Inclusive History Research Group
In all their projects, the scholars from inclusive history research group focus on the experiences of marginalized groups, and refer to general social, economic, cultural or legislative phenomena or debates. It is by means of research on marginalized groups (often on the edge of a society or a country) that general phenomena, hitherto overlooked in research on what is considered majority society (at the geographic or social centre), come to light. Such an approach also helps one to include the historic experiences of overlooked groups of the population in interpretations of the history of a particular geographical area or state. The inclusive approach, moreover, helps to prevent isolationism in research on individual groups of the population, and avoids the danger – present also in research projects focused solely on a ‘majority’ – of missing broader connections and comparisons with other groups of a population or regions.
The projects of the research group have so far been focused chiefly on the historical experience of the Jews, the Roma, and migrants. In the future we expect to expand the research to other groups of the population.
Among the current projects is research on the Inclusion of the Jews in Postwar Czechoslovakia and Poland, which seeks to explore this history in a complex way, from the end of the Second World War to the end of the twentieth century. The focus is on the legal standing of the Jews, their institutional framework, the transnational and national perspectives, the particular circumstances of the Jews in the border areas of Poland and Czechoslovakia, the commemoration of the Shoah, and gender matters.
The research group has also initiated the establishment of the Prague Forum for Romani Histories, promoting the interdisciplinary, intersectional and transnational study of Romani history. The aim of the forum is to promote the importance of the study of the Roma, complexly understood as part of European history and contemporary societies. The partners of the Institute of Contemporary History in establishing the forum are CEFRES and the Romani Studies Seminar at Charles University.
The research group members are also involved in the online Encyclopaedia of Migration project.
For more on the activity of the research group focused on Jewish history, see www.jewishhistory.usd.cas.cz.
For more on the work of the Prague Forum for Romani Histories, please visit www.romanihistories.usd.cas.cz.