Rethinking Holocaust History through Geospatial Approaches

Description

Over the past decade, spatial history has emerged as a key dimension of Holocaust research. Mapping projects addressing ghettos, camps, forced labor sites, deportation routes, and places of persecution have demonstrated how geographical perspectives can reveal new insights into the structures and dynamics of Nazi violence and its aftermath. Building on these developments, the workshop organised by the Czech and Austrian national Nodes of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) takes a fresh look at a wide range of spatial methodologies, from established GIS-based approaches to emerging digital techniques. The workshop invites contributions that explore innovative approaches on the spatial history of the Holocaust at the intersection of geography, Holocaust and memory studies, and the digital humanities. It encourages papers and project presentations that reflect on applied methods and practical experience, including not only successful approaches but also challenges, failures, and lessons learned in working with different types of data, technologies, and interfaces. The workshop invites senior as well as early-career researchers from different disciplines, including historians and digital humanists, and is not limited to those from countries with EHRI national nodes. By combining paper presentations with interactive discussions and hands-on elements, it aims to foster methodological exchange, networking, and future collaboration. Participants are invited to reflect critically on questions of data sustainability, interoperability, and ethical challenges related to working with Holocaust geodata. A particular emphasis will be placed on urban Holocaust geographies and on linking spatial data with victim databases, historical maps, archival sources, and personal narratives. Selected projects from the Austrian and Czech contexts will serve as illustrative case studies, highlighting practical applications in both research and public history.

How to apply

Applicants are asked to submit the following materials: ● a completed online application form ● a short CV (up to 100 words) and an abstract (up to 300 words), submitted by email to sedlicka@mua.cas.cz. Please include “Rethinking Holocaust History” in the subject line. Applications should be sent by 15 March 2026. Applicants will be notified by 30 March 2026.