Head of the Academic Platform: Mgr. Karel Šima, Ph.D.
The platform’s focus encompasses both research objectives in the field of the theory and methodology of historical scholarship and educational goals in the context of teaching that shape students’ competencies in theory/methods and history of historiography.
Its research agenda includes critical reflection on historical research, the ways it is presented in the public sphere, and its connections with debates in other disciplines. Research topics include, among others, the history of historiography, narrative constructions in historical writing, conceptual history, forms of presenting history in the public sphere, history in the broader context of the history of science and technology, and more-than-human perspectives in the study of the past.
Within the degree programmes taught at the Institute of History, the platform aims to coordinate, develop, and innovate courses focused on propaedeutics, historical research methodology, and historiography / the history of historiography, including general recommendations for teaching related to the preparation and writing of students’ final theses. The platform also seeks to encourage students’ interest in the theoretical and methodological dimensions of historical research.
Looking ahead, the platform also aims to connect research and education in this field within the Czech Republic and to foster international cooperation in the theory and methodology of history—both individually and through existing international organisations (International Network for Theory of History – INTH; International Commission for the History and Theory of Historiography – ICHTH). In the future, it aspires to serve as an information and communication hub for methodology and theory of history, including the sharing of calls for papers (CFPs), information about conferences and events, publications, and related resources.
Members: