Historical behaviour studies

Historical behaviour studies (Historische Verhaltensforschung) is a field of research in cultural history and cultural anthropology and a particular methodological approach to the study of human behaviour. Historical behaviour studies are a type of cultural sociology under the particular aspect of historical change. Its focal points were: to describe patterns of human bodily practice as rites and ceremonies, music and dance, sports and exercises, play and game, beyond ideas and weltanschauung :de:Weltanschauung; to identify analogies between patterns of bodily behaviour, (gestures and body movement) and patterns of thinking (“Denkordnungen”); to compare forms of behaviour across different times and cultures by patterns and configurations rather than by meaning; to compare patterns of behaviour, of thinking and of mentalities (mindsets) in different fields of society, as in economic behaviour, military behaviour, concepts of natural sciences, proceedings and atmospheres in literary works, and social movements; to understand epochal changes of behaviour (→Periodization); to bridge the gap between history, sociology and anthropology. The Historical Behaviour Studies (Historische Verhaltensforschung) were established in 1971 by August Nitschke :de:August Nitschke and Henning Eichberg as a department of the University of Stuttgart. The Department of Historical Behaviour Studies was part of the newly established Institute of Social Research, side by side with departments of social planning and social economy. Later on, historians like Johannes Burkhardt :de:Johannes Burkhardt, Andreas Kalckhoff, Harald Kleinschmidt, Volker Saftien and Michael Walter joined the department. Others like Wolfgang Christian Schneider, Andreas Gestrich :de:Andreas Gestrich, Mathias Beer und Katja Erdmann-Rajski worked in connection with the department and used similar methods of research.