Project History
Nadir Weber presented the overall project “Republican Secrets: Silence, Memory, and Collective Rule in the Early Modern Period” at the annual meeting of the Swiss Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies on 13 November 2024 at the University of Bern. The presentation introduced the project’s aims, scope, and conceptual framework.
On November 7–8, 2024, the conference “Memory Institutions and the State. Connecting History, Understanding the Present and Building a Future” took place in Vilnius, hosted by the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. Organized by the library’s Statehood Center, the event marked the institution’s 105th anniversary and brought together an impressive array of scholars. The conference featured numerous panels running in parallel sessions across two venues. As part of this event, Jan Haugner held a presentation titled “’The Soul of the State’: Archives as Sites of Power, Memory and Representation in Early Modern Switzerland”. We are pleased to share that selected papers from the conference, including Jan Haugners, will be published in a special issue of the journal Relevant Tomorrow in 2025. For more information about the conference, visit the official website here.
On September 5 and 6, 2024, researchers convened in Bern for the workshop “Archival Secrecy in Early Modern Monarchies and Republics”. The workshop examined the dynamics of secrecy and access in early modern archives, exploring how these practices shaped political power and public memory.
Discussions addressed topics such as the influence of archival secrecy on historiography, the cognitive aspects of accessing past records, and the role of ecclesiastical and state archives in controlling information. The event concluded with a comparative reflection on the organization of archival secrecy across different political systems.
We thank all participants for their valuable contributions and engaging discussions.
We are pleased to announce the publication of the workshop report. The detailed proceedings of the workshop “Secret Councils: Comparative Perspectives on Monarchies and Republics, c. 1550-1800”, organized by Debora Heim and held in Bern on June 20-21, 2024, have been published online. Click here to read the full report.
Debora Heim and Jan Haugner will together with Prof. Dr. Andreas Würgler (Geneva) host a panel at the upcoming Swiss History Days, which will take place in Lucerne from July 8th until July 11th 2025. The topic will be “(In)visibility of state knowledge in the Old Swiss Confederation”. Scholars whose research is related to this topic can apply for a slot in the panel. Applications are possible until September 30th. To apply please send a suggested title as well as an abstract of no more than 1 500 characters to Jan Haugner or Debora Heim. Further information (in German) about the panel can be found here.
On June 20 and 21, 2024, researchers from various countries gathered in Bern for the workshop “Secret Councils: Comparative Perspectives on Monarchies and Republics, c. 1550-1800”, organized by Debora Heim. The event provided a platform for sharing insights and engaging in stimulating discussions about the political structures and dynamics of monarchies and republics during the early modern period.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their valuable contributions and the lively debates that made the workshop a success. Your engagement and expertise were truly appreciated, and we look forward to continuing these important conversations in the future.
In mid-May, Debora Heim and Jan Haugner presented their latest research at a colloquium in Bern, Switzerland. The event was organized by Dr. Andreas Berger, Dr. Sarah Rindlisbacher Thomi, Prof. Dr. Nadir Weber, and Dr. Samuel Weber.
Debora Heim’s presentation, titled “«Ein geheimer Stand-Rhat, dessen man in keiner Republiq entbähren kann»: Geheime Räte und republikanisches Selbstverständnis,” delved into the role of secret councils and their influence on republican identity.
Jan Haugner’s lecture, titled “Orientieren, Legitimieren, Inszenieren. Archive als Speicher von Staatswissen in der Alten Eidgenossenschaft,” explored the role of archival materials in orienting and legitimizing political decisions. He also examined the implications this had for the storage and safeguarding of documents.
Both presentations were well-received, sparking engaging discussions that provided valuable feedback for their ongoing dissertation projects.
We are very proud to announce that Nadir Weber has been appointed as an associate professor of early modern Swiss history by the University of Bern. He will start his new position on February 1st. Where he will also be co-directing the historical institute. Due to this, the project “Republican Secrets” will change its location from the University of Lucern to the University of Bern.
We are delighted to inform you of our newest publication. Debora Heim and Jan Haugner’s joint proceedings article was released in the online proceedings of the 54th German Historian’s Day which was held in Leipzig, Germany from the 19 to 22 September 2023. Click here to get to the article.
At the end of November Debora Heim and Jan Haugner presented new findings from their respective dissertation projects at a research colloquium in Bern (Switzerland). The colloquium was held at the Historical Institute of the University of Bern. It was organized by Dr. Sarah Rindlisbacher, Dr. Samuel Weber, Dr. Christian Windler as well as Dr. Nadir Weber.
Jan Haugner’s presentation thematized accessibility and archival practices of state secrets in the Early Modern Confederacy of Switzerland and was centered around an example in Obwalden. Dobora Heim’s presentation focused on the exchange of information between different “Geheime Räte” (eg. secret councils) in Catholic cities of the early modern Confederacy of Switzerland. Both presentations went well and the ensuing discussion gave them new inputs for their projects.
On 21 September 2023, Nadir Weber co-chaired the section “Rumours, Secrets, False News” together with Matthias Pohlig at the Deutscher Historikertag in Leipzig, including an introduction and a paper.
Debora Heim and Jan Haugner presented their preliminary results at a research colloquium in “Schauinsland” in the heart of the black forest in Germany.
Nadir Weber, Jan Haugner and Debora Heim presented their preliminary results after a year of research at the “Forschungskolloquium” at the University of Lucerne.
We are happy to announce that Debora Heim published an article in the magazine “Rassegna storica del Risorgimento” about her part of the project “Producing Public Secrets: Secret Councils in the Swiss Republics“.
Debora Heim, Segreti repubblicani. I consigli segreti nell’antica Confederazione svizzera (XVI-XVIII secolo), Rassegna storica del Risorimento, Anno CXIX Fascicolo 1, 2022, p. 95-96.
In an effort to study the archival practices of the past, the team visited the “Rathaus” in Lucerne.
For more information about the “Rathaus” visit their website. You can also go on a virtual tour through the building.
In connection with a student project of the Master’s program “Applied Information and Data Science” at the “Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts” (HSLU) a collaboration was established between the Republican Secrets Team and three Students from the HSLU. The idea behind the cooperation was to build something that would enable the Republican Secrets Team to visualize personal interconnections between secret councils.
The Project required the students Remo Kälin, Keith Lawless, and Jorit Studer to build a Data Warehouse and a Data Lake System. They extracted Datapoints from Textfiles of the Historical Lexicon of Switzerland (HLS) and made a network analysis. Then they visualized the data with Tabloid. During the project, the students were advised by the Republican Secrets Team on the handling of historical data, their differences, and particularities in comparison with modern data. Today the Republican Secrets Team has access to their visualization, Data Warehouse, and Data Lake System at the GitHub repository.
Shortly after the Start of the Project «Republican Secrets» on a cloudy day in September, the Team visited the «Wasserturm», a historical Tower which was built in the 13th century and is today one of the most cherished tourist attractions of Lucern.
For more information about the visit, please read the Article «Dem Umgang mit Staatsgeheimnissen auf der Spur» from Anna Chudozilov.