The ReCall Project’s third national student meeting, held in Budapest in May 2025, once again brought together a vibrant community of students, early-career researchers, and scholars committed to rethinking Central Europe’s past in a broader, transnational context.

A central highlight of the meeting was the public lecture delivered by Professor Joseph Patrouch (University of Alberta, Edmonton), entitled “Global Habsburgs: Breaking out of Central Europe.” The lecture took place on May 22, 2025, at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), attracting a full audience and generating significant intellectual engagement.

In his captivating presentation, Professor Patrouch challenged conventional narratives that confine the Habsburg dynasty to a primarily Central European framework. Instead, he introduced the concept of the “Global Habsburgs,” highlighting the dynasty’s far-reaching connections across continents.

Participants were invited to follow the Habsburgs far beyond their traditional centers of power—to regions such as:

• South and Southeast Asia (Sri Lanka, Taiwan)
• Africa (São Tomé)
• East Asia (Macao)

Through these examples, the lecture demonstrated how the Habsburg Monarchy functioned not only as a European power, but as part of a globally entangled imperial system, deeply embedded in early modern networks of trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchange.

A key contribution of the lecture was its strong methodological grounding in New Imperial History, an approach that emphasizes:

• Connected and entangled histories rather than isolated national narratives
• The mobility of people, ideas, and institutions across imperial spaces
• The importance of peripheral regions in shaping imperial dynamics

Professor Patrouch illustrated how resistance to Habsburg rule often played a crucial role in the formation of local and national identities—sometimes turning opposition into a pathway to heroic status within emerging national historiographies.

This perspective offered a powerful reminder that empires were not monolithic structures, but complex, negotiated systems shaped by interaction, conflict, and adaptation.

The lecture was followed by an engaging discussion session, where participants explored questions such as:

• How can global history reshape our understanding of Central Europe?
• What are the limits of traditional dynastic or national frameworks?
• How can historians integrate non-European perspectives into the study of European empires?

The lively exchange reflected the ReCall Project’s commitment to interactive, discussion-based learning environments, where students actively engage with cutting-edge historiographical approaches.

The 3rd national student meeting once again demonstrated the ReCall Project’s core ambition: to move beyond narrow, nation-centered narratives and foster a shared, transnational understanding of Central European history.

By hosting internationally renowned scholars such as Professor Patrouch, the project:

• Connects local academic communities to global historiographical debates
• Encourages methodological innovation
• Empowers students to think across borders and disciplines

The concept of the “Global Habsburgs” resonated strongly with the project’s broader goals, offering a compelling example of how Central European history can be reinterpreted within a wider global framework.

We thank Professor Joseph Patrouch for his inspiring lecture and all participants for contributing to a truly engaging and intellectually stimulating event.