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Here you can find all the current information, reports on events and goings on of our Research Training Group.
Researching Treason Trials in Czechia
Fabian Baumann, postdoctoral researcher in the RTG Ambivalent Enmity, spent the months of April to June 2025 in the Czech National Archive in Prague, researching treason trials and the construction of state enemies in interwar Czechoslovakia. Among the most prominent figures tried for treason in this period were Alois Muna and Antonín Zápotocký, two communist leaders from the Central Bohemian mining town of Kladno – a city that Fabian got to visit on one of the weekends between archival research. The photo was taken in the mining museum at the former Mayrau coalmine in Kladno, where many communist activists worked during the 1920s.
Online Workshop: Paula Simon, Doctoral Research Fellow (June 2025)
Paula Simon presented her paper “Against the Grain and between the Lines. Researching the History of Roma in Yugoslav Archives” at the online workshop Narrating the Past: Testimonies Between Personal Memory and Historical Research. Reflecting on what it means to be writing a story where in many aspects the absence of data speaks louder than the presence of them, she presented her thoughts on the various factors on different timelines which influence the sources accessible at the archives and thus the story she will be able to tell. Her conclusion is that as a result of this very specific source situation, it becomes indispensable to read against the grain, e.g. to use state produced sources as hybrid self-setimonies and interpret them critically, sometimes also in opposition to their apparent or intended meaning in order to give voice to perspectives on Romani lived experience and agency. Furthermore, it becomes necessary to read between the lines of official documentation, to uncover what is in fact a history of entanglement of romani and non-romani lives, as opposed to a history of separation and difference.
Field work in London: Mariëlle Hesselink doctoral research fellow (summer term 2025)
During the summer of 2025, doctoral research fellow Mariëlle Hesselink is visiting the archives as an intern of Inform, an educational charity situated at King’s College, London, which works to provide accurate information about minority religions and sects.
Archival visit in Serbia: Paula Simon, doctoral research fellow (summer term 2025)
Paula Simon, historian and doctoral candidate at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, reconstructs stories about the lives of Roma in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia based on archival documents. Her research focuses on the perspectives and narratives of the police, science, and the press.
Drawing a preliminary conclusion from her current research, Paula argues that "in the discourse at the time, mobility was portrayed as the primary issue concerning Roma. Although those Roma who did not have a permanent residence made up the smallest group within the minority, they were overrepresented in the narratives of the police, the scientific community, and the contemporary press. On the other hand, those Roma who had been settled for generations, identified as Serbs or Yugoslavs, founded cultural and social associations during the interwar period, and even published their own magazine, were underrepresented in these discourses. The consequences of the visibility of those groups that seemingly confirmed existing anti-Roma prejudices—and the invisibility of those who could have disproven such stereotypes—are still felt today."
In addition to the documents she needed, she also found her favorite place to relax in the Archives of Yugoslavia—where this photo was taken.
Laurin Herberich, affiliated doctoral researcher on his research trip to the Valetta National Library (March 2025)
“Working in the National Library of Valletta has opened up so many possibilities. But must importantly, it has allowed me to corroborate my findings from Venice.” "Like the predators we are tracking, our data must originate from many different port cities all across the medieval Mediterranean. By cooperating with colleagues across the Mediterranean, my research aims to uncover the traces of these medieval 'pirates'".
Silke Engelhardt, our coordinator on her congress participation at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds (July 2024)
“I presented my paper on my current research in the field of hagiography analyzing the distribution and local veneration of two iberian saints Cucufas of Barcelona and Felix of Girona. Especially interesting is the image and narrative regarding the “enemy” in the early christian Poets, the Passionaries and Martyrologies dating from 400 AD to 1200 AD."
Archival visits in Bellinzona and Lugano: Gianni Pignone, affiliated doctoral research fellow (April 2024)
During his archival visit to Bellinzona and Lugano in April 2024 Gianni, was able to work with documents from the main archives of both cities. He had the opportunity to scan and work with Editions and/or monographies on his topic only available in these archives (Archivio di Stato del Cantone Ticino und Archivio Storico della città di Lugano). He also got the chance to get to know the local researchers.
