The history of epidemics and efforts to combat them in the 20th century is the focus of an international conference organised by the Institute of History at the University of Oldenburg.
Epidemics shape history: until the 19th century, the plague, smallpox and cholera kept people in Europe on tenterhooks, as did typhoid, tuberculosis and syphilis. But how has the history of epidemics developed since then? How did epidemics and infectious diseases shape the 20th century? And what challenges and opportunities arise for researchers exploring epidemics as phenomena of contemporary history? The conference on 23 and 24 March will examine these questions. Its title: ‘Infected Europe: Epidemics in the Social and Cultural History of the 20th Century’. Conference chair Dr Malte Thießen, Assistant Professor of 20th-Century German and European History, expects over 40 participants from six countries.
The evening lecture on Friday, 23 March, 8.00 pm (Haarentor campus, Library Hall) is open to the public. Prof. Dr Wolfgang U. Eckart from the Institute of History and Ethics of Medicine at the University of Heidelberg will speak on the topic ‘Epidemics and Politics in the 19th and 20th Centuries. From cholera to Nazi epidemic research’.
The aim of the conference is to outline a social and cultural history of epidemics in the 20th century and to explore the topic in greater depth through case studies and comparisons. In addition to two overview lectures, the speakers – recognised experts and early-career researchers – will explore different thematic approaches to the conference theme across five panels. The focus will be on epidemics as a history of emotions, media and science, examined from comparative, relational or gender perspectives. The conference is funded by the PRO*Niedersachsen programme and the Gerda Henkel Foundation.