During the Second World War, Belgian women met German men in occupied Belgium and in Germany, and a number of births resulted from these encounters. These children would not have been born without the war. Gerlinda Swillen will come to CegeSoma on Wednesday 20 April 2016 to give a conference about what is both the subject of her PhD thesis and a personal experience: “Conçus par la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Enfants de guerre sur l'axe Bruxelles-Berlin”
Children of War: Conflicts that Give Life
War Enthusiasm: Europeans Attracted by the Dark Side
How could we explain the rapture that seized thousands when World War One broke out? How can we understand how sensitive, cultivated and smart people from different European backgrounds turned into enthusiastic and convinced warmongers? “Oorlogsenthousiasme. Europa 1900-1918” by Ewoud Kieft, a Dutch historian, writer and musician, is centered on these questions. Kieft will give a conference on his book at CegeSoma on Wednesday 11 May.
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New Issue of the Journal of Belgian History
The fourth edition of the Journal of Belgian History for 2015 is finally available. It contains abstracts of all the new PhD-theses, an article by Stefan Huygebaert on national identity after the Revolution of 1848, and a contribution by Karel Van Nieuwenhuyse and Kaat Wils on the role played by historical narratives in the Flemish colleges. It also features an article by Isabelle Devos and Tina Van Rossem on life expectancy estimates in Belgian cities between 1846 and 1910.
MADDLAIN Survey: last days!
Take part in the MADDLAIN project! We want to improve the digital offerings of the CegeSoma, the State Archives and the Royal Library. And for this we need your help. Give us your unvarnished opinion in our online survey !
Workshop on Reconciliation in Post-War Contexts (Den Haag)
CegeSoma co-organises an international workshop on reconciliation in post-conflict situations. The discussion will focus on the tensions between international policies and the expectations and needs of local communities.
The workshop will take place in Den Haag on 18 May 2016 in English. All details are in the programme.
From Flemish Catholic Students Movement to Collaboration
Piet Meuwissen's daughter has recently deposited her father's archives at CegeSoma. The archive is henceforth available for research and study. Meuwissen is best known for his controversial mandate as director of the National Corporation for Food and Agriculture between 1940 and 1944.
