Local war history and the commemoration of the World War I
The one hundredth anniversary of the First World War did not pass by unnoticed. Ten cities and counties were preparing themselves to investigate and present their war past to the public. But what was there to commemorate? How could we translate this past into projects that would interest a broader public without succumbing to ‘commemorative violence’? This project was intended to address a real need in this field by answering these questions and asking some new ones.
14-18 from closeby. Inspirational guide for local projects on the Great War (available for free)
The inspirational guide '14-18 from closeby' is not a classic history book on occupied Belgium, but invites the reader to initiate its own creative project on local World War I history. The ultimate goal of the project is to produce a practically oriented manual that illuminates local war history. Local actors can take the initiative in the practical undertaking of commemorative projects. The book presents provoking questions and insightful methods of academic historiography to a broader public. This way, cultural policy makers, teacher, heritage managers and everyone who is interested in the often exotic local past can carve its own path from idea to exhibition, from discovery in the local archives to touristic walking route. And above all, the focus on the local level of the war can renew World War One history.
The manual consists of three parts
- Some important content to anchor the war stories. It is not the intention to give a new introduction to ‘the’ First World War, even though there have been several new insights that could be enriching for the Belgian perspective. Rather the idea is to emphasize the plurality of views on and from the past. There are always different, and sometimes conflicting, accounts of the past.
- To develop a method to read the available sources. Whether they are made from paper, photographed or made from stone, every testament to the War has its own possibilities as well as limits. Many of the historical sources from occupied Belgium have been underused. This part gives examples of the most important sources and combines them with essential historical analysis and critique. The most important tools are also introduced including specialized encyclopedias, databanks and archive guides.
- What does it mean to introduce historical research to the broader public? 14-18 will be commemorated through exhibitions, photo books, plays, walking tours and more. The reader is introduced to a few best practices and tips about ‘peace education’ and encouraged to undertake their very own qualitative project.
The inspirational guide '14-18 from closeby' can be downloaded for free via http://www.vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/publicaties/boeken/14-18-van-dichtbij-inspiratiegids-voor-lokale-projecten-over-de-grote-oorlog.
Organization
The project was financed by the Flemish Institute for Peace and the Prevention of Violence and undertaken by the Institute for Public History (IPG) of Ghent University. Antoon Vrints was the supervisor; Giselle Nath was responsible for the content of the project and its practical undertaking as scientific collaborator. For this, she cooperated with Maarten Van Alstein from the Flemish Institute for Peace and the Prevention of Violence. On the 6th of November 2014 the results were presented to the public.
Duration: January - September 2014
Contact
Antoon.Vrints@UGent.be