Growing up in 20th Century Europe: Histories of Childhood

Why does a history of childhood matter? What can we learn about history itself if we center our attention on chil- dren's lives and experiences? Engaging with these and other fundamental questions about the role of children in history, this digital lecture series provides a large overview of the very diverse childhood histories in the 20th century. The lecture series will be enriched by a number of invited talks by internationally well-known scholars who will offer insights into their diverse historical explorations of children's lives from the turn of the century to the experiences of children in the postsocialist trans-formation. This lecture series combines a diachronic perspective over different notions and constellations of childhood in periods of war, conflict, and dictatorships with a micro-his- torical approach to children's very individual and subjective interpretations of their surrounding world. The lecture series investigates case studies of childhood in Central, (South-)Eastern and Western Europe, aiming for an integra- ted study of childhood in 20th century Europe. Exemplifying children's experiences with hunger, forced migration, adoption, psychiatric institutionalization but also with welfare and humanitarian aid, this lecture series will enable students to scrutinize the entanglement between major historical moments of the 20th century and their very im- pact on children's everyday lives. This online lecture series will be composed of lectures that will be made available synchronously and asynchronously.