On 1 September, Prof. Joep Leerssen has been apppointed as special chair ‘Limburg and Europe (0,2 fte) at FASoS. The chair has been established by the Sociaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (SHCL) with the support of the Maastricht Working on Europe group. Professor Leerssen has a chair in Modern European Literature in the Department of European Studies (since 1991) at the University of Amsterdam and is recipient of the prestigious Spinoza Prize (2008).
Professor Leerssen will address the European dimensions of historical developments in today’s Limburg and the adjacent territories and is expected to support the research agenda and expansion of SHCL. He will also contribute to the UM-wide research agenda embedded in ‘Maastricht, Working on Europe’, a collaborative project of the Province of Limburg, the City of Maastricht and the UM. This specifically pertains to the ambitions with a focus on ‘Identity, Heritage and the Citizen’s Perspective’. In addition, the chair aligns with the MWoE’s responsibility for the European Heritage label assigned to the Treaty of Maastricht.
