The 16th European Summer University Ravensbrück is dedicated to the topic of testimony. The testimony of survivor witnesses is an integral part of the historical and educational work at memorial sites. However, has this seemingly self-evident fact always been common practice? Should the role of the survivor witness itself be historicized given the changes in the cultures of remembrance since 1945? And how can the postulate of critical reflection in educational work be balanced with the conception of the witness as a moral authority?
This year's Summer University will address this area of tension between the witness, testimony, and historical and pedagogical conveyance. Thereby, changes in the meaning of testimony, its use in memorial education as well as current digital approaches to the presentation of eyewitnesses will be explored. The Ravensbrück Summer University is characterized by its emphasis on women's and gender history.
The final program and further information regarding registration with the summer university soon can be found on the website of the Ravensbrück memorial site: https://www.ravensbrueck-sbg.de/en/educational-programmes/workshops-and-meetings/ravensbrueck-european-summer-school/.
The European Summer University is aimed at an interdisciplinary audience of scholars, students, practitioners from the area of memorial sites and other interested individuals. It is intergenerational, and multi-disciplinary and takes up questions of gender studies. The programme includes lectures, guided tours and workshops, as well as an open laboratory on new digital formats for the presentation of testimonies.
We invite young researchers to participate in a research forum for emerging scholars within the conference framework, during which final theses (BA, MA, PhD) related to the thematic range of this year's summer university or to the history of the Ravensbrück memorial site may be presented. Please send an application containing a short exposé of your project and a cv until 1 July 2023 to Kolja Buchmeier (buchmeier@stiftung-bg.de). The selected projects will be presented on 28 August 2023. Successful applicants will receive a student’s bursary.
The European Summer University Ravensbrück is organised by the Ravensbrück Memorial/Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten, the Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History, the Leibniz Research Network “Wert der Vergangenheit” and the Center for Research on Antisemitism at the TU Berlin.
The contact person at the Centre for Research on Antisemitism is Marcus Funck (m.funck@tu-berlin.de)