Confronting Decline: Challenges of Deindustrialisation in Western Societies since the 1970s

Since the 1970s, deindustrialisation has fundamentally changed Western societies. This project seeks to explore deindustrialisation in a systematic historical perspective and place it in wider political, economic, social and cultural contexts. Building on regionally focused studies, the project will examine the supraregional significance of deindustrialisation and its legacies in terms of the history of politics, culture and gender. Moving past the history of factory closings, the project aims at a history of deindustrialisation “beyond the ruins”. It will thus contribute to a deeper historical understanding of the era “after the boom”. Sub-projects will amongst other study the entanglement of deindustrialisation with market liberalisation, consumer society, popular culture, gender, adult education and knowledge. The project is led by the Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ) in Munich. The Centre for Contemporary and Digital History is one of nine collaborating institutions.