Memory in the Digital Age: Comparative Memory Studies
31st of July – 6th of August 2017 in the Memorial Bergen-Belsen, Germany

Bergen-Belsen is a unique place. Burdened by its war-time function as both a POW- and a concentration camp, it became a symbol of the culmination of human evil. In post-war years, the biggest displaced persons (DP) camp in Germany was established in an army base in close vicinity of the former concentration camp. The DP camp was dissolved in 1950 - the army base is still in use today, clearly noticeable through the sound of guns and grenades which can be heard while exploring the memorial.
Today Bergen-Belsen is a place of remembrance, a place of learning, a place where different stories can and should be told. It is however not the only European lieu de mémoire where contesting views, politicisation, polarisation and digitalisation propose a challenge to remembering the past and shaping the future.

During this year’s Bergen-Belsen International Summer School we aim to gather international graduate and PhD students from different disciplines, but with a particular interest in topics in Holocaust-, Genocide- and Memory Studies. We want to facilitate an exchange of knowledge and a discussion of questions such as:
-What perspectives and experiences do visitors bring along and how does this influence their perception of a historical site?
-How and in what context could or should we compare mass atrocities?
Furthermore, the program will consist of professional lectures and activities related to getting to know the Bergen-Belsen Memorial.

We welcome papers from early career scholars and graduate students who are writing their dissertations on topics related to memory culture in Europe. We are interested in contributions dealing with (the remembrance of) the Holocaust, but we are also looking forward to receiving your views on memory culture related to other mass atrocities. Please send your papers together with a short bio featuring your academic background and research experience (no longer than 5000 characters) to: Tessa Bouwman (tessa.bouwman@stiftung-ng.de) Deadline is January 20, 2017.
We will notify you whether your abstract has been selected by mid-March. If so, you are expected to present your ideas in a plenary session during the Bergen-Belsen International Summer School. We highly encourage you to attend the other scheduled activities as well. We will reimburse board and room and travel expenses.