On 5 June, the Dutch History Student Council (SGN) held its annual National History Day in Rotterdam, where International Faculty Association ACE served as co-host. The event, which rotates between Dutch university cities and study associations, brought together history students from across the Netherlands for a day of lectures, exchange, and inspiration.
Under the theme “Narrating the Past”, the day invited participants to reflect on the ways history is constructed, communicated, and understood. Through a series of lectures and discussions, students explored how historical narratives shape our interpretation of the past and influence contemporary debates. The programme featured contributions from three colleagues from the History Department.
Tina van der Vlies opened the day with a lecture on processes of meaning-making in narrating the past. Drawing on concepts such as historical analogies, narrative templates, and multidirectional memory, she discussed how the past is mobilized to make sense of contemporary issues and to imagine possible futures. She also highlighted the role of history textbooks in shaping and disseminating historical interpretations to broad audiences.
Next, Lise Zurné shared insights from her earliest research on historical re-enactment in Indonesia, discussing the challenges of fieldwork, how to reconsider your research questions when encountering unexpected results, and ultimately, how re-enactments reconfigure from dominant historical narratives, and what this means for our understanding of the past.
The final lecture was delivered by Ida Vos, who discussed the challenges and opportunities of researching the lives of enslaved women. She invited students to reflect on how to centre these women in historical narratives, when sources produced by them are scarce, complicated, and difficult to access.
In the afternoon, participants explored Rotterdam’s rich historical landscape during a guided city tour led by colleague Nuria Peregrin Fernandez. The tour offered students the opportunity to connect the day’s themes to the urban environment, uncovering stories of the city’s past and the ways these continue to resonate in the present.
The event concluded with a shared dinner and drinks, providing a valuable opportunity for students from across the country to exchange ideas, build connections, and continue conversations about the many ways in which we narrate the past.
The History Department looks back on a successful and inspiring day and thanks SGN and International Faculty Association ACE for organising this year’s event!
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