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 ▲]

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 ▲]

International, Regional and National Business and Human Rights (BHR) Developments: Simultaneously Centering and Decentering Africa’s Marginal Position in the Quest to Reduce the Transnational Corporate Accountability Gap?

Speeches/Talks (2023)

Esther Kiobel and three other widows of four Nigerian activists executed in 1995 recently announced, “not without disappointment and frustration” that after years of trying to unsuccessfully pursue ... [more ▼]

Esther Kiobel and three other widows of four Nigerian activists executed in 1995 recently announced, “not without disappointment and frustration” that after years of trying to unsuccessfully pursue justice against corporate giant, Shell, they had decided to end their battle for justice. This case epitomizes the struggles experienced by global south rights- holders to bring large Transnational Corporations (TNCs) to account for violations of human rights and the environment in the global south countries where they operate. TNCs have for a long time “enjoy[ed] substantial rights secured through numerous trade and investment agreements while their human rights and other obligations remain less clear and more difficult to enforce.” This has allowed them to externalize the negative impacts of their transnational corporate activities to vulnerable rights-holders such as local communities and indigenous groups who suffer massive violations as a result. Current efforts to reform international investment law have been critiqued for not doing enough to change this status quo. The burgeoning field of Business and Human Rights (BHR) offers some useful insights into how ongoing attempts to rein in the rogue Transnational Capitalist Class (TCC) simultaneously empower and disempower Africa in the processes of BHR law making, interpretation and implementation. This contribution will critically analyse the international process of drafting a Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) in BHR, the proposed European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and national efforts in countries such as Germany and France to enact and implement mHRDD laws. Ultimately, the contribution will argue that despite comparable developments being made in African countries, the BHR conversation seems to privilege and center European voices rather than African ones. [less ▲]

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)

Perspectives on Youth Work in Luxembourg (PYL): Eine empirische Studie über Verständnis, Interpretationen und Perspektiven auf Jugendarbeit in Luxemburg - Vorstellung des Forschungskonzepts

Speeches/Talks (2023)

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

Speeches/Talks (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 ▲]

Is motivational conflict always bad? The diagnostic function of feeling torn between competing action alternatives

Speeches/Talks (2023)

In the present contribution, we put forth the idea that situations of motivational conflict can serve a diagnostic function and hence must not be detrimental to well-being, when separating mere conflict ... [more ▼]

In the present contribution, we put forth the idea that situations of motivational conflict can serve a diagnostic function and hence must not be detrimental to well-being, when separating mere conflict experience from the self-evaluative reactions towards these experiences. Drawing on ecologically valid data from experience-sampling, we found that between-person differences (N = 107 German university students) in daily conflict reactivity but not want and should conflict experiences per se predicted positive and negative affect after the experience-sampling period. These effects remained stable while controlling for students’ earlier trait and state affective well-being. We also found that the link between aggregated conflict experience and conflict reactivity was smaller for more mindful students. Our findings thereby highlight self-regulation processes concerned with self-insight rather than self-restraint, which may be particularly adaptive in emerging adulthood. Processing motivational conflict experiences mindfully may help to gain more clarity about one’s values, goals, and needs, information that is critical to proactively shape one’s life to the better. [less ▲]

Krich huet kee kloert Zil a wäert dofir sou laang virugoen, wéi de Putin lieft

Speeches/Talks (2023)

Dëse Krich huet kee kloert "Siegesbild" an kee kloert Zil an dofir wäert en och sou laang virugoen, wéi de Putin nach lieft. Dat fäert d'Inna Ganschow. D'Historikerin a Migratiounsfuerscherin vun der Uni ... [more ▼]

Dëse Krich huet kee kloert "Siegesbild" an kee kloert Zil an dofir wäert en och sou laang virugoen, wéi de Putin nach lieft. Dat fäert d'Inna Ganschow. D'Historikerin a Migratiounsfuerscherin vun der Uni Lëtzebuerg war en Donneschdeg de Moien eis Invitée vun der Redaktioun. [less ▲]

Misunderstanding translanguaging in preschoolers - Video abstract

Speeches/Talks (2023)

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 ▲]

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

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Wiener Juden und Jüdinnen in Luxemburg in den Jahren nach dem "Anschluss" 1938

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Am Tag des „Anschlusses“ Österreichs an das Deutsche Reich am 12. März 1938 lebten in Wien rund 170.000 nach den „Nürnberger Rassengesetzen“ als Juden kategorisierte Menschen. Es wurde von Tag zu Tag ... [more ▼]

