As long as there have been empires and states there have been persons who did administrative work for them. Civil service as we know it today is a rather young institution with varying tradtions in various places of the world, depending on political and cultural traditions. We will assume a position of global history and discuss how service to empires, lords, and states has been put into practice. We will take a look at Max Weber' s ideal types of bureaucratic and patrimonial rule and question in how far they make sense for non- Western contexts.
A list of texts will be provided (and the texts made available electronically, preferably on a learning platform of the University of Hradec Králové) as preparatory reading for each lesson. Each topic will be presented and discussed. At the end of the term, students are required to write a short paper on a subject of their choice within the framework of the course.
- Enseignant: Therese Garstenauer