Historians without Borders in Finland will publish a new Finnish-language Historiadialogiopas (History Dialogue Guide) in 2027. Written by historians Pertti Grönholm, Sirkka Ahonen and Jan Löfström, the guide will bring together the foundations of the method, practical guidance and lessons learned from nearly a decade of History Dialogue work.
An English-language summary of the method is already available. The new eight-page publication, History Dialogue: A Space for Difficult Histories, was launched today at the European History in the Evolving World Order event at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. It offers international readers an introduction to History Dialogue, its purpose, possible uses and limits.
Download the English summary: History Dialogue: A Space for Difficult Histories – Method Brief (PDF)
The English publication is deliberately concise. It introduces the thinking behind History Dialogue but is not the full guide or a step-by-step manual. The complete guide will be published first in Finnish in 2027, and an English translation is planned to follow.
What is History Dialogue?
History Dialogue is a structured and facilitated method for addressing difficult and contested pasts. It brings historical research, collective and personal memories, lived experience and differing interpretations into the same conversation.
The purpose is not to make participants agree on a single version of history or to determine whose interpretation should prevail. Instead, History Dialogue creates space to examine how different understandings of the past have emerged, what they mean to the people who hold them and how they continue to shape relationships in the present.
The method combines openness to experience with a commitment to historical knowledge and source criticism. Listening and empathy do not mean accepting every claim as fact or excusing harmful actions. History Dialogue is neither a debate nor a negotiation, and it does not replace historical research or the political, legal, economic and reparative measures that conflicts may require.
By making conflicting narratives visible and discussable, History Dialogue can contribute to conflict prevention, reconciliation and peacebuilding.
History dialogue method presented in London
The History Dialogue method and the work behind it were presented on 26 October 2026 at European History in the Evolving World Order, held at Senate House in London and online. The event was organised by Historians without Borders in Finland and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy.
In the event’s session on history dialogues, Dr Pertti Grönholm —a member of the board of Historians without Borders in Finland and University Lecturer at the University of Turku— described the central aim of the method:
“The aim is not to determine who is right, who is wrong, but to broaden the understanding of differing historical interpretations.”
— Dr Pertti Grönholm, Senate House, London, 26 October 2026
History Dialogue principles have been applied in encounters involving, among others, Ukrainian and Russian historians, communities examining memories of the Finnish Civil War, Finnish and Estonian historians, and historians of Russian background living in exile in the Nordic and Baltic countries. These experiences form part of the practical foundation of the forthcoming guide.
The full Historiadialogiopas will be published in Finnish in 2027, with a planned English translation to follow. Further information about the guide and its publication will be announced later. In the meantime, the English-language summary provides a first opportunity to become acquainted with the method.