On 20 and 21 April 2023, the University of Luxembourg hosted Women’s narratives and European integration history conference organised by the Europe Direct at the University of Luxembourg (ED-UNILU) and the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) in the framework of the oral history research project ‘The role of women in European and international relations of Luxembourg’, led by Dr Elena Danescu, Research Scientist at the C²DH. This conference gathered interdisciplinary researchers from universities and interdisciplinary research centres in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, Poland, UK, Luxembourg, as well as the European University Institute (EUI) and the Historical Archives of the EU (Florence).
This conference was focusing on the period after World War II , with the objective of sparking discussion on issues related to specific historiographical traditions, theories, methodologies and approaches related to the history of women in Europe in the 20th and 21st centuries. It also explored the biographical perspectives of outstanding women of that era as well as the “female lobby”, women in East-West dialogue; women and Euroscepticism; gender perspectives of democracy; norms and practices in gathering, preserving, sharing and disseminating the memory of women who have played an active role on the European stage (oral history, text mining, network analysis, etc.).
The conference was opened with an address by the Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Simone Niclou, who outlined the research priorities at the University of Luxembourg and highlighted in this context the importance of projects devoted to women in the implementation of the European project, as well as to a gendered perspectives and issues related to European democracy, rights, policies. Another address was given by the Head of the department “Contemporary history of Europe” at the C²DH, Prof Valérie Schafer, who underlined the significance of new methods and tools, and of the digital storytelling in developing new knowledge from the past, including the topic related to women in a broad interdisciplinary perspective. Other guest speakers of the conference included Dr Martine Reicherts, President of the National Research Fund in Luxembourg, and Prof. Mauve Carbonell, Jean Monnet Chair at Aix-Marseille University, and President of the Tethys Consortium of Euro- Mediterranean Universities.
The conference proceedings will be published by the end of 2023 by De Gruyter Academic Publishing House.
Learn more:
- The role of women in European and international relations of Luxembourg
- Europe Direct University of Luxembourg
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