two or three universities from Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Suggestions were also made on the possibility to meet at future workshops within the CHP at Romanian universities, in which advanced MA and PhD students could also take part. The organizers of the workshop were very pleased to experience Dr Sorin Sipos’s great interest in the CHP. He asked for supporting the Faculty of History of the University of Oradea to become part of the CHP.
The workshop, organized at the State University of Moldova within the CHP, proved to be a successful event that is considered a starting point for a range of events to be launched within the CHP.
Friday, 1st June 2007
COMPARATIVE HISTORY: THEORY AND PRACTICE
International Workshop within Comparative History Project
The State University of Moldova
Chisinau
60 Mateevici str.
main building, 4th floor, auditorium “Dumitru Coval”
Working language - Romanian
09.00– 9.40 Panel One: Comparative History Project Launch
Chair: Svetlana Suveica
Elena Muraru, vice-rector, The State University of Moldova: Opening Remarks
Constantin Solomon, Dean of the Faculty of History and Psychology, The State University of Moldova: Fostering Comparative Research at our Faculty
9.40 - 11.00 Panel Two: On the Comparative History of Empires
Chair: Catalin Turliuc
Andrei Cuşco, Central European University, Budapest: Reflections on Comparative History of Empires: State of Art and Future Prospectives
Emil Dragnev, The State University of Moldova: The Empire and the Eschatological Perspectives: Byzantium, Balkans, Romanian Countries, Russia and Central Europe. Preliminary Remarks
Victor Taki, Central European University, Budapest: Experience of an Empire: Russian Case in a Comparative Perspective
Virgiliu Pâslariuc, The State University of Moldova: Crypto-imperial Myths in Moldovan Contemporary Historiography
11.00 – 11.15 Questions and Discussions
11.15 – 11.30 Coffee Break
11.30 - 12.50 Panel Two: South-eastern Europe in Comparison: Case Studies (I)
Chair: Dan Dungaciu
Sorin Şipoş, Oradea University: Comparative Method in the Study of Religious Union of Transylvanian Romanians: between Aspirations and Reality
Tudor Candu, Institutul de Istorie, Stat si Drept al AŞRM: Changes in Moldovan Ecclesiastic Administration in the Period of Russian-Turkish War of the end of the XVIIIth - beginning of XIXth centuries
Catalin Turliuc, “Al.I.Cuza” University, Iasi: The Legal Minorities Status of Modern Romania, 1866-1918. A Comparative Approach with the Situation of Central- and East-European Regions
12.50 – 13.00 Questions and Discussions
13.15 – 14.30 Lunch Governmental Canteen, Mateevici str.78
15.00-16.00 Panel Two: South-eastern Europe in Comparison: Case Studies (II)
Chair: Emil Dragnev
Ion Gumenii, The State University of Moldova: Religious Policy of Tsarist Empire toward Confessional Minorities of Bessarabia in the XIXth century
Victor Rizescu, University of Bucharest: With Marks, on Forms and Substance: Marxism and the Sociology of Modernisation in pre-Communist Romania
Anatol Petrencu, The State University of Moldova: Romania and Finland during the Second World War: A Historical-Comparative Study
16.00 – 16.15 Questions and Discussions
16.15-16.30 Coffee Break
Chair: Victor Rizescu
Svetlana Suveica, The State University of Moldova: A Didactical Experience: Soviet Images about USA and American Images about USSR during the Cold War Era
Dan Dungaciu, University of Bucharest: “Revolt of Masses”? Eurosceptism and Populism in the South-eastern Europe
17.10 – 17.20 Questions and Discussions
17.20 – 18.00 Conclusions: Comparative History Project: Goals and Prospects
Chair: Svetlana Suveica
19.30 Dinner Governmental Canteen, Mateevici str.78
List of participants:
Invited:
- Victor Rizescu, Ph.D., lecturer, University of Bucharest, Romania
- Dan Dungaciu, Ph.D., Associate prof., University of Bucharest, Romania
- Catalin Turliuc, Ph.D., Associate prof., “Al.I.Cuza” University, Iasi, Romania
- Andrei Cusco, Ph.D. student, Central European University, Budapest
- Sorin Şipoş, Ph.D., Associate prof., Oradea University, Romania
- Victor Taki, Ph.D. student, Central European University, Budapest
- Tudor Candu, MA, scientific researcher, The Institute of History, State and Law, The Academie of Science of the Republic of Moldova
- Constantin Iordachi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, CEU, Co-Director, CHP
The State University of Moldova, Chisinau:
- Elena Muraru, Ph.D., Associate prof., vice-rector,
- Constantin Solomon, Prof.univ., Dr.hab., Dean of the Faculty of History and Psychology
- Ion Gumenii, Ph.D., Associate prof., vice-dean of the Faculty of History and Psychology
- Anatol Petrencu, Dr.hab.,Univ. prof.
- Emil Dragnev, Ph.D., Associate prof.
- Virgiliu Pâslariuc, Ph.D., Associate prof.
- Svetlana Suveica, Ph.D., senior lecturer.
- Maria Bârsan, PhD student
- Lilia Crudu, PhD student
- Natalia Timohin, PhD student
- Andrei Emilciuc, PhD student