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Networking the International System pp 187–200Cite as

Avenues and Confines of Globalizing the Past: UNESCO’s International Commission for a “Scientific and Cultural History of Mankind” (1952–1969)

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Abstract

In 1973 Niels Steensgaard reviewed the volumes of a world history composed under the UNESCO auspices beginning in 1952; it was a thoroughly new way of globalizing the past. The conceptual renewal that is identified by Steensgaard was to be asserted in the years to come but it took shape during the two decades before. The International Commission for a Scientific and Cultural History of Mankind is an illuminating example of both the intellectual dynamics and the constraints of writing worldwide connections and entanglements back into history through collaboration in the setting of an international organization. I would like to describe both aspects in the following article.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    With this term Geyer and Bright describe the emergence of a specific epoch of global integration (in the middle of the nineteenth century) in which the continuous meshing of trajectories has irreversibly dissolved autonomous entities (societies, cultures, or civilizations). It involves permanent struggles over identity, sovereignty, and autonomy leading neither to homogenization nor to a separation between the ‘global’ versus ‘local’. On the contrary it is characterized by a constantly refreshing integrative dynamic that simultaneously “fragment[s] the world even as it [becomes] one” and renews differences.

  2. 2.

    These are the words of Clement Attlee, the British prime minister (Laves and Thomson 1968, p. 221).

  3. 3.

    On Febvre and the Annales see: Middell and Sammler 1994; Huppert 1997; Muller 2003.

  4. 4.

    Report of Lucien Febvre, May 1949, in: Scientific and Cultural History of Mankind Papers, Box 4, Fd. 2.111, UNESCO Archives, Paris, Petitjean (2006, p. 86). The archival materials quoted in the following all derive from this inventory.

  5. 5.

    Statutes of the International Commission for a Scientific and Cultural History of Mankind, Annex 1, Annual Report, 15, September 1952, Box 5, Fd. 2.114.

  6. 6.

    The Commission started out with eight members but was gradually enlarged. At its dissolution in 1969 its bureau consisted of 22 members and its corresponding members amounted to ninety-three scholars from 42 countries. Added to that, 130 more people from almost fifty countries were involved. Three or four author-editors wrote each of the six volumes. Most of them had additional collaborators at their disposal and they could draw on the contributions in the Cahiers d’Histoire Mondiale—a complementary journal edited by Febvre since its foundation in 1953.

  7. 7.

    For example, Walter Goetz’ efforts to engage Johan Huizinga, Henri Pirenne, Alphonse Aulard, and George Peabody Gooch for his Propyläen-Weltgeschichte (Middell 2005, p. 637).

  8. 8.

    Fifty-two countries had become members of UNESCO between 1946 and 1956, another 24 newly created countries joined in 1961/1962 (Hüfner and Reuther 1996, p. 39). The SCHM was affected by this growing membership, which turned into a serious challenge. It shifted the balance of power within the Commission, diversified the expectations concerning the content, and the changes in topical and regional emphases that flowed from this caused severe practical problems. In view of the 300 participants from all over the world the disputes, conflicts, and sometimes despair that went along with the work can be easily imagined.

  9. 9.

    History of Humanity, seven volumes, Paris (2003–2008). A revised second edition was approved by a resolution of the 20th General UNESCO Conference in 1978. On its concept see (Herrmann 1991).

  10. 10.

    Twice has the SCHM received a more favorable appraisal. For Ernst Schulin it was the first effort at a truly global history (Schulin 1979, pp. 170–72), while more recently Poul Duehldahl has argued that “it was the first trial of overcoming Euro-centrism after World War II” (Duedahl 2011, p. 25).

  11. 11.

    Immediately after the Commission was dissolved in 1969, voices were raised that the history should be rewritten on the grounds that the authors had composed an unduly unbalanced image of the civilizations of the world—in fact, a “Eurocentric vision of the history of humanity,” in which “several regions of the world are inadequately or superficially represented” while Europe’s share is preponderant. Furthermore, it was charged that non-Western cultures had been treated from a perspective that presupposed the superiority of the “West,” and that even European history had been unduly reduced since its East- (Central) parts had hardly been mentioned; see: (UNESCO, Preparation of a History of the Scientific and Cultural Development of Mankind, Paris 1985).

  12. 12.

    K. V. Ostrovitianov to Carneiro, 26 September 1959, p. 2, Box 12, Fd. 2.51 (6).

  13. 13.

    Volume 1, p. 39 and 53.

  14. 14.

    That occurred after 1955 when Soviet and Eastern European scholars became involved and much of the discussion and conflict centered on the ideological issues of ‘Capitalism’ versus ‘Socialism,’ the question of how non-European history can be represented adequately remained an ongoing concern and issue.

  15. 15.

    Majumdar (1888–1980) was a well-known historian in India/Bangladesh, taking part in the professionalization of the historiography of his homeland, and acting, among others, as president of the Indian Historical Congress, the professional association of historians. After receiving his PhD from the University of Calcutta he taught for the later part of his career at Dacca University (Bangladesh). Majumdar established his name with studies in ancient history, but he soon embraced Indian history up to the present. His synthetic works, one on Bengal and one on India, were widely read and discussed, see (Sreedharan 2000; Weickgenennt Thiara 2009).

  16. 16.

    Majumdar to Carneiro, 17 August 1958, Box 21, Fd. 2.629.2.

  17. 17.

