EH.Net Mailing List Archive: EH.Eastbloc

Dear Listmembers, 
 
We are currently defining and developing a web page dedicated to the 
economic history of a group of countries in transition: Poland, Czech 
Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, 
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, and Albania. 
 
The economic history of these countries has many things in common: 
 
     During the post war period ideological influence have had an impact 
     on the slow development of their economic historiography 
     The current difficult economic situation in most of those countries 
     is not stimulating the study of economic history 
     International promotion and better communication between their 
     economic historians is needed in order to promote their study of 
     economic history – language was an important barrier preventing 
     international scholars from researching the economic history of 
     these countries 
     The economic history of those countries could be very useful to 
     other developing countries as excellent source of information about 
     the generic problems of development. 
 
Many of this disadvantages can be overcome, at least in part, by the use 
of information resources on the world wide web. To obtain these 
functions our web page would initially have the following content: 
 
     Introduction and navigation pages 
     Bibliography lists of economic historians of the region 
     Thematic bibliography lists (For example: foreign capital, 
     emigrations, internal migrations, communications, agriculture, 
     subsistence economies…) 
     New publications 
     List of useful libraries with links to their catalogues 
     List of universities where it is possible to study the economic 
     history of Eastern Europe 
     List of institutes and research centres which do work on the 
     economic history of Eastern Europe (including American ones) 
     Doctoral research corner – to present actual research of 
     postgraduate students (It would make sense to include also MA 
     students to get more people involved) 
     Ask your expert – a page where interested people can send questions 
     about some specific problems on economic history which would be 
     transferred to the specialist on that topic 
     List of archives where some useful material could be found, with 
     text describing their content 
     List of useful photographic collections 
 
In a later phase we are planning to collect and made available via the 
web: 
 
     Data Gallery            Statistical databases on economic history 
     Virtual Library          Texts on economic history 
     Photo Gallery 
 
There is currently a dilemma about name of the future web page. It has 
to be easy to remember, and also to connect to Internet search engines. 
It also needs to bear in mind the problems of using the most suitable 
geographical name of the region: many Central European historians have 
an aversion to being called Eastern Europeans. 
 
There are two initial suggestions at the moment, but you are welcome to 
send additional proposals. 
 
     ELFEE – Electronic Library for Economic History of Eastern Europe 
     CESEEH database – Central and South Eastern Europe Economic History 
     Database 
 
The final version of the name will be decided by a vote before the 
installation of the web page. 
 
During this initial phase, we are trying to get in contact with all 
interested economic historians. If you would like to support this 
project, please can you send us: 
 
     Details of your contact address (including professional position), 
     telephone, and e-mail - to be kept in our archive 
     A list of your works regarding economic history of the area (file 
     version if possible) 
     An indication of what topics you would be able to cover as an 
     “expert” 
     Names of other important economic historians whose work covers this 
     region, so that we may be sure that this proposal receives the 
     widest possible circulation. 
 
We would be grateful also if you could forward this letter to any of 
your colleagues who also research in this subject area. 
 
If you have any questions about the project, or would like to take part 
in the organisation work for it, please get in contact with me via the 
below address. 
 
With best regards 
 
Damir Jelic 
 
Ph.D. student 
 
Department of Economic and Social History 
Leicester University 
 
Temporary address: 
 
Kurfuerstenallee 41 
69181 Leimen, St. Ilgen 
Germany 
 
Tel/fax: 0049/6224/924-025 
 
e-mail lmatosev at ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de