CLIOHRES.net Reflections on Humanities Research The CLIOHRES.net Network of Excellence Expert Group on the Humanities Brussels, 2 June 2006 Ann Katherine Isaacs, University of Pisa Central Coordinator of CLIOHRES.net

The mandate (from the Chair of the Expert Group): i. Aims and activities ii. Structure iii. Disciplines involved iv. Policy orientation v. Added value of EU-funded research

CLIOHRES.net is a large scale Research Network of Excellence in the Area of History

CLIOHRES means: “Creating Links and Innovative Overviews for a New History Research Agenda for the Citizens of a Growing Europe”

CLIOHRES is: A Sixth Framework NoE, under Priority 7 (7.1.3) Its overarching objective is to contribute to European citizenship by fostering a new critical view of the historical process on which Europe is built.

The CLIOHRES logo: +

The underlying idea:

CLIOHRES.net Main Project Objectives  Integrate European historiographical communities on a new critical basis;  Involve related disciplinary fields;  Complete 6 macro-research projects on aspects of the formation and self- representation of European peoples; new perspectives, methodologies and sources;  Complete 6 transversal research projects (on citizenship, identity, gender, migration, discrimination, tolerance);  Utilise connection and plurality in alternative to categories based on division and uniqueness (such as comparison, centre-periphery, identity);  Bring results to bear on educational and research policy (including relationship between education and research); school and higher education curricula;  Bring results to a broad public.

CLIOHRES.net The Partnership and Organisation Full partners: 45 Universities and Research Centres in 31 countries including Russia, Serbia and South Africa: (Co)ordination: Pisa, Reykjavik Management Group: Bologna, Cardiff, Gent, Graz, Sofia, Thematic Work Group Leaders: Coimbra, Debrecen, Madrid, Prague, Riga, Utrecht Co-organising Institutions: 18 (3 for each Work Group) Inner Circle: 13 Institutions PLUS: “Outer circle”: 120 Members of CLIOHnet (History Thematic Network); Links to “Archipelago of Humanistic Thematic Networks” (20 Networks) Collaboration with “Tuning Educational Structures in Europe”; “Tuning Latin America”; Tempus projects in Russia and Central Asia, e-learning (EHLEE), Mediterranean Masters etc.

CLIOHRES.net Outputs and Deliverables 1 For each partner, 2 researchers and 2 doctoral students Back-up team in each partner university Each year 1 plenary meeting Researchers and doctoral students participate in a Thematic Work Group; Thematic Work Groups are on: 1. States, legislation, institutions 2. Power and culture, 3. Religious and Philosophy 4. Work, Gender and Society 5. Frontiers and Identities 6. Europe and the World Each TWG holds two working meetings per year

CLIOHRES.net Outputs/Deliverables 2 Publications: TWG working papers and volumes, according to an overall plan (six volumes each year) Proceedings of plenary meetings: Volumes on transversal themes (this year: “Citizenship”) Doctoral dissertations prepared during project Dissemination cycles Discussion and dissemination of products and findings worldwide through the related projects and networks; Website:

The challenge: To use the de facto structure of the European Research (and HE) Area to restructure it in an innovative, positive way CLIOHRES.net is the result of experience and reflections on-going and developing since

It builds on the experience of  ECTS Pilot Project, History Subject Area Group (1988…)  ESF Project on the Origins of the Modern State (early 1990s)  Curriculum Development Project: History of the Idea and Reality of Europe  Curriculum Development Project: CLIOH  Erasmus Thematic Network CLIOHnet  Six Erasmus Intensive Programmes  Culture 2000 projects: Clioh’s Workshop

From these same roots, a variety of other projects have been generated, including Tuning (Europe, Latin America, Russia, etc.)

What have we discovered about History (and in less obvious ways, ALL disciplinary and research areas)?  Agendas and mentalities are defined largely in the national academic context  National (and disciplinary) academic communities are engaged in self-contained activities and debates  Their world views have been formed over time in ways which we can understand and study  Up-take and use of international research results is determined by the national agenda  Networking provides the platform for creating critical awareness and understanding

Yesterday was CLIOHRES.net’s first Birthday Reflections of a proud mother (and babysitter)  The transnational transgenerational structure of our Network is inspiring and extremely productive  It takes time for those who have not been through the previous stages personally to understand HOW transnational Networks of this sort work and what they can accomplish  The idea of ‘quality’ needs to evolve  For ‘peer review’, peers must be found/formed

Scenes from a TWG meeting: established academics and doctoral students, from Iceland to Turkey, working together

The CLIOHRES.net Coordinating Committee at work

CLIOHStressPLUS: the Co-Coordinators

Added value of EU Funding: a doctoral student from Novi Sad speaking to the Plenary (180 researchers) about Citizenship in Ancient Athens:

Added value of EU Funding None of this could have happened without it

with “Under the aegis of Clioh”