Why do historians collect new sources? War Experiences in Luxembourg. The Second World War and Today

Speeches/Talks (2023)

The military offensive launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in the early hours of 24 February 2022 and the ensuing war on Ukrainian territory have resulted in immense human suffering, a ... [more ▼]

The military offensive launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in the early hours of 24 February 2022 and the ensuing war on Ukrainian territory have resulted in immense human suffering, a humanitarian tragedy and incalculable material damage. The violation of a country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty – an act in clear breach of the United Nations Charter – has shattered the shared framework of values and principles fostered by multilateralism after the Second World War in the hope of achieving world peace, while leading to an unprecedented outpouring of solidarity for Ukraine and the plight of its people from Western democracies and European and international organisations, including NATO, the UN, the European Union and the Council of Europe, and their Member States and private initiatives. As contemporary history is turned on its head, historians, driven by the duty of memory, are stepping up to explain the origins of the conflict, identify the various players, provide an objective analysis of the consequences, record the memories of eyewitnesses and victims – with oral history proving a precious tool –, preserve historical sources and, above all, reflect on the role that intellectual effort can play in paving the way for a return to peace in the new world order taking shape before our eyes. [less ▲]

Défis et perspectives dans les espaces transfrontaliers

Speeches/Talks (2023)

Geschichte nicht neu schreiben, sondern alles erzählen.

Article for general public (2023)

Big gap in how women and men appear in Luxembourg's school textbooks.

Article for general public (2023)

Visiting the National WWII Museum and diving into Military History - A report by Nina Janz

Article for general public (2023)

„Stereotypen haben Nachwehen“ : Forscherinnen erklären ihre Studie zur Gleichberechtigung in Schulbüchern

Article for general public (2023)

Schulbücher fallen durch: zu männlich zu realitätsfern

Article for general public (2023)

Inna Ganschow: Prezedenzfall a Russland bleift net ouni Konsequenzen

Speeches/Talks (2023)

Dat, wat de Weekend a Russland geschitt ass, wär e Prezedenzfall, dee sécher net ouni Konsequenze bleiwe géif - seet d'Inna Ganschow, Historikerin op der Uni Lëtzebuerg. Fir si war virun allem frappant ze ... [more ▼]

Dat, wat de Weekend a Russland geschitt ass, wär e Prezedenzfall, dee sécher net ouni Konsequenze bleiwe géif - seet d'Inna Ganschow, Historikerin op der Uni Lëtzebuerg. Fir si war virun allem frappant ze gesinn, wéi staark sech bei där Geleeënheet gewisen hätt, datt déi russesch Populatioun es genuch huet mam Krich. [less ▲]

Les manuels scolaires de nos ados sont-ils d'un autre âge ?

Article for general public (2023)

The MSCA Cofund Experience: Semantic Encoding for Cultural Heritage

Speeches/Talks (2023)

The violent turn in soldier’s letters

Speeches/Talks (2023)

The ego documents, especially war letters from the front of the soldiers, have been studied from many points of view. The letters contain much information about the use of 'violence', whether in terms of ... [more ▼]

The ego documents, especially war letters from the front of the soldiers, have been studied from many points of view. The letters contain much information about the use of 'violence', whether in terms of the striking power of the weapons and the encounters and dealings with locals, prisoners of war or the 'enemy'. As the main task of the soldiers was to use violence to win or avoid being killed, the understanding and use of violence (towards enemy soldiers and locals) is a constant factor in the letters. As authors such as Latzel (Latzel 2004) and Buchbender (Buchbender and Sterz 1983) have studied the expression and use of war letters by soldiers, I, too, have come across many references and hints of the concept of violence in the sources in my current project. In the WARLUX project, we have collected the ego-documents of Wehrmacht soldiers' (letters, diaries and photographs). In my contribution to this conference, I will discuss the use and reference of ‘violence’ in soldiers' letters during the Second World War in the context of an in-depth study of the reading and analysis of the letters. Even if the sources are biased from the interpretative side, these doubts are nevertheless urgent to consider when studying violence and the effects of violence in wars. After a historiographical overview, I will present my current project and the extensive results of the war letters and diaries of Wehrmacht soldiers. With the help of digital tools (e.g. topic modelling and text analysis), I will present the results of the representation and justification and understanding of ‘violence’. Following the conference's theme, I will analyse different sources in which the ‘violent turn’ can be depicted. I will grasp soldiers' perceptions (and beliefs) about using force and the meaning and motivation to hold arms and pull the trigger. Even though the role of soldiers is clearly defined, the use and application of the concept of force are still worth further discussion. Soldiers' letters are one of the most widely circulated sources on the Second World War - over two billion letters were sent between the front and home. These letters are a rich yet controversial source, but they offer multiple opportunities to analyse the use and understanding of violence by millions of individuals. [less ▲]

