Program Overview - História

Unicamp’s Post-Graduation Program in History (PPGH) was created in 1976 with the Master’s Degree in History of Brazil. Due to its theoretical references, themes and objects, approaches and methods, it promoted innovative research in the ambit of Brazilian historiography. This initial phase was important for the study of workers’ experiences, with emphasis on research on daily life, popular culture, factory discipline, organization of urban space, social movements. The second phase came with the creation of the Doctorate in History. The Program counted on a common area of concentration (Social History of Labor), which sheltered five lines of research: Slavery and Free Labor; Social Movements; Work Process; Politics and Work; Culture and Cities. In 1989, the History of Art and Culture area of concentration was created. For the first time in Brazil a PGP in History incorporated an area with such profile, since it was traditionally organized in Fine Arts or Architecture schools and institutes. In the 1990s, the PPGH expanded its themes of interest and, to the new research themes (religion, gender, racism, material culture, post-modernism) those developed in the ambit of history of architecture, iconography of travelers, relations between art and politics were added. In 1993, the Social History of Work area of concentration underwent a redimensioning and the following lines of research arose: Work, Politics and Social Movements; Social History of Slavery and Racism; Culture and Cities:  Urban policies, cultural production and citizenship. Besides, two new lines were created: Social History of Culture; Political Games: concepts, representations and imaginary; History, Memory and Historiography.  In 1997, this process of changes incorporated the line History, Culture and Gender, which privileged Cultural History as central theoretical approach for the studies of gender, identities, sociabilities and material culture. In 2001, the curriculum grid was reshaped in order to create more integration between undergraduate and post-graduate education, better utilization of the activities in the lines of research and higher balance between research and works in classroom, and in centers for post-graduation students and professors.  As of 2002, four areas of concentration and new nomenclatures reveal the origins of the program’s themes:  History of Art, Cultural History, Social and Political History, Memory and City. In 2004, the Doctorate in History of Art was instituted, thus concluding this phase of curriculum update.  In 2006, the line of Social History of Africa was created in the area of Social History to address spaces and contexts informed by identities, practices and thoughts linked to Africa. In 2012, the line Visual Culture, Intellectual History and Heritages was created within the area of Politics, Memory and City, aiming at analyzing the social dimension of intellectual practices, historically constituted visual representations and the reflection on plural manifestations of heritages. In the same year, the line of Non-European Art Questions was created in the History of Art area. In 2020, after an intense self-assessment process, the Program decided to proceed to a comprehensive reform of the areas and their respective lines of research to meet new demands of themes and new challenges that emerged due to the diversified education of PPGH professors. The restructuring process occurred in order to adapt the program structure to the renovated profile of the faculty.