Am Tag des „Anschlusses“ Österreichs an das Deutsche Reich am 12. März 1938 lebten in Wien rund 170.000 nach den „Nürnberger Rassengesetzen“ als Juden kategorisierte Menschen. Es wurde von Tag zu Tag bedrohlicher und gefährlicher als jüdische Person in Wien zu verbleiben und durch Adolf Eichmanns „Zentralstelle für jüdische Auswanderung“ wurden die Betroffenen schrittweise ihrer Lebensgrundlage beraubt. Gleichzeitig gab es international zu diesem Zeitpunkt kaum noch Staaten, die bereit waren, eine größere Anzahl an jüdischen Flüchtlingen aufzunehmen. Der Vortrag widmet sich der Geschichte jener Menschen, denen aus dieser aussichtslosen Lage eine Flucht nach und über Luxemburg gelungen ist. Dabei wird speziell der gut dokumentierte Fluchtverlauf der vierköpfigen Wiener Familie Thuna skizziert. Die Thunas lebten in der Schönburgstraße im 4. Wiener Gemeindebezirk und konnten nach längeren und aufwendigen Vorbereitungen und durch einen Kontakt in Luxemburg das Land im Herbst 1938 in Richtung Luxemburg verlassen. Dort verweilten sie mit der Unterstützung der jüdischen Hilfsorganisation ESRA rund zwei Jahre. Nach erfolglosen Bemühungen eine Ausreisegenehmigung für Südamerika zu erhalten, verließ die gesamte Familie Luxemburg am 7. November 1940 mit einem organisierten Transport in Richtung Lissabon, der allerdings, an der portugiesischen Grenze angekommen, mitsamt den Passagieren nach Frankreich zurückgeschickt wurde. Nach einem Aufenthalt im Internierungscamp in Bayonne landete die Familie schließlich in Marseille, von wo aus der Sohn Erich in die Dominikanische Republik flüchten konnte. Die beiden Elternteile Hans und Else und die Tochter wurden anschließend ins Vernichtungslager nach Auschwitz deportiert, welches nur die Tochter Erika überlebte. Durch eine Rekonstruktion des Schicksals der vierköpfigen Familie Thuna, wird aufgezeigt, wie die Lebens- und Ausreiseumstände im nationalsozialistischen Österreich waren und welche Rolle Luxemburg als Flüchtlingsland für Wiener Juden spielte. [less ▲]

How do researchers collect new sources? Interviewees in Oral History. The Voices of the War.

Speeches/Talks (2022)

At the core of our data collection method in our project “Testimonies from the war” is collecting interviews with displaced population, forced to leave Ukraine because of the Russia’s invasion ... [more ▼]

At the core of our data collection method in our project “Testimonies from the war” is collecting interviews with displaced population, forced to leave Ukraine because of the Russia’s invasion. Interviewing is a qualitative method of data collection whose results are based on intensive engagement with respondents. In our case, the topic is forced migration and the change of peoples’ lives from 24th February till today. Strategies for engaging interview participants. Informing people about the project - utilizing institutions with a reputation for confidence; utilizing personal contacts: the "snowball" strategy The uniqueness and difficulty of our project is, certainly, the fact that the war is ongoing, which raises ethical issues and sensitivities, and difficulties of building trust that are essential for conducting an interview. Trust is composed of many different aspects. First, it’s trust in an institution: to the authority of the Luxembourg university in the context of personal data protection; trust in the concept and mission of the project: create a collection which will help us to tell the story of our turbulent times; trust in the team that works on the project: this is the high scientific and personal reputation of the international research team, who have been actively involved in volunteer activities since the first days of the war. Some researchers are Ukrainians who also have temporary protection in Luxembourg. Some scholars from Ukraine already have many years of experience working at the University of Luxembourg. Trust is a dynamic process. Some people need more time to be ready to share their story. It is the responsibility of the researcher to give them this time. Invite the interviewee "not for an interview" - but to tell a personal story. Ethical issues. Unified rules for the project consortium. Before searching for interview participants, we developed ground rules.The interviews are delayed by at least one month from the time the interviewee reaches the target country. Interviews should only be conducted with people who have given their informed consent. When recruiting interviewees through personal contacts, it is imperative to respect the principle of non-dependence between the researcher and the interviewee (the researcher may not record people who live at their home, their acquaintances, people they employ) in order to minimize pressure to consent to being recorded. Personal experience: Finding Respondents: WHERE? "Where to look for Ukrainians willing to be interviewed?" I had to go out into the field and explore the landscape and fit in. As a displaced person myself I joined other Ukrainians at a French course offered by the Luxembourg state in June and July and different events. There I met wonderful people from different professions and backgrounds. Over time, we talked about the project. People reacted with interest, but distrust. Some were not ready to be interviewed. Some expressed interest to be interviewed later. Each communication was an experience, an opportunity to learn what needed to be improved, what to consider. One needs to remain sensitive to the potential interviewee and respect their wishes in being willing or not to recall and share their traumatic experiences. [less ▲]

