Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Gerben Zaagsma

Assistant Professor
Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH)

M: gerben.zaagsma@uni.lu

W: https://www.c2dh.uni.lu/people/gerben-zaagsma
W: https://gerbenzaagsma.org

 

 
RESEARCH & TEACHING INTERESTS
Modern European history; Jewish history; digital history; public history; music history; heritage studies; information science; comparative history; history of transfers; transnational history; migration studies; Yiddish Studies.
 
 
EDUCATION
  • 2008. Ph.D. in Modern History: Department of History and Civilisation, European University Institute (Florence, Italy). Dissertation: ’A fresh outburst of the old terror’? Jewish-born volunteers in the Spanish Civil War.
  • 2001. MA in Yiddish Studies: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Thesis: Jewish Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War. A Case Study of the Botwin Company.
  • 1996. MA in Modern History: Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Thesis: ‘Music to match the badchn songs’. The role of klezmer and klezmorim in Jewish culture in Europe and the United States.
 
EMPLOYMENT
  • 2017-present. Assistant Professor at the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) at the University of Luxembourg.
  • 2013-2016. Research Fellow in project The diaries of Anne Frank. Research—Translations—Critical Edition, Lichtenberg Kolleg, The Göttingen Institute of Advanced Study, University of Göttingen. Responsible for annotating a new scholarly critical edition of the Anne Frank diaries.
  • 2011-2013. Editor/ web developer Huygens ING, Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
  • 2010-2011. Digital humanities consultant/ (web)editor for Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands and European University Institute, Florence.
  • 2008-2010. Honorary Research Associate (postdoc), Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University College London. Project: Jewish migrants & politics in Western Europe before the Holocaust.
  • 1998-2000. Researcher, Public History Research and Consultancy Center, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (Geschiedeniswinkel RuG). 
  • 1998-2000. Manager/Administrator/tour guide: Folkingestraat Synagogue Foundation Groningen; organisation of exhibitions, public relations, guided tours.
  • 1996-1997. Editor and exhibition organiser Foundation for the History of the Jews in Groningen. 
 
TEACHING
  • 2017-present. University of Luxembourg:
    • MA seminar Debating Genocide and Mass Violence in the 21st Century: Europe and Beyond.
    • MA seminar Beyond the Diary of Anne Frank: Egodocuments and the Construction of Holocaust Memory. 
    • BA seminar Music and Contemporary History.
    • MA seminar Introduction to Digital History/ Winter School in Digital History (as co-convener, coordinator, co-lecturer).
    • MA seminar Doing Digital History - The International Brigades and the Spanish Civil War.
    • MA seminar Digital Approaches to Modern Jewish History.
    • MA seminar Jewish responses to Persecution and Anti-Semitism in the 20th Century.
  • 2015-2016. BA seminar Jewish Responses to Persecution and Anti-Semitism in the 20th century, Seminar für Neuere und Neueste Geschichte, Georg-August Universität Göttingen.
  • 2013. Seminar Digital Historical Research at the Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands and the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
  • 2008-present. Various (invited) lectures & skills seminars taught on modern Jewish history and digital humanities in the UK, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, for undergraduate/graduate/postgraduate students.
  • 1997. Seminar Jewish History in the Netherlands and the City of Groningen, Adult Education Academy, University of Groningen.
 
 
SERVICE
  • 2017-present. Member/ (Vice-)Chair of the Ethics Review Panel, University of Luxembourg (Vice-Chair from November 2019; Chair July 2020 - July 2022).
  • 2017-2020. Head of the Research Area Digital History and Historiography & member of management team, Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) at the University of Luxembourg.
  • 2010-2015. Academic Advisory Board Judaica Europeana. 
  • 2004-2005. Researcher representative, Department of History and Civilisation, European University Institute (Florence, Italy).
  • 1992-1994. Student member Department of History council, University of Groningen.
  • 1992-1993. Secretary Association of History Students, University of Groningen.
  • 1991-1992. Board member Association of History Students, University of Groningen.
 
EDITORIAL
 
CONFERENCE PLANNING & ORGANISATION
 
 
COMPUTING
  • Web development, content management systems and web editing (Drupal, Wordpress): development internet portal European History Primary Sources, the Department of History and Civilization/EUI (2008-present); development/main editor internet portal Yiddish Sources (2005-present); development Dutch History online community & portal Historici.nl  (2011-2013).
  • Experience with network analysis tools such as Palladio and Nodegoat.
  • Experience with tekst analysis tools such as Voyant.
 
LANGUAGES
  • Dutch: Mother tongue.
  • English: Excellent reading, speaking and writing.
  • German: Good reading, speaking, writing.
  • French: Good reading, speaking.
  • Yiddish: Good reading, speaking.
  • Italian: Intermediate reading, basic speaking.
  • Spanish: Intermediate reading.
  • Turkish: Beginner.
 
 
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

 

 
FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, AWARDS, FUNDING
  • 2023. Visiting Fellow (May-July), Leibniz-Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung Potsdam (ZZF). Project: Exploring the History of Digital History.
  • 2022. Henrietta Hertz Fellow (Sept-Nov), University of Potsdam. Project: Digital Jewish Heritage.
  • 2020. RFHE Archives and Libraries Digital Humanities Second Stage Grant 2020-2021: Project "Building a Jewish Studies and Digital Humanities online portal” - Phase 2.
  • 2019. FNR-RESCOM Grant C²DH Lecture Series New Horizons: Confronting the Digital Turn in the Humanities (2019-2021).
  • 2019. Best Paper Award, Digital Humanities Benelux Conference 2019.
  • 2018. RFHE Pilot and Small Grants Programme 2018-2019: Project "Building a Jewish Studies and Digital Humanities online portal” - Phase 1.
  • 2012. Alfried Krupp Junior-Fellowship 2012-2013 (declined in favor of job at Huygens Institute for the History of The Netherlands).
  • 2008-2010. Postdoctoral grant of the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah in Paris 2008-2010.
  • 2009. Posen Foundation Travel Grant to attend Association of Jewish Studies 2009 conference.
 
 

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