Because political history is a historical and social scientific discipline, it takes a much broader view of politics than the traditional state-centred approaches. This view encompasses civic society, media and various organised and unorganised forces and movements.
Political history explores changing economic, social and cultural structures as prerequisites and targets of policy. Another important topic is the political handling and use of history. The examination of international relations extends from foreign policy, diplomacy and wars to changes in the international system, globalisation and European integration as well as non-governmental transnational players.
Teaching and research in political history develop approaches based on social science history in collaboration with the discipline of economic and social history.
Current research focuses on the following:
The discipline of political history has several ongoing research projects.
Juhana Aunesluoma: BALTRANS: The Baltic Sea Region and the Post-Cold War Hysteresis. Security conceptions and practices in transition
Johanna Rainio-Niemi: Just Recovery from COVID-19? Fundamental Rights, Legitimate Governance and Lessons Learnt
Jukka Kortti: The Narratives of Finland. Historical Culture, the Arts and Changing Nationality
Heikki Haara: Desire for Esteem and Sociability in Seventeenth-Century Political Thought
Political history can be studied in the Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes in Society and Change (in Finnish). For the first two years, students pursue the studies available to all in four disciplines: economic and social history, development studies and social and cultural anthropology in addition to political history. During the third year, students divide along discipline-specific study tracks. The Master’s Programme in Society and Change focuses on discipline-specific studies. The degree programmes continue the long-standing and solid cooperation in social science history between the disciplines of political history and economic and social history.
PO Box 54 (Snellmaninkatu 14 A)
00014 University of Helsinki