Major Themes

1. Perspectives on global history: concepts and methodology
Organiser: Jörn Rüsen, Germany

a) Is universal history possible?
Co-organiser: Patrick O'Brien, United Kingdom
Discussants: Alexander Chubariyan, Russia
Jürgen Osterhammel, Switzerland

b) Cultural encounters between continents over the centuries
Co-Organiser: Jerry Bentley, USA
Discussants: Natalie Zemon Davis, Canada
Valery Tishkov, Russia

2. Millennium, time and history
Organiser: Reinhart Koselleck, Germany

a) The construction and division of time: periodisation and chronology
Co-Organiser: Masayuki Sato, Japan
Discussants: François Dosse, France
Harbans Mukhia, India

b) Eschatology, millenarian movements and visions of the future
Co-Organiser: André Vauchez, France
Discussant: Bernard McGinn, USA

3. The uses and misuses of history and the responsibility of the historians, past and present
Organiser: Georg Iggers, USA
Discussant: François Bédarida, France

a) The Uses and Abuses of History in Pre-Modern Societies and the role of the Historian

b) The Instrumentalization of History and Historians in Modern Societies

c) The Critical Function of History in the Modern Period