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31.4 - Constructing Population

Special Issue
HSR Vol. 31 (2006) No. 4: Special Issue: Constructing Population

Joseph Ehmer, Werner Lausecker & Alexander Pinwinkler (Eds.): Constructing Population in 20th Century Historiography, Social Sceinces, and Politics. Transdisciplinary and International Perspectives

Demographical research became increasingly interdisciplinary and international in the 20th century. It has also been linked to governmental and political practices, culminating in national homogenization, ethnic and social inclusion or exclusion, respectively racially-motivated murder and genocide. As a consequence, transdisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and the relationship between science and power are the key issues of this HSR Special Issue. It contains comparative analyses of the development of “Bevölkerungsgeschichte” and Historical Demography in France, the UK, and Germany. Furthermore, the contributions show connections between theory of population, population research, and the social sciences. They also cover the European-American comparison, and the relation of population research and population policy in Germany, in the Czechoslovak Republic, and in the Switzerland. The articles stress the importance of transdisciplinary and transnational approaches in the history of science; they also demonstrate the need of self-critical and reflective awareness in terms of demographic research and, not least, in political action.