Public history

Lecture by Prof. Michael Frisch, Talking Pictures LLC, New York

How do historians investigate the past? What methods and tools do they employ, what are they trying to understand, and how do they transfer their findings to society?

How can historians tell the story of European integration – the story of Europe – in the digital age?

Can video games be a serious research topic or are they only entertainment products? At the Gamescom Congress in Cologne, a series of talks and panel discussions were dedicated to video games from many different perspectives. In this blogpost, I will discuss some of them illustrating that video games can and should be taken seriously.

In this essay, I would like to reflect upon what happens when archival material and research are transferred into the three-dimensional physical space of a museum. A main focus will be on what happens when restored, digitised and partly retouched glass plates are framed and staged in a museum setting.

The fourth and final ForumZ of this academic year took place on 6 July at the Banque de Luxembourg. In an effort to provide a platform for “the critical discussion and academic study of questions related to the contemporary history of Luxembourg from a transnational perspective,”(1) the C²DH had invited five panellists along with moderator Bernard Thomas to discuss the ‘glocal’ history of the Luxembourg financial centre.

“Glanz und Elend der Kunstkopf-Stereophonie” – A radio play from Stefan Krebs, with Hans Peter Hallwachs as Kunstkopf; Stephan Wurfbaum as journalist and Andreas Fickers as media archaeologist; Research, script and mise-en-scène: Stefan Krebs; Sound: Christian Schimmöller; Producer: Werner Bleisteiner; Historical and technical advisors: Günther Hess and Stephan Peus. A production of the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History of the University of Luxembourg in cooperation with Bavarian Broadcasting and the EU-research project ORPHEUS, 2017.

Within the framework of the research project "Failure and Success of Dummy Head Stereo: An innovation history of 3D listening", Stefan Krebs and Andreas Fickers produced a binaural radio play about the history of binaural stereo.

Le samedi 17 juin 2017, le Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), en partenariat avec le Centre national de littérature (CNL), ont organisé la troisième édition de ForumZ.

The fourth ForumZ will focus on the history of the financial sector in Luxembourg. Which stories should be told and which archives can be used?

Overview of all the stories to be told during the plenary session, the parallel sessions and the round table

How has the emergence of the digital era affected the age-old art of telling tales? This question was in the focus of a public discussion during the third ForumZ event.

An exhibition and book project resulting from a collaboration between the FAMOSO research team (C²DH) and the Centre national de l’audiovisuel (CNA – National Audiovisual Centre).