Luxembourg's tax reform against aggressive tax schemes

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Videogames as HiStorytelling: Exploring the Potential of Historical Ludonarratives

Speeches/Talks (2022)

CROWDSOURCED ARCHIVES - PRIVATE ARCHIVES AND PERSONAL COLLECTIONS

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Data collections are essential for historical research. In addition to official archives and state institutions, collections from research institutions and private holders face different challenges in ... [more ▼]

Data collections are essential for historical research. In addition to official archives and state institutions, collections from research institutions and private holders face different challenges in creation and consistency, preservation and use. While most private collections are stored in official and state archives due to donations or the acquisition of private holdings, crowdsourcing data as private collections is a different approach. Crowdsourcing has become popular in Citizen Science and public history projects in the last decade. Although crowdsourcing is not (always) meant to create an archive, the data or contributions collected are an archive nonetheless. This paper aims to highlight the possibilities and pitfalls of crowdsourcing to build an archive of private origin. In February 2021, a team at the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History at the University of Luxembourg launched a call for contributions to collect ego documents about the war generation. As part of the project, "WARLUX - War Experiences in Luxembourg", the team is researching the personal side of the history of the Luxembourgish war generation. To uncover the individual experiences of these men, women and families, the team asked the public to share their family stories, letters, diaries, photographs and other personal documents. The researchers aimed to enrich records on individuals, which had not yet been collected or published. While the crowdsourcing campaign was intended as complementary research material, we have created a unique digital archive of personal memories and individual voices in the form of first-hand documents and a novelty in the cultural landscape in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. In my presentation and paper, I will explore the possibilities of crowdsourced (digital) private archives, their pitfalls and challenges such as copyright and GDRP and sensitive information and its future implementation into official cultural institutions. [less ▲]

Publications and a new project BELONG

Speeches/Talks (2022)

A Quick and Dirty Guide to Digital Storytelling

Speeches/Talks (2022)

HTR fine tuning for medieval manuscripts models: strategies and evaluation.

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Some TWAIL Reflections on the Unilateral Regulation of the GVCs of TNCs Using Domestic Legislation

Speeches/Talks (2022)

From self-concept to -knowledge to -regulation: A proposal based on students’ domain-specific academic self-concepts and achievements

Speeches/Talks (2022)

We initially tested whether besides possessing a positive self-concept, possessing an accurate self-concept has an incremental effect on students’ school adaptation. As self-knowledge index, we calculated ... [more ▼]

We initially tested whether besides possessing a positive self-concept, possessing an accurate self-concept has an incremental effect on students’ school adaptation. As self-knowledge index, we calculated ipsative profile correlations between 9th grade students’ academic self-concepts (i.e., how well students think they do) in the domains Math, German, and French and their respective achievement test scores in these domains (i.e., how well students actually do). We then related students’ self-knowledge to their general performance across these tests, their school satisfaction, and their perceived quality of the teacher-student relationship, assuming that accurate self-concepts lay the foundation for adaptive self-regulation processes (e.g., building on strengths and remedying or accepting weaknesses). In a first sample (N = 6279), we found that self-knowledge explained an incremental amount of variance in school adaptation above and beyond students’ general and domain-specific self-concepts in multiple regression analyses. The better aligned students’ self-concept profile was with their actual achievement profile, the better their performance across these domains, the more satisfied students were with schooling, and the better their relationship with their teachers. Except for school satisfaction, these findings were replicated in another cohort of 9th grade students (N = 6493), and they remained robust when we used rang-correlation instead of Pearson-correlation to derive our self-knowledge index. Notably, both indices seemed largely independent from students’ self-concepts and, on average, students seem to better “know” about their academic abilities compared to other aspects of their personality. We discuss necessary improvements to further substantiate the adaptive role of self-knowledge in self-regulation. [less ▲]

