Welcome to Economic and Social History
Our research focus
As a longitudinal subject, the Department of General Economic and Social History (WISOG) is fundamentally concerned with the broad field of human activity in its respective political, social, economic and cultural contexts, both in its historical significance and in its contemporary relevance. The temporal and spatial framework ranges from the end of the Middle Ages to the present day, with particular attention being paid to local, regional (Central) European, Atlantic and transatlantic areas (especially the countries of Latin America) and their interconnectedness in a wide variety of areas in research and teaching. With regard to the thematic focus, against the background of a cultural studies approach, issues relating to markets, trade, mining, transportation and technology, trade networks between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the transfer of goods, culture and technology as well as the supply of credit and money are of particular importance to our work.
The inter-faculty "Bridge WISOG"
We combine the humanities with social sciences
In addition to the Department of General Economic and Social History the University of Graz also hosts the Institute of Economic, Social and Business History at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences (SOWI). Following a strategic decision by the Rectorate under Rector Peter Riedler and the two faculties under Deans Arne Ziegler and Michael Walter (GEWI) and Thomas Foscht (SOWI), the departments have been working together as the "Brücke Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeschichte" ("Brücke WISOG") since 2023. Another important pillar of "Brücke WISOG" is the Austrian Society for Business History (ÖGU), which has been based at the University of Graz since 2021.
The development of the Department of Economic and Social History
In the context of a post-1960s trend towards the establishment of economic and social history at universities throughout the German-speaking world, a department carrying this name (WISOG) was created at the Institute of History at the University of Graz in 1969. Othmar Pickl held the first professorship until 1995, which was taken over by Renate Pieper in 1998 after Paul W. Roth took over as interim head. From autumn 2022, Nikolaus Reisinger again headed the department on an interim basis, before Walter M. Iber was appointed Professor of Economic and Social History in the summer of 2023.