The international research project “Wer ist Walter? Resistance against National Socialism in Europe” aims to deepen knowledge about resistance in different European countries and contribute to the discussion on the question of specificities, convergences and possible connections of groups and forms of resistance within Europe. We particularly encourage paper proposals that take a comparative approach and/or address transnational dimensions of resistance in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France and/or Germany.

Call for papers for edited volume: Resistance against Nazism in Europe during World War Two

Argument

For a long time, the memory, historiography and museology of the resistance against National Socialism, fascist occupation powers and their collaborating regimes during the Second World War has focused almost exclusively on persons, groups and events in one’s own country. But what do we know about resistance in other European countries? In recent years, more research has developed that looks beyond national borders and also addresses the topic of resistance in transnational, European and global perspectives. The international project “Wer ist Walter? Resistance against National Socialism in Europe”, organised by crossborder factory (Berlin/Germany), the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo), CIFE - Centre international de formation européene (Nice/France) and the Jasenovac Memorial (Croatia) aims to strengthen these efforts by publishing an edited volume in the summer of 2024 that will deepen knowledge about resistance in different European countries and contribute to the discussion on the question of specificities, convergences and possible connections of groups and forms of resistance within Europe. 

The focus of our project and publication is on the countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France and Germany, but this does not exclude proposals concerning other countries as long as they also have a connection to one or more of the mentioned four countries.

We particularly encourage proposals that take a comparative approach and/or address transnational dimensions of resistance.

Topic Proposals

We are especially looking for proposals from the following three areas:

1) History of resistance during World War Two

Possible topics:

• Different actors groups, especially lesser known ones, i.e. women, young people, ...
• Different spaces and forms (armed / unarmed) of resistance, especially lesser known ones, i.e. resistance in camps
• Arts in resistance, artists in resistance
• Grey zones of resistance, for example links between collaboration and resistance

2) Resistance as topic of historiography and public policy, from 1945 to today

Possible topics :

• Discussions about definitions of resistance
• Construction / deconstruction / non-construction of resistance heroes
• Bearing witness / The role of former resistants in creating narratives about resistants (in public and/or personal contexts)
• Controversies and debates about specific groups, events and forms of resistance
• Attempts to build transnational and/or European histories/narratives on resistance

3) Resistance in Museums and Memorials, from 1945 to today

• Evolutions of Museums and Memorials dealing with the topic of resistance in their sociopolitical context
• Case studies about the making and presentation of exhibitions on resistance (in general, or on specific topics, groups, events, ...)
• The role of archives, photos, objects and other material in representing resistance
• Pedagogical approaches of Museums and Memorials in dealing with resistance
• Representations of European dimensions of resistance in Museums / Memorials / exhibitions

As part of our project, we will also organise two conferences, in Berlin in May 2023 and in Nice in October 2023. The authors of the selected papers will have the opportunity to participate in one of these conferences and present and discuss the drafts of their papers. A certain number of travel and/or accommodation grants will be available for invited participants.

How to apply

Paper proposals should include an abstract (300 to 500 words) and a short biography of the author, and should be sent to info@weristwalter.eu

until January 10, 2023 at the latest.

Applicants will be notified about results until the end of January 2023. 

Invited authors will need to submit full text by November 15, 2023. Final paper length will be max. 7000 words (including footnotes and bibliography). Submitted papers should not have been previously published. The texts will be peer-reviewed before publication. 

For more information, please contact: info@weristwalter.eu

Organization

“Wer ist Walter? Resistance against Nazism in Europe” is an international project organised by crossborder factory (Berlin/Germany), the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo), CIFE – Centre international de formation européene (Nizza / France) and the Jasenovac Memorial Site (Croatia), with the support of the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) in the frame of their program “Education Agenda NS-Injustice”. 

The project team is composed of representatives of the 4 organisations mentioned above and is supported in its work by an expert team of 12 historians and curators.

Academic board

• Nicolas Moll, independent historian,
• Elma Hasimebgovic, director of the History Museum of Bosnia-Herzegovina,
• Ivo Pejakovic, director of the Jasenovac Memorial Site (Croatia).

More information

You can find more information about the project on the website https://weristwalter.eu/