Health and Social Issues in History: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Health and social issues rank among the most significant fields of both modern and earlier history. They constitute a space where the experiences of individuals and communities intersect with institutional and political frameworks, including transformations in healthcare, public health, social policy, professional practice, and health administration. The conference aims to connect different disciplines and methodological approaches and to open a discussion on the opportunities and limits of interdisciplinary research.

The conference is intended for scholars from various fields who engage with the history of healthcare, healthcare systems and health administration, the history of nursing and midwifery, the history of social policy, the education of health professions (including topics related to disability), and the development of institutionalized care in both narrow and broader senses. Contributions addressing national as well as international contexts are welcome, covering periods from the earliest times to the twentieth century and, where relevant, up to the present.

This conference builds on previous editions held in 2022 and 2024: The History of Healthcare in the First Czechoslovak Republic from an Interdisciplinary Perspective (2022) and Czechoslovak Healthcare in Historical Perspective: An Interdisciplinary Approach (2024). At the same time, it is linked to the establishment of the Centre for Research in the History of Nursing and Healthcare.