    Zyrayk (1909–2000) was born in Damascus and received his PhD from Oxford and Princeton University before becoming professor at the American University of Beirut. Politically engaged in the liberation of Syria he acted as counselor to the Syrian Legation of the United States in 1945, and as delegate to the UN Security Council and to the UN General Assembly in 1946. As a scholar both in history and philosophy he became known for his works on modern Arab thought and identity, see (Atiyeh and Oweiss 1988).

  18. 18.

    Editorial Report, 22 April 1959, Box 20, Fd. 2.627 (2).

  19. 19.

    Majumdar to Carneiro, 17 August 1958, Box 21, Fd. 2.629.2.

  20. 20.

    Gottschalk to Métraux, 4 November 1959, Box 32, Fd. 2.83 (14).

  21. 21.

    Correspondence, Box 21, Fd. 2.629.6.

  22. 22.

    This is well illustrated in a comment from Korea in reaction to one the manuscripts of volume VI in 1959: “Although Korea has not been in the past very well-known to the outside world, it is lamentable that the History … seems to have been influenced by the age-long evil of China/India/Japan-centered Oriental history… it is by no means just that a UNESCO-sponsored work should fall victim to the mannerism of mediocre historians.” Comment by Korea, 26 October 1959, p. 1 and 69, Box 41, Fd. 2.84 (20).

  23. 23.

    Gottschalk to Carneiro, 30 March 1955, Box 28, Fd. 2.823.

  24. 24.

    Author-Editors’ Preface, in: Caroline F. Ware, J. M. Romein, K. M. Panikkar (eds.), The Twentieth Century (= SCHM, vol. VI), Paris 1966, p. xiv.

  25. 25.

    Plan SCHM, in: Annual Report, 15 September 1952, p. 16 f. and p. 20 ff., Box 5, Fd. 2.114.

  26. 26.

    Gottschalk to Métraux, 20 Mai 1953, Métraux to Gottschalk, 29 May 1953, and Gottschalk to Métraux, 12 March 1954, Box 32, Fd. 2.83 (13); Métraux to Hu-Shi, 2 June 1953, Box 21, Fd. 2.629.4.

  27. 27.

    Large parts of the sections on Islamic history were written by Marshall Hodgson. Those on Indian history were penned by Earl H. Pritchard and later by J. A. B. van Buitenen, see: Gottschalk to Métraux, 2 July 1954 and Gottschalk to Métraux, 18 January 1956, Box 32, Fd. 2.83 (13); see also “Notes on the Preparation and Editorial Treatment of Volume IV”, in The Foundation of the Modern World, eds. L. Gottschalk, L. C. MacKinney, E. H. Pritchard (= SCHM, vol. VI), pp. xv–xix.

  28. 28.

    Zavala (1909–) is considered one of the most influential Mexican thinkers in the twentieth century. After studying law at the National University of Mexico and the University of Madrid he turned to history, not only in his writings. He supported and fostered historical studies in his country by founding the Centro de Estudios Historicos at the Colegio de Mexico (the national academy), see (Pietschmann 2009).

  29. 29.

    Silvio Zavala, Comments on the Introduction to vol. IV, 26 January 1954, Box 32, Fd. 2.83 (13).

  30. 30.

    Zavala to the International Commission, 20 October 1954, and Memo Métraux and Gottschalk, 16 November 1954, Box 20, Fd. 2.628 (1).

  31. 31.

    Métraux to IC, 9 November 1954, Box 20, Fd. 2.628 (1).

  32. 32.

    Métraux to IC, 18 November 1954 and Turner to Métraux, 6. December 1954, Box 20, Fd. 2.628 (1). The next draft received very positive comments by Zavala who stated that Latin America was captured well, while now the passages on Asia and Africa should be revised, Métraux to Gottschalk, 24 June 1955, Box 32, Fd. Gottschalk.

  33. 33.

    “Authors’ Preface” in The Nineteenth Century 1775–1905, ed. C. Morazé (= SCHM vol. V, Paris 1976), p. xiv.

  34. 34.

    Preface by Paulo E. De Berrêdo Carneiro, ibid., p. xiv.

  35. 35.

    Foreword by René Maheu, ibid., pp. xv, xii, xv.

  36. 36.

    C. Ward, “The History of the Scientific and Cultural History of Mankind. Some Problems of Interpretation,” Cahier d’Histoire Mondiale 5 (1959) 1: 270–292.

  37. 37.

    Gottschalk to Carneiro, 28. Juli 1964, Box 32, Fd. 2.83 (15).

  38. 38.

    “Supplement to Author-Editor’s Preface,” in The Twentieth Century, eds. C. F. Ware et al., 10, footnote 39.

  39. 39.

    At the XIIth CISH Congress in 1965 in Vienna a session was held under the title “Projects and Concepts of World History in the Twentieth Century, where Louis Gottschalk reported on the work of and the experiences gained in the SCHM, which was followed by a long and intensive discussion about different conceptual approaches, see: Rapports, Section Methodologie et Histoire Contemporaine (= Vol. V), pp. 5–19, Actes (= Vol. 5), pp. 525–539, Vienna. Louis Gottschalk was the chairman of this Committee of the SSRC. For its report see (Gottschalk 1963).

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  1. Center for the history and Culture of East Central Europe, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Katja Naumann

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  1. Institute for European Global Studies, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Madeleine Herren

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Naumann, K. (2014). Avenues and Confines of Globalizing the Past: UNESCO’s International Commission for a “Scientific and Cultural History of Mankind” (1952–1969). In: Herren, M. (eds) Networking the International System. Transcultural Research – Heidelberg Studies on Asia and Europe in a Global Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04211-4_13

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