About the Journal

The yearbook ‘Historie. Jahrbuch des Zentrums für Historische Forschung Berlin der Polnischen Akademie der Wissenschaften’ is published by the Centre for Historical Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Berlin. Each issue of the yearbook is devoted to a selected theme. The aim is to present current trends in Polish historiography and related sciences, as well as to address issues of current and historical Polish-German relations. The yearbook also presents the methodological approach developed at the CBH PAN in the field of research on memory and the history of mutual interactions.

The ‘Historie’ yearbook is the only Polish humanities journal published abroad in the language of the host country and, at the same time, the only publication that provides such comprehensive information on topics covered in Polish historical research.

Historie is a journal that aims to present a variety of research perspectives on a given cultural phenomenon, serving to develop a perspective that allows Polish-German history to be viewed on three main levels:

1. Histories as science and res politica. The functioning of a scientific humanities institute abroad is specific in nature. In addition to strictly scientific goals, its task is to ‘promote its own country’. At the CBH PAN, we have developed a formula for institutional activity that combines Polish experience (with) history with the universal principle of scientific ethics and important trends in public debates about the past. There is no conflict of interest in this formula for three simple reasons: the reliability of research, the need for dialogue, and the openness of German scientific circles. In this case, Polish historians' reflection on history meets the need of German historical institutions and history enthusiasts to enrich their knowledge with unknown fragments of Poland's past. The need to broaden perspectives and partnership in relations was the first reason why we decided to supplement the German academic landscape not only with our own projects and academic and teaching activities, but also with a new yearbook.  

2. Histories as a new perspective on the past. The establishment of the CBH PAN was the culmination of several decades (since the early 1970s) of mutual cooperation between Polish and German scholars. We also recognise the asymmetries in Polish-German relations. By balancing them out, we want to include Poland and Central European issues in our field of interest, thus becoming more strongly involved in the European polyphony of historical research. There is no such thing as a purely bilateral history, even if it is created by such an interesting field of research as Polish-German relations.   

3.  Histories as a method. The plural form also refers to interdisciplinarity and research methodology, which until recently were the subject of lively debate. Today, emotions surrounding research methods have subsided. However, the problem remains, which is still relevant and sometimes creates greater barriers to communication than so-called national points of view. We enrich the methodological context with the experiences of other scientific disciplines, especially the tradition of Polish cultural sociology.