C²DH Innovating & Sharing History

WARLUX - Soldiers and their communities in WWII

March 13, 2024 Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) Season 1 Episode 7
WARLUX - Soldiers and their communities in WWII
C²DH Innovating & Sharing History
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C²DH Innovating & Sharing History
WARLUX - Soldiers and their communities in WWII
Mar 13, 2024 Season 1 Episode 7
Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH)

Since March 2020, the Warlux project at C²DH has been delving into the experiences and narratives of Luxembourg's 'forced recruits' and their families during the Second World War. The aim is to break with the traditional historiography surrounding the 'forced recruits' and to critically examine established narratives within the country's overarching historical discourse. Rather than treating these young men as a homogeneous group, the project explores the personal experiences of the soldiers, as well as the fates of their families during the war, utilizing a wide range of (new) sources and innovative digital methods.

C²DH historians Nina Janz and Sarah Maya Vercruysse, spoke to Hanna Siemaszko, the
producer of the SciLux podcast on science in Luxembourg, about their main findings, the difficulties they faced, and the digital tools they employed.

Want to find out more?
 

Warlux: https://warlux.uni.lu/home?language=en
C²DH website: https://www.c2dh.uni.lu/
University of Luxembourg: https://wwwen.uni.lu
SciLux: https://scilux.buzzsprout.com/

Thanks for listening! Follow us on Linkedin and on Instagram or find us on Facebook.

Show Notes Chapter Markers

Since March 2020, the Warlux project at C²DH has been delving into the experiences and narratives of Luxembourg's 'forced recruits' and their families during the Second World War. The aim is to break with the traditional historiography surrounding the 'forced recruits' and to critically examine established narratives within the country's overarching historical discourse. Rather than treating these young men as a homogeneous group, the project explores the personal experiences of the soldiers, as well as the fates of their families during the war, utilizing a wide range of (new) sources and innovative digital methods.

C²DH historians Nina Janz and Sarah Maya Vercruysse, spoke to Hanna Siemaszko, the
producer of the SciLux podcast on science in Luxembourg, about their main findings, the difficulties they faced, and the digital tools they employed.

Want to find out more?
 

Warlux: https://warlux.uni.lu/home?language=en
C²DH website: https://www.c2dh.uni.lu/
University of Luxembourg: https://wwwen.uni.lu
SciLux: https://scilux.buzzsprout.com/

Thanks for listening! Follow us on Linkedin and on Instagram or find us on Facebook.

Introduction to the Warlux project
Schifflange as a case study
Lack of resources
Interviews with families or letters?
Research about families of conscripts and the communities
History of the Umgesiedelte
Details of family support
These stories are never black and white
Finding the personal side of the story
Analogue documents and going to archives
Civil records in Luxembourg
Difficulties accessing files
Linking non-linear data
Crowdsourcing letters as a historian
Preparing the letters for research
Transcribing letters
Stories behind the letters
Initial disappointment about the letters
Goal is not to find the truth about individual experience
Letters: a lot of waiting, travelling, food, lice, hygene.
Inner and outer censorship
Experiences that don't fit the national narrative