Claus Bryld

Professor, Doctor of Philosophy
Hus 45.2
Roskilde Universitetscenter
Postboks 260
4000 Roskilde
Tlf: +45 46 74 28 05

Private:
Frederiksberg Allé 47, st.
1829 Frederiksberg C
Tlf: +45 33 24 35 42

Research summary
Professor, Doctor of Philosophy, b. 1940. Educated at Copenhagen University; employed at Copenhagen University 1969-73 as a Scholar, at Roskilde University Centre as a Senior Lecturer 1973-89; ibid. Associate Professor 1989-95, Professor Ordinarius 1995 in recent and modern history (Institute of History and Social Theory, RUC).

Fields of research: 1) The History of the Labour Movement; 2) The History of Political Ideas and Ideology; 3) Historiography and the Didactics of History, with special reference to the general public and to mass media.

For select list of publications within each of the three areas, see below.

Until the summer of 1998, I am the Chairman of the research project concerning "Humanistisk historieformidling - i komparativ belysning" (ie History Didactics of the Humanities - a Comparative Study) together with Senior Lecturer Bernard Eric Jensen of Danmarks Lærerhøjskole (Post-Graduate Teacher Training College, ie extension college for training-college educated teachers). This implies exemption purchase regarding the majority of my teaching obligations at RUC until summer 1998.

The said research project has been organized as the "Center for humanistisk historieformidling" (Centre for History Didactics of he Humanities) situated at Danmarks Lærerhøjskole. The Centre was etsablished in the autumn of 1995 on the basis of a triennial grant made by "Statens Humanistiske Forskningsråd" (ie the Danish Research Council for the Humanities); it has undertaken the task of carrying through a series of comparative studies of the characteristics and circumstances rergarding contemporary history didactics in Denmark. The results of these studies will be issued in a series of publications of which the first volume has already come out ("Erindringens og glemslens politik", ie t he Policy of Recollection and Oblivion, Roskilde University Press, 1996). The contents of that volume are eight articles by the staff of the Centre and the full description of the research project.

The starting point of the project is that history didactics constitute an interdisciplinary field of activities within the humanities, ie the arts and social sciences; as a consequence it rests on a cross-institutional collaboration between the "Arbejdermusset" (Museum of Labour), Danmarks Lærerhøjskole (see above), the Nationamuseet (National Museum), and Roskilde University Centre. In addition to me, Roskilde University Centre is represented by Anette Warring, Carsten Tage Nielsen (Institute V), and Anne Birgitte Richard and Søren Schou (Institute VI).

Apart from organizing and participating in seminars, etc., my field of activity lies within the theories of history didactics and of history culture, and together with Anette Warring I am working on a volume in the series about the Occupation Period of Denmark 1940-45 in post-war memory. The work title is "Besættelsestiden som kollektiv erindring 1945-1995" (ie The Occupation Period as a Collective Memory 1945-1995).

Despite my exemption purchase from teaching obligations, I still keep up some tutorial activities at RUC and will return in full in 1998. I shall be able to give consultations and guidance in modern history of the World and of Denmark 1789-1998 including relevant method and theory, preferably in subjects and topics related to my research work.

List of Select Publications

Select publications - regarding category 1 (cf above

"Det danske Socialdemokrati og revisionismen. 1914-1930'erne", 312 pages,1976.

"Reformisme. Begrebet og dets anvendelse i studiet af arbejderbevægelsens historie, i G. Callesen et al., Ed., "Fremad og aldrig glemme. Ti års forskning i arbejderbevægelsens historie", p. 137-159, 1981.

"Den demokratiske socialismes gennembrudsår. Studier i udformningen af arbejderbevægelsens politiske ideologi i Danmark 1884-1916 på den nationale og internationale baggrund", 577 pages, 1992 (doctoral dissertation).

Arbejderbevægelsen og de politisk-historiske forudsætninger for velfærdsstaten, i tidsskriftet "Arbejderhistorie. Tidsskrift for historie, kultur og politik" no. 4, p. 5-21,1996.

In addition to this, my list of publications has 71 further titles relating to the history of the Labour Movement.

Select publications - regarding category 2:

"Socialistiske teorier om imperialismen før 1917. En teorihistorisk analyse", i tidsskriftet "Historievidenskab" no. 1, p. 9-34, 1974.

"Ny-konservatismens gamle fader. Hovedtræk af Edmund Burke's politiske filosofi", i tidsskriftet "Politica. Tidsskrift for politisk videnskab" no. 3, s. 398-422, 1985. (A longer version exists in manuscript).

"Historie eller posthistorie? Francis Fukuyamas dilemma - og vort", i Ning de Coninck-Smith et al., Ed., "Historiens kultur. Fortælling, kritik, metode", p. 297-320, 1997.

In addition to this my list of publications counts 23 further titles relating to the history of political history and/or the history of political ideas and ideology.

Select publications - regarding category 3:

"Historie og offentlighed. Kampen om arkivadgang i Danmark", 209 pages, 1983.

Bewusstes und Verdrängtes in der dänischen Geschichte. Die Kontroverse um die Fernsehserie "Jane Horney", i K. Schulte og W. Wucherpfennig, Ed., "Die Gegenwart der Vergangenheit. Geschichte und nationale Identität in Deutschland und Dänemark", s. 90-102, 1987 (a shortened version available in Danish).

"Formidling af arbejderhistorie i massemedierne. Politiske og ideologiske porblemer med Danmark som eksempel", i "Skrifter fra Institut for historie og samfundsforhold" no. 14, 38 pages, RUC 1987 (also available in German).

"Fra historieskrivningens historie til historiekulturens historie? Idéer til en udvidelse af det historiografiske begreb", i "Historien og historikerne i Norden efter 1965. Oplæg fra den 21. nordiske fagkonference i historisk metodelære", Åland, 27.-31 maj 1989, p. 83-102, 1991.

"Fra A. D. Jørgensen til Erik Balling. Om nødvendigheden af at gentænke, hvad en historiker er", i "Historisk Tidsskrift" vol. 92 no. 2, p. 372-86, 1992.

"Historie og massemedier. Mediet som den moderne historiefortæller", i H. Brinckmann og L. Rasmussen, Ed., "Historieskabte såvel som historieskabende. 7 historiedidaktiske essays", p. 52-67, 1996.

"Er vi selv historie? Kampen om samfundets legitime erindring", i B. E. Jensen et al., Ed., Erindringens og glemslens politik, s. 17-52, 1996.

"Besættelseshistorien - på vej mod tomhed eller et nyt paradigme?", i tidsskriftet "Den jyske Historiker" no. 75/76, p. 133-53, 1997.

In addition to this, my list of publications includes 32 further titles relating to historiography and the didactics of history.

A copy of the list for categories 1-3 is available on personal application.

For a wider audience I have written the book "Hvilken befrielse. Fortælling fra en barndom i nazismens og retsopgørets skygge", 1995, an autobiographical account of my childhood in the shadow of Nazism and the subsequent judicial purge in Denmark. This is to say that I am also interested in the history of the individual and in the relationship between narrow and general history.