Etüd weist, dass Schoulbicher net d’Realitéit rëmspigelen

Speeches/Talks (2023)

Bildungserfahrungen in non-formalen Settings. Eine Mixed-Methods-Studie über das Bildungspotential und den Wert von Jugendarbeit aus der Sicht von Jugendlichen in Luxemburg.

Conference given outside the academic context (2023)

The EU Parliament Position on the CSDDD: Towards Requiring Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement?

Article for general public (2023)

Feedback for the EC's Draft Procedures on Conducting Independent Audits of VLOPs and VLOSEs as required under Article 37 Digital Services Act

Diverse speeches and writings (2023)

Well-being and health of Adolescents in Luxembourg

Speeches/Talks (2023)

Norm Formation and Contestation in Business and Human Rights: Due Diligence Laws and North-South Relations

Speeches/Talks (2023)

CROWDSOURCING for PROJECT WARLUX

Conference given outside the academic context (2023)

This presentation will discuss the WARLUX project, a crowdsourcing campaign aimed at collecting and preserving personal war letters and documents from Luxembourg during WWII. The presentation will cover ... [more ▼]

This presentation will discuss the WARLUX project, a crowdsourcing campaign aimed at collecting and preserving personal war letters and documents from Luxembourg during WWII. The presentation will cover the goals of the project, the participatory aspect of working with volunteers and participants, as well as the post-processing and implementation of the collected data. The presentation will also highlight the challenges and ethical considerations. Additionally, the benefits of the project for both researchers and participants will be explored, including obtaining unique information and recognition for personal stories. [less ▲]

Die Zwangsrekrutierung und deren gesellschaftliche Folgen während der NS-Besatzungszeit in Luxemburg : Eine Analyse zur Ortschaft Schifflingen

Article for general public (2023)

Postcolonialité et l’énigme portugaise: La diversité des migrations lusophones au Luxembourg

Article for general public (2023)

The Medieval Judicial Ordeals

in Network for Medieval Arts & Rituals (NetMAR (2023)

Discusses medieval judicial ordeals and shows what judges did when they had not enough proof to declare an accused individual guilty.

“The Effectiveness of Right to Family Reunification” (Afrin, C-1/23 PPU)

Article for general public (2023)

Colonial Reverberations in Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Laws (mHRDD): Centering the West and Othering the Rest

Speeches/Talks (2023)

It is no exaggeration to observe that Europe is in the throes of a mHRDD wave. Regionally, the European Commission adopted a proposal on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) in ... [more ▼]

It is no exaggeration to observe that Europe is in the throes of a mHRDD wave. Regionally, the European Commission adopted a proposal on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) in February 2022. Nationally, countries such as France, Germany, and Norway, have recently enacted mHRDD laws geared towards reducing the governance gap that has allowed Transnational Corporations (TNCs) to (un)wittingly contribute to violations of human rights and the environment in primarily global south countries. These developments call for sober reflections on the intended and unintended impacts of mHRDD laws given their status as the “shiny new thing” in the global regulation of TNCs. Using a Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) lens, this contribution adopts a counter-hegemonic vantage point to render visible what is currently invisibilized by the euphoria surrounding mHRDD laws. More specifically, I hypothesize that the processes surrounding the enactment and operationalization of these laws enacted, as they are, in the west, and certain substantive provisions within them; coupled with their extraterritorial impacts on global south states and peoples without adequately involving these states and peoples, replicate the dynamics of colonial power relations, reinforcing the power asymmetries that characterize the relationship between the west and the rest. Consequently, mHRDD laws should not be embraced with open arms, but rather, should be understood and critiqued within their proper, sometimes, neo-colonial context. [less ▲]

Bottom-up history

in Block, Christian (Ed.) Lëtzeburger Journal (2023)

