Dr. Aline Sierp wins prestigious COST grant

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Aline Sierp, lecturer in European Studies, has won a COST grant for a 2014 Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, from 1 July to 30 September 2014. During the STMS, Dr. Sierp plans to examine the way the EU has dealt publicly with the memory of WWII since the 1950s.

The aim of the STMS is not only to produce a substantial piece of research in the form of a peer-reviewed journal article but also to foster collaboration between institutions (Maastricht University and the EUI) in two different COST countries.

For decades the history of World War II, and within it memories of invasion, occupation, oppression and genocide have been (mis)used by nation states in order to articulate particular political interests.

During the STSM Dr. Sierp aims to investigate to what extent the same mechanisms are at work on the European level. Particularly in the context of a globalising world, the transnationalisation of politics, and European integration, the way a supranational entity is dealing with a politically sensitive subject, is of particular interest.

The following questions will be tackled: When did the goal of a shared understanding of this seminal event gain prominence? Which role has the construction of a pan-European narrative of WWII played during the different phases of the integration process? Which impact did the accession of countries, who had played only a marginal role during WWII (Ireland) or who emerged late from dictatorial rule (Greece, Portugal, Spain) have? How does the EU deal with competing narratives and claims of hegemonic interpretations?

In order to do so, Dr. Sierp will examine speeches by presidents of the High Authority and the European Commission between 1950 and 2010, the different treaty-texts and EP discussions on pertinent resolutions. After doing extensive archival work in the Historical Archives of the EU at the EUI, she will analyse the collected data using a mixture of quantitative content and qualitative interpretative analysis. The final deliverables of the STMS are a journal article in a peer reviewed international journal (Memory Studies) and a presentation at the EUI.

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