The project's rationale and core idea
The core idea behind the Oslo Contemporary International History Network has been to inspire individual researchers to engage on a more global level with their own research projects. Many ad hoc organized conferences and workshops deal with specific historical topics, and there are also a number of summer schools. The project has aimed at combining elements of both these arenas for exchange of knowledge among historians. Through doing so, it represents a new, alternative way to strategically work towards the internationalization of scholars’ research projects and careers.
The network is primarily structured around the needs of early-career researchers in what are critical stages of their careers. The early career researchers are all at a stage where they have acquired great familiarity and detailed knowledge of their fields, but at the same time they may need help to develop their perspectives further, and in addition work to publish their texts. The project thus aims to inspire the participants to view their research projects within an international framework, and to publish texts internationally during the project period or shortly thereafter. More about the RCN evaluation and how the network meets its main criticisms and suggestions.
The annual seminars
The main activity of the network is its annual three-day long conferences. These are structured according to two of the network's main objectives:
- The seminar has several open lectures and round table discussions on historiographic and methodological topics with relevance for the meetings. These discuss recent developments within specific historical sub-fields, or more general, overarching topics in international historiography and methodological approaches to the study of international history. Guest researchers are invited to take part in these seminars, in order to give lectures and comment on contributions.
- The remainder of the seminars focus on the improvement and preparation of pre-circulated texts, submitted by the early career researchers. These group sessions are aimed at further developing research and arguments as well as more practically oriented work such as finishing a text for international publication.
Through the network activities, the participants are being made aware of recent advances in international history and historiography which may make further development of own research necessary, such as using several archives, or visiting alternative institutions. As funding for archive trips and similar is scarce, the network provides funding which the network’s early-career researchers may apply for. Allocation of funding are conditional upon active participation in seminars. Funding is also provided for the writing of a historiographic article in preparation for each conference.
The network members
The network has ten senior scholars and twenty-four early-career scholars. The ten senior scholars are Hilde Henriksen Waage of the University of Oslo, Klaus Petersen of Syddansk Universitet, Patricia Clavin of the University of Oxford, Susan Pedersen of Columbia University, Marc Frey of Jacobs University, Helge Pharo of the University of Oslo, Einar Lie of the University of Oslo, Even Lange of the University of Oslo, Tore Grønlie of the University of Bergen and Hans Otto Frøland of the University of Trondheim. Eleven early-career scholars were invited to the network by the senior scholars belonging to Universities other than the University of Oslo. The remaining thirteen early-career researchers were recruited by the University of Oslo following an international call for interest.
Hilde Henriksen Waage and Hanne Hagtvedt Vik co-chairs the network.