Transitional societies in comparison. Reflections on the 'saddle period' on the Italian peninsula and in Europe

PD Dr. Lutz Klinkhammer

Building on an analysis of how populations on the left bank of the Rhine in Germany and in Piedmont responded to French rule between 1789 and 1814, the project seeks to examine specific processes of state and societal transformation from the late 18th century to the Restoration. The focus lies on the genesis of new social knowledge, informed by insights into mechanisms of political reorganisation, experiences of the world, and knowledge regarding novel forms of coercion and violence. The transformations from traditional anti-Judaism to modern anti-Semitism will be analysed, along with the perceptions of diplomats who could themselves act as mediators of cultural change. The research field outlined here can build upon projects from other institutes of the Max Weber Foundation (such as that on British envoys at the GHI London) and constitutes the core of a research and discussion group open to interdisciplinary and cross-period exchange, equally intended to engage early-career researchers at the German Historical Institute in Rome whose work addresses the 'Sattelzeit' and the Restoration period.

PD Dr. Lutz Klinkhammer
Deputy Director, Responsible for Contemporary History
Biography
Publications
+39 06 66049271
klinkhammer[at]dhi-roma.it

---