Since the 1990s, there has been a proliferation of international efforts to confront the “difficult past” between countries. A key feature is the cross-national dialogue among historians from countries involved in past conflicts. Over twenty bilateral Joint Historians’ Commissions (Ger. Gemeisamen Historiker Kommission) have been set up in Europe and elsewhere. These history commissions raise important questions about the role of historians and historical knowledge in post-conflict resolution and reconciliation between nation-states. They also pose challenging questions about historical knowledge at a time when universal truth in history is no longer self-evident.
This digital archive aims at bringing together information about joint historians’ commissions or other similar endeavors from across the world. Through a comparative study of these cross-national dialogues, it is hoped that one gains a better understanding of the production of historical knowledge and their role in international conflict resolution today.
This project is maintained by Daqing Yang, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs, George Washington University. Financial support from the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies and technical assistance from Mr. James Mitofsky are gratefully acknowledged. For questions or other inquiries, please feel free to email Dr. Yang at yanghist@gwu.edu.