The Warlux project aims to reconstruct life stories during the Second World War, both at the front and among the relatives of forced recruits in Luxembourg. The research project will come to an end this ... [more ▼]

The Warlux project aims to reconstruct life stories during the Second World War, both at the front and among the relatives of forced recruits in Luxembourg. The research project will come to an end this summer. Yet science is actually only scratching the surface. [less ▲]

Les plateformes de bug bounty

Article for general public (2023)

Médias sociaux en politique

Conference given outside the academic context (2023)

Co-organisatrice et modératrice de la table ronde. Résumé: Des personnalités politiques, des professionnel-le-s de la communication et des scientifiques discuteront de l’utilisation et de l’impact des ... [more ▼]

Co-organisatrice et modératrice de la table ronde. Résumé: Des personnalités politiques, des professionnel-le-s de la communication et des scientifiques discuteront de l’utilisation et de l’impact des réseaux sociaux numériques dans le monde politique. Quels sont les avantages, mais aussi les risques pour les hommes et femmes politiques d’utiliser les réseaux sociaux ? Quelles sont les pratiques, notamment le choix des plateformes de communication et l’audience visée? Comment sont modérés les échanges et retours et comment sont évalués et mesurés l’impact et la réussite de cette communication en ligne? Autant de questions qui seront abordées lors de cette rencontre croisant les regards, les retours d’expérience et les expertises autour d’un enjeu démocratique et citoyen. [less ▲]

Alkohol, Tabak und Cannabis – Motive und Nutzungsverhalten

Conference given outside the academic context (2023)

Les Italiens dans le Luxembourg des migrations (5e partie)

Article for general public (2023)

Cryptojacking

Article for general public (2023)

Digitising History From a Global Context; And What This Tells Us About Access and Inequality

in Historical Transactions - Royal Historical Society Blog (2023)

In this post we continue our series — ‘Historical Research in the Digital Age’ — which explores historians’ use and understanding of the digital tools and sources that shape modern research culture. The ... [more ▼]

In this post we continue our series — ‘Historical Research in the Digital Age’ — which explores historians’ use and understanding of the digital tools and sources that shape modern research culture. The series explores the impact and implications of digital resources (positive and negative) for how historians work today. In Part Five we hear from Gerben Zaagsma who is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), University of Luxembourg. Here, Gerben explores the concept of ‘digital abundance’ in global perspective. Allocations of digital resources, and the capacity to access digital content, reflect wider divisions between Global Norths and Souths. However, as Gerben argues, the realities of digital imbalance also cut across these binary divisions. For many, a crucial impediment to research remains the lack of digital discoverability for analogue sources. Gerben also offers ways to better facilitate digital provision in the Global South and connect Northern / Southern research cultures. [less ▲]

Интервью с Инной Гэншоу - исследователем Университета Люксембурга, 22.02.2023г.

Speeches/Talks (2023)

The interview treats the creation of the Luxembourg Ukrainian Researcher Network LURN at the C2DH and the oral history project with war the testimonies of Ukrainian refugees in the Greater Region "24.02 ... [more ▼]

The interview treats the creation of the Luxembourg Ukrainian Researcher Network LURN at the C2DH and the oral history project with war the testimonies of Ukrainian refugees in the Greater Region "24.02.22, 5 am: Testimonies from the War". У нас в гостях исследователь университета Люксембурга Инна Гэншоу @innaganschow. При ее непосредственном участии на базе Люксембургского университета была создана Украинская ассоциация ученых - LURN. Ее цель - познакомить украинских ученых с академической культурой Люксембурга и запустить новые совместные проекты, создать базу для двусторонних и международных проектов, обмена, коопераций. А также наработки навыков и партнерств, которые помогут академическому сообществу Украины восстановить науку и интегрировать ее в европейский контекст. [less ▲]

Contracts and Human Rights & Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) Laws

Conference given outside the academic context (2023)

How are contracts typically used in HREDD? Does contracting-as-usual support effective HREDD -- why / why not? What do the new laws say about contracts and the role they should play in HREDD? Specifically ... [more ▼]

