Publication – Zoomland
How does the concept of scale in digital history and humanities – ranging from large to small, distant to close, global to local, general to specific, and macro to micro – impact the ways in which we analyse and interpret historical data and narratives? The new book “Zoomland. Exploring Scale in Digital History and Humanities” addresses this question and sketches out the territory of Zoomland, at scale. The book, the seventh volume in the series “Studies in Digital History and Hermeneutics”, is published by De Gruyter in cooperation with the University of Luxembourg.
Cartoon – Les papotages de Gazengel
The concept and character of Gazengel came from a desire of doctoral candidate Aliénor Gandanger to share a unique experience: what it’s really like to be a PhD student. The first episodes featured anecdotes and reflections linked to the daily experiences of the heroine, Gazengel. What’s it like to visit an archive? What’s the best way to explain your PhD topic? Where did the idea come from? How does it make you feel when you come across a rare find in the archives? How do you manage the workload? The character is never seen without her faithful sidekick, her cat Benziglout. The duo bounce off each other, spicing up what would otherwise be a monologue and making it possible to ask interesting or surprising questions.
Event – Sixth Conference on Digital Humanities and Digital History
The C²DH organised the Sixth Conference on Digital Humanities and Digital History in collaboration with the German Historical Institute Washington (GHI), the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM) and the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) Tokyo. The main themes of the conference were epistemology and ethics. Speakers explored the ethical and epistemological implications of digital knowledge production in the humanities and beyond. The conference programme included a keynote by Harald Kümmerle (DIJ, Tokyo), a round table with digital history experts and workshops on digital publication and pedagogy.
Cooperation – MoU with the Grand Ducal Institute of Luxembourg
On 10 April 2024, representatives of the C2DH and the Grand Ducal Institute of Luxembourg signed a memorandum of understanding for the historical analysis of the scientific activities conducted by the institute’s Science Section. The partnership will involve analysing scientific information flows and knowledge exchanges between the Science Section and the international scientific community and examining the historical development of the Science Section based on archived publications dating back to the mid-19th century.
Recognition – C²DH Thinkering Award goes to the “Rust and Research” team
The winners of the 2024 C²DH Thinkering Award were the “Rust and Research” team, made up of four doctoral candidates: Zoé Konsbruck, Masha Meleshko-Sudina, Nicolas Arendt and Joé Voncken. They submitted a proposal to create a card game based on public history and the industrial history of Luxembourg. “Rust and Research” – the provisional title of the game – takes players on a time-travel adventure on the University of Luxembourg’s very own Belval Campus, exploring both its unique industrial heritage and its transition to Luxembourg's leading location for research.
Recognition – HistorEsch receives an honorary mention in the EU Prize for Citizen Science
The aim of HistorEsch is to write the history of the town of Esch-sur-Alzette and tell its many stories in the process. The project, led by Thomas Cauvin, uses a democratic, participatory strategy to involve the public in piecing together an inclusive history of the town. The EU Prize for Citizen Science recognises outstanding citizen science initiatives that enact change, expand knowledge and address social, political, cultural and environmental challenges through the involvement of citizens. In awarding an honorary mention to HistorEsch, the international jury of the EU Prize for Citizen Science described the project as follows: “The project democratizes city history by engaging citizens in co-creating narratives via murals, audio tours, and exhibitions. It involves the community throughout, bridging historical gaps and deepening heritage connections.”
New project – A history of the CD-ROM
The CD-ROM was an early materialisation of media convergence, a key step in digital storage and a path towards digitalisation in the 1990s. It perfectly illustrates the high hopes for multimedia and digitalisation but also the shortening life cycles of innovation and the dynamics of media convergence. The CD-Hist project intends to explore this key narrative that stands at the intersection of media history, digital studies, the history of digital technology and media archaeology. The project is led by Valérie Schafer and funded by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR).
Event – Inauguration of the Participatory Public History Lab
In November 2024, the PHACS team launched the Participatory Public History Lab (PPHL), a pilot project at the House of European History, to explore ways of developing and implementing public participation in history museums. Led by Thomas Cauvin and Camilla Portesani, the initiative brought together academics, institutions and the public to co-create historical narratives. Fourteen university students from across Europe contributed new interpretations of museum objects, drawing on personal memories and family archives to diversify historical perspectives. The resulting interactive installation invited visitors to engage with these stories and share their feedback.