"Thinkering as a concept has become part of the DNA of the centre."
Message from the director
"The Russian aggression against Ukraine has been described as a “Zeitenwende” – a turning point in history. Indeed, 2022 marks a watershed in 21st-century European history. The war is a challenge for global politics and international peace, and also for historians as they try to understand this new episode of violence and crimes against humanity on the European continent. As historians, we must condemn the instrumentalisation of history for political purposes and use our expertise in source criticism to deconstruct fake news and misinformation. In addition to our professional duty, and as an academic institution dealing with contemporary history in a liberal democracy, we are called to solidarity with our Ukrainian colleagues who are suffering from the multiple consequences and hardships of the war. I am therefore extremely grateful for the many initiatives and support measures implemented by C2DH staff over the past months: whether rescuing research data by organising data transfers to safe servers at our university, participating in the collection of online testimonies of the war and the transnational construction of a “memory bank”, involvement in international initiatives such as “Science for Ukraine” and “Saving Ukrainian Culture Heritage Online” (SUCHO), earmarking C2DH fellowships for Ukrainian researchers, hosting activities for the Ukrainian research community in Luxembourg, collecting lunch vouchers to be used to support humanitarian initiatives, or offering accommodation in private homes, many people showed real solidarity and invested time and energy beyond expectation.
Despite these difficult circumstances, the 2022 C2DH annual report testifies to the many interesting research and outreach activities the team has engaged in over the past year. The PROJECT SHOWCASE presents highlights of selected research stories in a new podcast format. This innovative and more direct form of storytelling gives you a chance to get to know some of our researchers and offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of some fascinating content through first-hand accounts. In 2022 we were proud to celebrate our fifth anniversary – a moment to look back and cherish our achievements. Don’t miss the entertaining short video we produced for the occasion.
I wish you an interesting and insightful read – and I would like to end with a special thank you to the many partners and friends of the C2DH who have supported us over the past five years!"
Prof. Dr Andreas Fickers, Founding Director of the C²DH