How are contracts typically used in HREDD? Does contracting-as-usual support effective HREDD -- why / why not? What do the new laws say about contracts and the role they should play in HREDD? Specifically, what do the new laws say about contracts and HREDD-related liability? Against this backdrop, what would you advise in-scope companies to include in their contracts to meet the new legal requirements? Article 12 of the EU’s proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive indicates that the European Commission will develop guidance on model contractual clauses that companies can use to inform their own contracting practices. What are some key principles of due diligence-aligned contracting that you would like to see reflected in this guidance? More generally, what improvements are needed for contracts to better support HREDD regimes that effectively prevent and remedy adverse impacts? [less ▲]

Policy Brief to the EU Public Consultation on the Fitness of EU Consumer Law to the Digital Environment

Diverse speeches and writings (2023)

Misunderstanding translanguaging in preschoolers - Video abstract

Speeches/Talks (2023)

The Ostarbeiters in Belval

in Egberdien, van der Peijl (Ed.) Artistic Performance about the Ostarbeiters in Belval 1942-1944 (2023)

Egberdien van der Peijl presented some artworks based on the ZWANG-proeject photograph sollection of the Ostarbeiters, made on the forced labourer camp sites and or in the steel mills together with DJ ... [more ▼]

Egberdien van der Peijl presented some artworks based on the ZWANG-proeject photograph sollection of the Ostarbeiters, made on the forced labourer camp sites and or in the steel mills together with DJ Yoni. The musical improvisation together with a theatrically played performance imitated the life of an Ostarbeiter in the gallery's basements. The venue was Fellner Contemporary in the city. [less ▲]

Centering Europe and Othering the Rest: Corporate Due Diligence Laws and Their Impacts on the Global South

Article for general public (2023)

Les maths pour les garçons, le français pour les filles ? Comment les stéréotypes de genre se perpétuent à l’école

Article for general public (2023)

Les stéréotypes de genre s’invitent-ils dans les préférences scolaires des élèves français ? Une étude conduite en 2005 montrait qu’ils orientaient fortement les perceptions que les élèves de CM2 (10-11 ... [more ▼]

Les stéréotypes de genre s’invitent-ils dans les préférences scolaires des élèves français ? Une étude conduite en 2005 montrait qu’ils orientaient fortement les perceptions que les élèves de CM2 (10-11 ans) ont des disciplines scolaires. Ainsi, les garçons avaient tendance à valoriser les cours de mathématiques et d’éducation physique et sportive, alors que les filles valorisaient les cours de français et les travaux de lecture et d’expression écrite. Comment les choses ont-elles évolué depuis ? [less ▲]

Das Königsberger Brückenproblem und der Algorithmus von Hierholzer

Article for general public (2023)

Das mathematische Teilgebiet der Graphentheorie eignet sich hervorragend, um im Rahmen des Schulunterrichts behandelt zu werden. Es ist leicht zugänglich, kann auf anschauliche Art erläutert werden und ... [more ▼]

Das mathematische Teilgebiet der Graphentheorie eignet sich hervorragend, um im Rahmen des Schulunterrichts behandelt zu werden. Es ist leicht zugänglich, kann auf anschauliche Art erläutert werden und hat zahlreiche konkrete Alltagsanwendungen, etwa im Bereich der Logistik und Routenplanung. Dieser Artikel gibt einen kurzen Einblick in die Graphentheorie, indem er Teile eines Kurses zu diesem Thema vorstellt, der am Scienteens Lab, dem Schülerlabor der Universität Luxemburg, angeboten wird. [less ▲]

Cultural Border Studies – On the institutionalization of a dynamic research field

Article for general public (2023)

Cultural Border Studies focus on the social and symbolic dimensions of borders. They emerged from the intersection of the cultural turn in Border Studies with the border turn in Cultural Studies and ... [more ▼]

Cultural Border Studies focus on the social and symbolic dimensions of borders. They emerged from the intersection of the cultural turn in Border Studies with the border turn in Cultural Studies and address everyday cultural and artistic-aesthetic issues. During the resurgence of borders, Cultural Border Studies have gained further importance, which is reflected in their progressive institutionalization. [less ▲]

Soft skills for mathematical teachers

Diverse speeches and writings (2023)

Quelques repères pour aider les étudiants à réussir dans des cours hybrides

Article for general public (2023)

Member, Managing Board, European Banking Center Network

Diverse speeches and writings (2023)

« Préservons notre patrimoine numérique grâce au contre-archivage décentralisé et collaboratif »

