Historical Analysis in Political Science

History and historical analysis play an important role in political science scholarship. Be it in quantitative or qualitative approaches, the field has regularly engaged with history to study, for example, foreign policy and international relations. This two-day course will provide practical guidelines on how to use history in political science with a focus on IR research. The goal is to introduce participants to different types of engagement with history in the field of IR and political science more broadly, distinguishing between approaches that rely on history as a data source and approaches that treat history as an explanatory factor. The course will take into account the needs and questions of the participants and provide space for discussing their own research projects. 

Dates & Times:

The training will take place on 23-24 April, from 10:00 to 16:00 (both days).

Please note that the course is open for external participants. If you are not affiliated with one of our partner universities, you are asked to pay a fee.

About the Trainer:

Payam Ghalehdar is a career diplomat at the German Federal Foreign Office and an Adjunct faculty member at the Hertie School. He was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in 2021/22. He obtained his PhD from the European University Institute. His research interests span US foreign policy, military intervention, and the role of emotions in foreign policy decision-making. His book The Origins of Overthrow: How Emotional Frustration Shapes US Regime Change Interventions was published with Oxford University Press in 2021.