DIGITAL COLLECTION - DIGITAL COLLECTION of PROJECT WARLUX-Soldiers and their communities in WWII: The impact and legacy of war experiences in Luxembourg

Speeches/Talks (2022)

In February 2021, a call for contributions was launched through the media (newspapers and radio) to collect ego-documents about the men, women and their families affected by the Nazi draft during the ... [more ▼]

In February 2021, a call for contributions was launched through the media (newspapers and radio) to collect ego-documents about the men, women and their families affected by the Nazi draft during the Second World War. The response was overwhelmingly successful, and the team received more than 200 calls and messages in the first few days. The collection phase (February to October 2021) involved visiting families to bring the originals to campus, where they were scanned and indexed. Interaction with donors and the public was a pivotal activity to enrich the personal documents with additional information about the individuals' backgrounds for an in-depth analysis. After completing the survey process, the team collected 160 collections (from 160 contributors), creating the central source of documentation for research into personal experiences of war. [less ▲]

Teaching Public History in UK Higher Education

Speeches/Talks (2022)

About this event Welcome: The AHRC-funded 'What is Public History Now?' Network is thrilled to invite you to our first workshop 'Teaching Public History in UK Higher Education'. We hope you'll join us for ... [more ▼]

About this event Welcome: The AHRC-funded 'What is Public History Now?' Network is thrilled to invite you to our first workshop 'Teaching Public History in UK Higher Education'. We hope you'll join us for a day of discussions on public history in higher education, ranging from intellectual traditions to pedagogy and programme design. Schedule: 13 May, 10am-12am; 2pm-4pm; 4:30-6:00pm. 10am-11am: Intellectual traditions and the history of UK public history 11am-12pm: Public history in the UK and in International Context What is distinct about public history in the UK? What are the particular dynamics of regions/smaller nations? How does this sit within the international context? 2pm-4pm: Pedagogy and Programme Design What are we teaching? Who are we teaching? How are we teaching? Why are we teaching it? The growth of public history programmes and the inflection of wider history teaching with public history. The relationship of public history and heritage programmes. Break out rooms to discuss and compare modules and programmes. 4:30pm-5:30pm: Policy and Institutional Support Why now? The impact agenda and the neoliberal university. What resources are we being given or not given? 5:30pm-6:00pm: Final Thoughts and Plans for the Next Workshop [less ▲]

3rd Corvus Applied History Workshop : Practices of Applied History: Questions, Answers, Discussions

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Situated at the axis of societal issues and academic research, the renewed popularity of applied history has raised several questions about its practice. The most direct questions come from non-academic ... [more ▼]

Situated at the axis of societal issues and academic research, the renewed popularity of applied history has raised several questions about its practice. The most direct questions come from non-academic partners. What can one expect of applied historians? How will those expectat ions be met? What if the methods and tools of applied history fall short of their goal? And is it even that important that organizations learn to think about the past , when they are oriented towards the present and future? Other questions stem from academic concerns. Is applied history more than a reiteration of public history? Do societal questions and concerns have a place within academic history departments? And if so, what are the ethical boundaries of this type of research? Some of these topics remain open questions. Some have been eloquently answered. Some remain subject of (fierce) discussion. Therefore, this third Corvus applied history workshop joins academic and non-academic expertise in order to assess and debate the value of applied history practices in different sectors. Discussants: Thomas Cauvin, Associate Professor of Public History, Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) Gill Bennett OBE Senior Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Historians Pieter Huistra Assistant Professor Theory of History, University of Utrecht Jason Steinhauer Global Fellow, The Wilson Center Koen Vandenweyer Delegation of Flanders to the European Union Alexandra Van den Berghe Corvus Research Project, KU Leuven Programme: 9.15am : Welcome 9.30am : New name, old practices? *(what is already out there)* 11am : Coffee break 11.30am : Where, when, how? *(what should be out there)* 1pm : Lunch break 2pm : What (not) to do? *(what should not be out there)* 3.30pm : Conclusions 3.45pm : End Starting questions: 9.30am : New name, old practices? *(what is already out there)* In these last few years t he notion of ‘Applied History’ has seen renewed popular ity. Proponents thereby often promise to reinvigorate the ‘long lost pr actice’ of using histor y in the present. Yet teachers, journalists, archivists, politicians, mar keteers and many others (including academics) have never stopped applying history in their professional activit ies. So do you think that there is already enough ‘applied history’ out there, particularly in your sector? 11.30am : Where, when, how? *(what should be out there)* The ‘next step’ in Applied History is usually considered to be the development of new ways of applying historical insight to issues in the present . This of course begs the question what those methods should be designed to do – what issues deserve attent ion and which new methods and tools look promising? In other words, what can or should applied history try to achieve as its ‘next step’? 2pm : What (not) to do? *(what should not be out there)* Not everybody believes that applying past insights to present concerns is a good idea. Some see no value in historical information, nor in historical thinking. Others fear the applicat ion of history in the present, as uses of the past become abuses of the past far too quickly. Therefor e, what do you think should be absolutely avoided when ‘doing ’ applied history? [less ▲]

