In this international MA seminar, we focus on the analysis of practices and narratives of memory with regard to Europe’s colonial past. The construction, public usage, contestation and transformation of memory regarding European imperialism, colonialism and decolonization by different agents in the public sphere, especially museums, monuments, art, the media and political agents will be approached systematically.
Vision
Against the background of postcolonial theories and theories on memory, the seminar aims atdeconstructing blind spots in past and present constructions of European and national memories, on their mechanisms of exclusion that foster(ed) and perpetuat(ed) images of the ‘other’, of racism, discrimination and violence. Comparative perspectives on different national contexts and their entanglements are specifically analysed. In a digital classroom, live seminars with the professors and a variation of online tools for small-group-working and -teaching, students will collaborate with their international colleagues and exchange ideas, reflect about texts and analyse primary sources in various formats (e.g. short collaboratively elaborated papers, forums, online live presentations etc.). Height of the seminar is an excursion to Brussels and the visit of and research about the House of the European History and the Africa Museum there – if the pandemic situation allows a safe travel to and stay in Brussels.
We offer our students an international learning environment in a carefully arranged digital setting; thus, we provide a teaching and learning experience in English language, we support our students in forming first scientific networks across national and professional borders.
About us
Our international team of six lectures from five countries synergize public history, modern and contemporary history, religious history, didactics of history, German studies, and cultural studies for our 35 students from Poland, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.
