Chair Historical Culture in Transition

Introduction

Contemporary historical culture—the collection of diverse and sometimes conflicting ways of dealing with the past in education, society, and science—has garnered significant attention in recent years. Developments in globalization, politicization, and digitalization have not only affected the processes of historical meaning-making but also their content and nature. Existing theories and approaches to historical understanding and knowledge acquisition sometimes fall short in explaining and comprehending changes in historical culture.
Globalization has intertwined local and national developments with events happening elsewhere in the world. Particularly, the settlement of migrants from former colonies and the lingering effects of the colonial past in Western countries challenge established historical frameworks and identities. One potential consequence is an increase in nationalist reflexes and a nostalgic view of collective memory. The dominance of Western-oriented historical consciousness is no longer taken for granted. At the same time, alternative ecological, imperialist (e.g., Russia), and religious-eschatological (e.g., ISIS) historical perspectives are being propagated.

Politicization manifests in intense societal debates about identity, heritage, material culture, and canon formation. Various groups claim authority over the representation of the past and contest dominant historical narratives. Governments mobilize certain knowledge about the past as a vehicle for citizenship formation, but also for less noble purposes such as the misuse of history for political gain, denigration of others, incitement to violence, and concealing an uncomfortable past. Such politicization leads to polarization and hardening of positions, but also underscores the importance of education and the role history and memory play in conflict resolution and post-conflict situations.
Digitalization has led to an explosive increase in historical information accessible to a broad audience. Social media play an increasingly significant role in the dissemination and appropriation of historical knowledge and identity formation processes.

At the same time, this also brings challenges, such as the spread of misinformation and the creation of filter bubbles. Algorithms significantly influence the distribution of historical representations, while generative artificial intelligence will profoundly change the way we engage with and interpret the past.

These changes in historical culture compel traditional gatekeepers such as education, heritage institutions, and the academic world to continually rethink their role and position in the changing landscape of memory. It also ensures that the study of knowledge acquisition processes, historical formation, and historical understanding must be comprehended in its broader context. This is the aim of the study of historical culture. The concept of historical culture refers to engagement with the past in the broadest sense. It encompasses both the content and nature of historical meaning-making and the interplay between human action, tradition, memory, historical perspectives, historical representations, and their dissemination. The Chair of Historical Culture in Transition at Ghent University therefore primarily focuses on theoretical reflection and research on the treatment of the past in education, science, and society.

Objectives

The mission of the Chair of Historical Culture in Transition is threefold.

Firstly, the chair aims to strengthen research on historical culture at Ghent University, particularly focusing on theoretical reflection and the study of dealing with the past in education, science, and society. The chair will contribute to the interdisciplinary research program TAPAS and the Department of History by initiating and supervising research projects, delivering guest lectures, and organizing and participating in academic activities such as lectures, seminars, and conferences. At Ghent University, the chair also aims to bridge the gaps between historical theory, history didactics, and public history.

Secondly, the chair has an important networking function in addition to its substantive role. It will focus on strengthening collaboration between EuroClio and Ghent University, as well as EuroClio's ties with Flanders and Belgium. Additionally, the chair facilitates international collaboration between Ghent University, the Center for Historical Culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where the chairholder is the Executive Director, and organizations with a similar mission and profile around the world. This aims to promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise in historical culture among these institutions. In this way, the chair can function as a hub for research, education, and valorization at the intersection of education, heritage, and historiography.

Thirdly, the chair aspires to contribute to the societal debate on dealing with the past, such as ongoing discussions about citizenship, heritage, and the historical canon in education. By enriching public debate with scientific insights and vice versa, highlighting public engagement with the past as a research subject, the chair aims to act as a bridge between science and society. Special attention will be given to the role of education, museums, and heritage institutions as links between historiography and the public. In collaboration with EuroClio, the chair will launch practical initiatives to bridge the gap between science and educational practice.

Donor

EuroClio

Period

2024-2027

Supervisor

Prof. Dr. Berber Bevernage is affiliated with the Department of History at Ghent University. His research interests primarily focus on historiography and historical theory, particularly examining issues related to commissioned history and the relationship between historiography and jurisprudence. He is a co-initiator of the interdisciplinary working group 'TAPAS/Thinking About the PASt', which explores various forms of societal engagement with the past. In 2012, he co-launched the 'International Network for Theory of History' with a group of colleagues, which aims to promote international collaboration among historians and theorists of history and to advocate for the advancement of the field in both research and education.

Chair holder

Prof. Dr. Robbert-Jan Adriaansen studied history at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he earned his PhD cum laude in 2013 with the dissertation "The Rhythm of Eternity: The German Youth Movement and the Experience of the Past (1900-1933)" (Berghahn Books: New York, 2015). Adriaansen’s recent research focuses on contemporary societal engagement with the past, specifically exploring the impact of processes such as digitalization, politicization, and globalization on our understanding of history.
Currently, Adriaansen serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Historical Culture at Erasmus University Rotterdam, where he also teaches in the theory of history and historical culture. He co-leads the research cluster on Heritage and Identity at the Erasmus Research Institute for Media, Culture, History & Society. Adriaansen will hold a part-time position as chairholder of the EuroClio Chair of Historical Culture in Transition at Ghent University.