Teaching Public and Applied History on Both Sides of the Atlantic

Speeches/Talks (2022)

n times of global crises, people turn to history to understand their own and their society’s situation. This is an issue addressed by those active in the field of public history. In this roundtable ... [more ▼]

n times of global crises, people turn to history to understand their own and their society’s situation. This is an issue addressed by those active in the field of public history. In this roundtable, teachers share their experiences with academic courses training students on both sides of the Atlantic in taking stock of public and applied history. First, students investigate how specific audiences have dealt with historic events, periods, or developments considered to be collective or cultural traumas. Secondly, students design a product or project targeted at a specific audience, online or offline, aiming to reconstruct, contextualize, and represent a specific topic. [less ▲]

Dangerous Words and Dangerous Silences: Positioning Europe at the Edge of War

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Wars never happen ‘just like that’ or ‘out of the blue’. They are the culmination of complex processes that span years and sometimes even decades. In his art, Maxim Kantor has addressed the threat ... [more ▼]

Wars never happen ‘just like that’ or ‘out of the blue’. They are the culmination of complex processes that span years and sometimes even decades. In his art, Maxim Kantor has addressed the threat embodied by the apparently seamless transition from Soviet Union to the Russian Federation and guided democracy, and his position has always been unmistakeable: Vladimir Putin and the system that produced him are, and always were, dangerous. Now more than ever, choosing the right words matters, and speaking them in situations where we would rather be silent endows the statements we make with a renewed and uncomfortable sense of moral and political weight. Understanding the circumstances that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine requires a thoughtful engagement with historical narratives and the perspectives they present. Words are central to this process. As we choose what to say and what not to say, we contribute to the discourses that will shape the political order of tomorrow. The discussion will be centred around a selection of paintings by Maxim Kantor, each illustrating or addressing themes or aspects of the current war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine and its impacts on human rights in Eastern Europe and beyond. Students will prepare and present discussion questions. [less ▲]

Lëtzebuerger Mathematikerin bei der Weltraumagence ESA

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Eng Lëtzebuerger Mathematikerin schafft zanter e puer Woche fir d'europäesch Weltraumagence zu Darmstadt. Déi jonk Fra entwéckelt Modeller fir d'Wieder am Weltall virauszesoen, fir esou d ... [more ▼]

Eng Lëtzebuerger Mathematikerin schafft zanter e puer Woche fir d'europäesch Weltraumagence zu Darmstadt. Déi jonk Fra entwéckelt Modeller fir d'Wieder am Weltall virauszesoen, fir esou d' Satellittesystemer viru Sonnestierm ze schützen. De Weltall passionéiert zanter, datt et d'Mënschheet gëtt. D’Dr. Guenda Palmirotta ass Mathematikerin a huet sech fréi fir dat interesséiert, wat ausserhalb vun der Äerd geschitt. Mam Job bei der Europäescher Weltraumagence geet en Dram an Erfëllung. Zu Darmstadt entwéckelt d'Lëtzebuergerin Modeller fir d’Weltraumwieder virauszesoen. Bestëmmt gëtt dëst vun der Sonn an de Sonnestierm, déi kennen entstoen, déi fir Satellittesystemer e Problem kënnen duerstellen. Ee vun den Ziler ass et, an den nächste Joren d’Previsioune méi präzis ze maachen, ma och méi wäit am viraus kënne viraussoen, wat geschitt. Konkret ginn d’Modeller elo schonn agesat, fir d’Astronauten op der Internationaler Weltraumstatioun ze schützen. Zu Darmstadt huet d'ESA een neien Iwwerwaachungszentral, wou nieft dem Weltraumwieder och aner Elementer vun der Weltraumsécherheet am A behale ginn. Esou zum Beispill de Weltraumschrott, mëttlerweil gëtt et vill Satellitten, déi net fonctionéieren a mat Aktive kéinte kollidéieren. Mat mathematesche Modeller sollen déi aktiv Satellitte gewarnt ginn a se esou hir Positioun fréizäiteg kënnen änneren. [less ▲]

