Scientific Department of Modern History
ONThe Department is the successor to the former Scientific Department for the History of the 19th Century. This Department conducts, as a permanent research activity, research chronologically focused on three centuries: the second half of the 18th, 19th and the first half of the 20th century (the so-called “long 19th century”). Within this time frame, it is possible to follow the so-called long-term phenomena that include the creation of a modern state, the development of the parliamentary system, political participation of different social classes and regulation of the judicial system, the modernization of all aspects of education at all levels, as well as the development of civil society (civil associations) and modern political culture. In addition, research at this Department also studies political parties and their integration into European ideological patterns (conservatism, liberalism, Christian democracy, Marxism), war history (world wars, local wars, guerrillas), prominent individuals (politicians, scientists, artists, priests) and economic history (banking, industry, livestock farming, agriculture, fisheries). In this context, the problems of the interrelationship of politics, modernization and modern identities are explored. Modern Croatian identity was shaped in a long-term process, over a wide time span from the Napoleonic Wars (18th/19th century) to World War II (mid-20th century). The acceptance of contemporary ideas in Croatian society took place in interdependence with the political, social, cultural and economic context. In order to gain a comprehensive view of the dynamic development of Croatian history, there is a need for interdisciplinary research (history, ethnology, literary history, art history, philosophy, political science, journalism, philology, law). During the aforementioned period, the Croatian lands were an integral part of several state formations (Habsburg Monarchy, Ottoman Empire, Venetian Republic, Kingdom of SHS / Yugoslavia), which requires cooperation not only with other institute departments but also with foreign scientific institutions in order to gain the most comprehensive picture possible of the interpenetration of Croatian, regional and European history.
Researchers from the Department participate in the implementation of several projects arising from the research programs of the HIP Strategy: Institutions and Individuals in the Development of Modern Society and State (HEIP) and International Diplomatic Documents for Croatian History between the Two World Wars (MDIHP), the latter of which is implemented in collaboration with the Department for Historical Sources and Digital History, and both of these projects are financed through a Program Agreement through the NextGenerationEU fund. The Department is also implementing another institutional project in collaboration with the Department for Contemporary History: “Only Change is Constant“: The Development and Life of Croatian Cities in the 19th and 20th Centuries (ŽIVGRAD).
Department employees:
- Ph.D. Marino Manin, Head of Department
- Ph.D. Mario Jareb
- Ph.D. Branko Ostajmer
- Goran Ovčariček, prof.
