Swiss elected head of world organisation of historians

Swiss national takes the chair of the World Organisation of Historians — Swiss historian Sacha Zala is the new president of the International Council of Historical Sciences (CISH).

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Swiss historian Sacha Zala is the new president of the International Council of Historical Sciences (CISH). The professor of history and director of the Dodis research centre was elected at the congress marking the 100th anniversary of the CISH.

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August 28, 2026 – 16:47

Zala, born in Val Poschiavo in southeastern Switzerland in 1968, will succeed Catherine Horel of France, the CISH announced on Friday. He has been a member of the world organisation’s executive board since 2017.

In a statement the council said Zala had been a driving force behind the renewal and professionalisation of the CISH. These efforts had culminated in the new statutes, which were adopted at the anniversary congress.

Zala is Director of the Dodis Research Centre (Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland) at the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of History at the University of Bern. He also served as president of the Swiss Historical Society from 2012 to 2026.

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