Die Göttliche Komödie und das Kino

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Unflattening European History through Transmedia Storytelling. The Making Europe Digital Comic Series

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Digital Comics - A new way of narrating history The Making Europe Digital Comic Series challenges the way we narrate history. The VUB Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings (CLIC), specialised in ... [more ▼]

Digital Comics - A new way of narrating history The Making Europe Digital Comic Series challenges the way we narrate history. The VUB Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings (CLIC), specialised in intermedial storytelling, currently hosts Prof. Andreas Fickers, an expert in public history. Together with the Brussels Comics Art Museum, CLIC organised the inaugural lecture of the VUB Lorand Chair Intermediality during the VUB/ULB We.KonektWeek. Fickers works on the Making Europe digital comic series, which is about to radically change the way we narrate history. History through Comics History and comics are a good combination, as many of us know from Asterix. Yet few scholars engage with the medium to share their scientific findings. However, the comic is an excellent medium to convey the complex processes of history: it is an attractive form that reaches a wide audience. Over the past decade, Professor Fickers has collaborated with an international team of scholars on the Making Europe book series, which approaches European history through the lens of technology. The six volumes that make up the series challenge conventional narratives of European integration by highlighting technology as a powerful agent of historical change. Yet the team also went a step further, transforming the history books into digital comics. Comics Go Digital The digital comic with its combination of visual-verbal storytelling provides an ideal medium for elucidating history: clickable icons link to complementary information and additional audiovisual sources, showing the historical context. “Instead of googling everything, one can simply click on an icon to access the historical information,” says Femke Van Der Smissen, student in the VUB Honours programme. “Through ‘scrollytelling’, the reader is immersed in a new digital reading experience,” Professor in Literary Studies Birgit Van Puymbroeck adds. “You scroll down to see the story unfold and click on the icons that lead to specific sources that enrich the story, without falling down the rabbit hole of hyperlinks.” Through the digital comic series, readers engage with history in a new way: the combination of text and image, as well as the multiple layers of meaning and documentation allow for a multidimensional reading experience. The Making Europe digital comic series will soon be freely available online. Archetypes The content of the digital comic is based on the book Communicating Europe: Technologies, Information, Events by Andreas Fickers and Pascal Griset but foregrounds a specific aspect: the colonial dimension of broadcasting technology. The comic works with archetypes, ‘the technocrat’, the ‘tinkerer’, and ‘the techno-diplomat’ to visualise this history. “Archetypes are types of characters, which represent a particular function,” explains Professor in Literary Studies Alison Luyten. “In fairy tales, one typically has the hero, the witch, etc. In this story, it is about the many men and women involved in the making of technology.” The Making Europe digital comic revolves around the character of Brouillard, a fictional radio engineer, based on the historical figure of Raymond Braillard, who designed the wireless telegraph for Belgian Congo and later became head of the Technical Committee of the International Broadcasting Union (IBU), located in Brussels. Andreas Fickers is Professor of Contemporary and Digital History and director of the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History at the University of Luxembourg. He is currently taking up the Lorand Chair Intermediality at the Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings (CLIC) at VUB, which is financed by the Lorand legacy. His inaugural lecture “Unflattening European History through Transmedia Storytelling: The Making Europe Digital Comics Series,” was held at the Brussels Comics Art Museum as part of the VUB/ULB weKonekt.Week. The Making Europe digital comic is a collaboration between Shintaro Miyazaki (artwork), Lizzie Kaye (production manager), Jessica Burton (scriptwriting) and Helmuth Trischler (co-editor of the digital comic series with Andreas Fickers). The comic will soon be available on the online platform of the Making Europe series (https://www.makingeurope.eu/) where a wide range of media experiences can be found, including a blog, podcast, and the digital comics series. Contact: - Andreas Fickers: andreas.fickers@uni.lu - Birgit Van Puymbroeck: birgit.van.puymbroeck@vub.be Links: - https://www.makingeurope.eu/ - https://clic.research.vub.be/en - https://www.wekonektweek.brussels/en/wekonekt-week-2022/ [less ▲]

AWAC2 — Analysing Web Archives of the COVID Crisis through the IIPC Novel Coronavirus dataset

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Launched in 2020, the Cohort program is engaging with researchers in a year-long collaboration and mentorship with the Archives Unleashed Project and the Internet Archive, to support web archival research ... [more ▼]

