Research Center EUROPE UNITED

Our Activities | Putting History to Work in the World

The activities of the Centro Studi di Storia e Memoria Europea are designed as an interconnected system that transforms rigorous research into a usable public good, following the methodological model of the Public History Tree. Our goal is to move beyond simple dissemination to promote a true co-production of knowledge between historians and the community.

1. Roots: Creation and Preservation of Sources

We work to bring to light stories and documents that often remain invisible or scattered within private memory.

Oral History Campaigns: We organize projects to gather testimonies, safeguarding the memory of local communities and marginalized social groups.

History Harvests: We conduct public events for the "harvesting of history," inviting citizens to share and digitize family objects, letters, and photographs.

Digital Archiving: We utilize Web 2.0 technologies to create open repositories where documentary heritage can be preserved and consulted by everyone.

2. Trunk: Research, Method, and Shared Authority

We apply scientific rigor to interpret sources, rejecting the role of mere "missionaries of knowledge" to instead embrace Shared Authority with the public.

Permanent Research Laboratory: We perform critical analysis of material and immaterial sources to reconstruct complex historical contexts.

Countering the Abuses of History: We actively work to unmask mystification practices and the manipulation of the past in public opinion.

Open Access Publications: We promote research through Open Peer Review models, making evaluation processes transparent and open to public comment, following the model of Public History Weekly.

3. Branches: Communication and New Media

We experiment with innovative languages to bring history out of academic circuits and make it mentally and physically accessible to diverse audiences.

Digital Storytelling and Podcasts: We produce audio and video content, web-docs, and transmedia narratives that humanize the past.

Participatory Exhibitions: We collaborate with museums and cultural institutions to design exhibition paths where visitors are active participants rather than mere spectators.

Public History in Tour: We organize urban itineraries and guided visits that read the territory as a living historical palimpsest.

4. Leaves: Social Impact and Community Services

We transform historical knowledge into a useful tool for addressing the challenges of the present and fostering social cohesion.

Consulting for Institutions and Enterprises: We offer historiographical expertise for the valorization of corporate identity, historical brands, and local cultural policies.

Higher Education and Summer Schools: We organize courses and workshops to train a new generation of professionals: public historians.

Networking: We participate in international networks to discuss the changing role of history and historians in contemporary societies.

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