Article for general public (2022)

TRIBUNE. Alors que le rachat de Twitter a mis au jour la fragilité des contenus uniquement numériques, l’historien Frédéric Clavert appelle, dans une tribune au « Monde », à créer des mécanismes citoyens ... [more ▼]

TRIBUNE. Alors que le rachat de Twitter a mis au jour la fragilité des contenus uniquement numériques, l’historien Frédéric Clavert appelle, dans une tribune au « Monde », à créer des mécanismes citoyens d’archivage pour « préserver l’information de notre époque ». [less ▲]

Wohlbefinden- was können Familie und Freunde bewirken: Befunde, Bedürfnisse und Potenziale

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Transnationale Begegnungen in Soldatenbriefen - Beispiel WARLUX – Briefe von Luxemburgern in der deutschen Wehrmacht

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Kriege sind Räume unterschiedlicher Begegnungen und Handlungsfelder: sei es durch Menschen, die durch Flucht und Migration, durch Deportation oder Gefangenschaft gezwungen sind, ihre Länder zu verlassen ... [more ▼]

Kriege sind Räume unterschiedlicher Begegnungen und Handlungsfelder: sei es durch Menschen, die durch Flucht und Migration, durch Deportation oder Gefangenschaft gezwungen sind, ihre Länder zu verlassen, oder durch die Bewegungen von Soldaten. Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs waren beispielsweise über 50 Millionen Soldaten auf dem Marsch. Sie verließen ihre Familien und ihre Heimat auf Befehl oder freiwillig, sie wurden in fremden Ländern eingesetzt, sie kämpften mit verschiedenen anderen Nationalitäten auf derselben Seite, und sie interagierten mit der einheimischen Bevölkerung, sei es freundlich oder feindlich. Transnationale Begegnungen und die Verflechtung von Wegen und Leben waren im Krieg an der Tagesordnung. In der Wehrmacht zum Beispiel kämpften viele verschiedene Nationen gemeinsam auf derselben Seite, sei es durch Pflichtdienst, freiwilligen Dienst oder Zwang. Die Wehrmacht war tatsächlich eine transnationale Armee, auch wenn dies unter dem Begriff "Deutschtum" versteckt wurde. Der militärische Raum und die transnationalen Interaktionen stehen im Mittelpunkt meiner aktuellen Forschung. Basierend auf dem WARLUX-Projekt "Luxemburger und die Kriegserfahrung" suche ich nach Möglichkeiten, diese transnationalen Begegnungen zu identifizieren. Das Projekt verfolgt einen biographischen Ansatz und konzentriert sich auf die einzelnen Akteure: die Soldaten und ihre transnationalen Kriegserfahrungen. Anhand von Ego-Dokumenten, insbesondere Feldpostbriefen, untersucht das Projekt die individuellen Bezüge zu diesen Begegnungen. In den Briefen schreiben die Luxemburger oft von "wir" als deutsche Soldaten, dann aber auch von "sie", den Deutschen. Sie schreiben oft von Kontakten mit "ihren" Leuten oder Brüdern, wenn sie auf andere transnationale Soldaten trafen, wie z.B. auf wehrpflichtige Elsässer. In anderen Momenten identifizierten sie sich wieder als "deutsche Soldaten", etwa wenn es darum ging, die anderen, d.h. die Alliierten und die Rote Armee, zurückzuschlagen, um selbst zu überleben. Kann mit diesen Methoden und auf der Basis der Feldpostbriefe eine "Transnationalität" hergestellt werden? Das Projekt wird mit diesen Methoden durch HTR und digitale Transkriptionen dank einer Textanalyse und Distant und Close Reading experimentieren und die Bedeutung in Bezug auf diese Personengruppe und die Quellen überprüfen. [less ▲]

One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward: Progress Towards the EU’s Proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and Provisions for Global South Participation in Due Diligence Processes

Article for general public (2022)

E22 - Table Ronde : Les femmes de l'industrie et leurs histoires

Conference given outside the academic context (2022)

Ces Italiens ont été le souffle des terres de labeurs

Article for general public (2022)

Wissenschaftliche Einführung zu J.S. Bachs Motette "Jesu, meine Freude", BWV 227

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Explorers Japan talk

Speeches/Talks (2022)