Rewarded remembrance: State Prize for Uni Graz project

Für einen kritischen Blick auf die Geschichte und innovative Ideen gegen das Vergessen zeichnete Minister Martin Polaschek Gerald Lamprecht vom Centrum für Jüdische Studien und sein Team Victoria Kumar (OeAD), Grit Oelschlegel (Akademie der Bildenden Künste) sowie Sebastian Schiller-Stoff (Uni Graz, Institut für Digitale Geisteswissenschaften; v. r.) aus. Foto: BMBWF/Sabine Klimpt

Gerald Lamprecht and his research team were awarded the Austrian State Prize for Historical Research in the "Innovative History" category for the "Digital Map of Remembrance" project.

There are hardly any contemporary witnesses left who can report on the atrocities of the Nazi regime. To ensure that this dark chapter in history is not increasingly forgotten, Gerald Lamprecht and his team from the Centre for Jewish Studies, digital humanities scholars and history didactics experts have created a "digital memory landscape" for Austria in cooperation with the OeAD: a digital map on which places and symbols of remembrance for victims of Nazi terror are recorded. "We want to enable a contemporary critical examination of National Socialism," reports Mr Lamprecht. Specific educational offers for young people promote a critical examination of the period. Education Minister Martin Polaschek awarded the researchers the Austrian State Prize for Historical Research: "The prize makes it clear that scientific findings belong in the center of society so that they can make an important contribution to overcoming current challenges and strengthening trust in science and democracy," he argued.

Dagmar Eklaude

Related news

Why researchers should celebrate failures: The Uni Graz “Fiasco Fest” goes international

They say you learn from your mistakes. And this is true, especially for science. "Failure is a core element of research," says psychologist Sabine Bergner. "Because in order to find creative solutions, we have to try out new things without knowing whether they will work." However, failures in academia are often perceived as shameful and are not discussed openly. To change this, Bergner and Johanna Stadlbauer launched the "Fiasco Fest" at the University of Graz three years ago. The initiative has proved its worth. Therefore, the concept is now also being implemented at other universities of the Arqus European University Alliance.

"Democracy is like a construction site!"

In a super election year, political education in schools must be promoted more, demands democracy researcher Britta Breser. Learning from history also means helping to shape the present. In the run-up to the November elections, the University of Graz is also offering a comprehensive programme of events on the subject of democracy and elections.

Research without borders in the European University Alliance Arqus

International cooperation strengthens cutting-edge research, the results of which benefit us all. As part of the European University Alliance Arqus, researchers from the University of Graz are collaborating with colleagues from eight other universities on current topics and societal challenges. Two new projects have just started. The group led by Sandro Keller, Professor of Biophysics, is studying the mechanisms of cell communication as a prerequisite for the development of new, more effective drugs. Christine Schwanecke, Professor of English Literature and Cultural Studies and Director of the Centre for Cultural Studies, and her colleague Lisa Schantl are investigating the special features of contemporary English-language poetry by authors who grew up speaking another language – as an example of how language can overcome the divisions between different cultures.

How much emotion does morality need? Ralf Lutz explores the psychological side of ethics

What is good and what is bad? Due to our upbringing and our own insight, we usually know which values we should be guided by. But why do we still repeatedly fail to act accordingly? What role do our feelings play in this? Ralf Lutz deals with these questions in his research. The professor of moral theology and doctor of psychology wants to bring the two disciplines closer together. "Ethics helps us to find out what is right and wrong. But in order to understand how we can live according to these principles, we need moral psychology," Lutz is convinced.