Launched in 2020, the Cohort program is engaging with researchers in a year-long collaboration and mentorship with the Archives Unleashed Project and the Internet Archive, to support web archival research. Web archives provide a rich resource for exploration and discovery! As such, this session will feature the program’s inaugural research teams, who will discuss the innovative ways they are exploring web archival collections to tackle interdisciplinary topics and methodologies. Projects from the Cohort program include: AWAC2 — Analysing Web Archives of the COVID Crisis through the IIPC Novel Coronavirus dataset—Valérie Schafer (University of Luxembourg) Everything Old is New Again: A Comparative Analysis of Feminist Media Tactics between the 2nd- to 4th Waves—Shana MacDonald (University of Waterloo) Mapping and tracking the development of online commenting systems on news websites between 1996–2021—Robert Jansma (University of Siegen) Crisis Communication in the Niagara Region during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Tim Ribaric (Brock University) Viral health misinformation from Geocities to COVID-19—Shawn Walker (Arizona State University) UPDATE: Quinn Dombrowski from Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online (SUCHO) will give an introductory presentation about the team of volunteers racing to archive Ukrainian digital cultural heritage. [less ▲]

DIGITAL HUMANITIES – A SCIENCE UNTO ITSELF? A CONVERSATION WITH VALÉRIE SCHAFER

Speeches/Talks (2022)

What does it mean to be a digital scholar? The answers to this seemingly simple question are probably as diverse as the interdisciplinary field of digital humanities itself. To learn more about the ins ... [more ▼]

What does it mean to be a digital scholar? The answers to this seemingly simple question are probably as diverse as the interdisciplinary field of digital humanities itself. To learn more about the ins and outs of the emerging research area, we invited Prof. Valérie Schafer from the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH) for an interview. [less ▲]

Radio - Talk Die Denazifizierung der Ukraine?

Speeches/Talks (2022)

n Europa ist ein Angriffskrieg ausgebrochen. Der Angriff auf einen souveränen und demokratischen Staat stellt einen Verstoß gegen das Völkerrecht dar. In einer Rede vom 24. Februar 2022 nimmt Wladimir ... [more ▼]

n Europa ist ein Angriffskrieg ausgebrochen. Der Angriff auf einen souveränen und demokratischen Staat stellt einen Verstoß gegen das Völkerrecht dar. In einer Rede vom 24. Februar 2022 nimmt Wladimir Putin, Präsident der Russischen Föderation, die Vergangenheit zum Anlass, den souveränen Staat Ukraine anzugreifen. Neben machtpolitischen Argumenten wie der Bedrohung durch die NATO wird die historische Vergangenheit der Ukraine und Russlands instrumentalisiert, um Putins politisches Handeln zu rechtfertigen. Die Historikerinnen der Universität Luxemburg, Johanna Jaschik und Nina Janz, verurteilen diese Falschaussagen und Putins freie Geschichtsinterpretation aufs Schärfste. [less ▲]

Wéi erlieft d'russesch Communautéit zu Lëtzebuerg de Krich an der Ukrain?

Speeches/Talks (2022)

"Ich habe in den letzten Tagen keine Umfragen durchführen können. Es ist auch nicht das Thema meiner aktuellen Forschung (...) Aber was mein persönlicher Eindruck ist: Ich habe in der Tat bislang keinen ... [more ▼]

"Ich habe in den letzten Tagen keine Umfragen durchführen können. Es ist auch nicht das Thema meiner aktuellen Forschung (...) Aber was mein persönlicher Eindruck ist: Ich habe in der Tat bislang keinen Menschen getroffen oder gehört, der gesagt hätte, ja das ist richtig. Alle sind entsetzt und sagen, was auch immer der Grund war: Krieg ist keine Lösung." [less ▲]

Frontex, Borders & Human Rights

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Inclusion Dialogue with Justin J.W. Powell

Speeches/Talks (2022)

Podcast Café du Savoir. Episode 4: PITT– Programme for Innovative Teaching & Training

Speeches/Talks (2022)

About AI and Arts

Speeches/Talks (2021)

From a technical point of view, one can say that there have been extraordinary developments in the broad areas of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science that increasingly determine our lives. Think, for ... [more ▼]

From a technical point of view, one can say that there have been extraordinary developments in the broad areas of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science that increasingly determine our lives. Think, for example, of the many intelligent assistants that are playing an ever greater role in road traffic, in hospitals and in many other areas of application. Art is affected by this as well, because the computer-assisted and AI-supported implementation of creative ideas and thoughts and experimentation with new things have led to innovative results. [less ▲]

