Scandia introducerar: Early modern peace studies from a German-speaking perspective

Abstract

Early modern historical peace studies is a vital field of research with a relatively long tradition in the German-speaking world. Historical peace studies concerns examining the historical dimensions of peace, including concrete peace agreements as well as peace-making, ideas of peace and securing peace. This article discusses the different developments of Swedish-speaking and German-speaking early modern peace studies with regard to its institutionalisation and points of departure. Moreover, it provides an overview of the state of research in German-speaking early modern historical peace studies. After its establishment in the 1950s, German-speaking historical peace studies has flourished since the beginning of the 2000s. This development evolved alongside a stronger emphasis on the potential of peace treaties for early modern research, which until then had primarily focused on conflicts, as well as changed research perspectives and questions shaped by cultural and historical approaches becoming increasingly relevant.