16th World Congress of the Historical Sciences: Stuttgart, 1985

The XVI International Congress of His­torical Sciences took place in Stuttgart, West Germany, August 25 to September 1, 1985. Since January 1983, planning for US and AHA participation had occupied the Committee on Interna­tional Historical Activities—enlarged temporarily to become a “Program Committee”—with a satisfying result: eighty-three proposals of papers sub­mitted under the twenty-seven rubrics established by the CISH Bureau. As the ranking body, the Bureau has exclusive jurisdiction over the program. (See Per­spectives, November 1983.)

Although only about forty Americans gave papers or acted as chairs/commen­tators, many additional Americans at­tended. According to the official list, the US had the third largest delegation (after West Germany and Japan). Those people who had made independent ar­rangements and others invited by par­ticular scholarly groups (notably a large number of Humboldt Fellows) were not included in the count. The total number of Americans attending was probably about 150 among over 2,000 registered attendees.

The United States’ presence was fur­ther manifested in an impressive exhibit of American historical publications, numbering some 200 volumes by Amer­icans in all fields of history, featuring winners of Pulitzer, Bancroft, and ma­jor OAH and AHA prizes in recent years. The Office of Cultural Centers and Resources of the USIA created an attractive display in a key location, un­der a large sign, AMERICANS ON HISTORY, which caught the eye on entrance into the headquarters building. The exhibit, staffed by USIA Stutt­gart personnel, drew a steady stream of Russians, East Europeans, and Third World historians, who picked up copies of the brochure, pulled books off the shelf and sat in the conveniently provid­ed chairs to scan the materials. The Association is profoundly grateful to the USIA and pleased that the books were subsequently donated to the library of the University of Heidelberg, which is updating its collection of American his­tory.

Observations and reactions that have reached us include expressions of frus­tration at the “straightjacket” effect of the Bureaucratic organization imposed on the general sessions and distress at the politicization of some sessions. These sentiments are fully shared by the AHA Committee. For at least twenty years, successive Committees on International Historical Activities have been trying to eliminate, or at least to modify, these defects.

Consequently, some improvements have been achieved, but only those who can compare Stuttgart with past con­gresses would perceive them. The most important substantive gain was the cre­ation of “Round Tables” at Stuttgart, organized by independent initiative, as in our AHA meetings, that is, not under CISH management. A pioneer example was a Round Table on Women and Peace in the Nuclear Age, organized by the delegates of Canada and the US to the CISH General Assembly two years ago.

Other distinguishing features of the Stuttgart Congress included the pres­ence, for the first time, of a delegation from the People’s Republic of China; reflections of the interest of historians in the contemporary world, such as the impact of 100 years of the automobile on society and culture, and an entire day on film as a medium of historical information; and a new surge of con­cern with methodology, marked by a striking diminution of Marxism—to the point described by Le Monde as a “retreat”—in contrast to fresh interpreta­ tions and increased influence of Max Weber.