Future living with AI and IA

Speeches/Talks (2021)

The present and the future will be determined by topics such as artificial intelligence and the question arises to what extent an often quoted usefulness, an "AI for Social Good" and "AI is for Humans ... [more ▼]

The present and the future will be determined by topics such as artificial intelligence and the question arises to what extent an often quoted usefulness, an "AI for Social Good" and "AI is for Humans" really applies. The lecture is intended to provide food for thought. [less ▲]

(Deutsche) Soldatengräber – Eine Kulturgeschichte - Podcast

Speeches/Talks (2021)

Der Tod eines Soldaten unterscheidet sich vom natürlichen Tod eines Zivilisten, der durch Alter oder Krankheit stirbt. Er stirbt oft jung und durch Gewalt. Im Krieg zu fallen war stets eine Besonderheit ... [more ▼]

Der Tod eines Soldaten unterscheidet sich vom natürlichen Tod eines Zivilisten, der durch Alter oder Krankheit stirbt. Er stirbt oft jung und durch Gewalt. Im Krieg zu fallen war stets eine Besonderheit. Die Heldenverehrung und Phrasen wie „Gefallen für das Vaterland!“ sind schnelle Assoziationen mit Tod im Krieg. Nina Janz hat sich dem Thema aus kulturwissenschaftlich-historischer Perspektive genähert und dazu geforscht, wie unterschiedlich den Kriegstoten gedacht wurde. [less ▲]

Diversitéit a Lëtzebuerger Schoulbicher

Speeches/Talks (2021)

The Future of Living with AI

Speeches/Talks (2021)

This talk, which was part of a 2-hour panel and delivered as a 20-minute presentation without slides, came at the invitation of the Luxembourg Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. The speech is a statement and ... [more ▼]

This talk, which was part of a 2-hour panel and delivered as a 20-minute presentation without slides, came at the invitation of the Luxembourg Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. The speech is a statement and part of the International Symposium "The Future of Living", supported by EUNIC - EU National Institutes of Culture. The event was under the patronage of the Slovenian Presidency of the European Parliament. In the lecture, I briefly presented some selected ideas, observations, and examples on the symposium topic as well as my view of a future living together. [less ▲]

Ginn d’Meedercher an d’Jongen an de Schoulbicher d’selwecht behandelt oder net? Mir sinn der Fro mat Kanner aus engem 6. Schouljoer op de Fong gaangen.

Speeches/Talks (2021)

Zusammenhänge zwischen sozio-ökonomischem Status und Darmmikrobiom als Risiko für Demenz

Speeches/Talks (2021)

Getting Creative - AI and Arts

Speeches/Talks (2021)

Keynote Talk "Getting Creative - AI and Arts"; AIFA - Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Arts

Daily mindfulness, motivational conflict, and stress in university students: An experience-sampling study

Speeches/Talks (2021)

University students have a lot of freedom in organizing their everyday lives, but often also feel stressed and torn between action opportunities. Mindfulness entails the self-regulation of attention on ... [more ▼]

University students have a lot of freedom in organizing their everyday lives, but often also feel stressed and torn between action opportunities. Mindfulness entails the self-regulation of attention on immediate experience and an open and non-judging attitude towards these mental experiences. It is positively related to well-being and to intrapsychic congruence. The aim of the present work is to examine the relationship of daily mindfulness, motivational conflict, and perceived stress in the everyday life of university students. During a week of smartphone-based experience-sampling, 108 university students were asked five times daily about their momentary mindfulness and whether they experience motivational conflicts. Additionally, we assessed perceived stress each evening. The relationship between daily mindfulness, motivational conflict, and perceived stress was analyzed on the daily level with multi-level analyses. Both aggregated daily conflict (i.e., feeling that one should be doing something else) and mindfulness (i.e., being non-judgmental) yielded an effect on perceived stress, even when controlling for between-person differences in study load, for example. Findings underline the relevance of mindfulness for perceived stress in academic contexts and thereby also show an approach to positively influence well-being in university students in the future. [less ▲]

Discours pour l'inauguration de l'exposition "Légionnaires - Parcours de guerre et de migrations entre le Luxembourg et la France"

Speeches/Talks (2021)

Franséisch an der Schoul: E Webinaire vum SCRIPT a vum Radio 100,7

Speeches/Talks (2021)