Book launch event:'Global History Dialogues: Border-Crossing' - Hybrid Event
Join us for the launch of two books coming out of collaborations inspired by the Global History Lab that challenge traditional narratives in global history and research. Global History Dialogues: Border-Crossing explores how oral history can expand our understanding of border dynamics—both physical and conceptual—by amplifying the voices of student-researchers and educators across South America, Asia, and Europe. Meanwhile, The Right to Research disrupts conventional notions of historical authorship by highlighting the works of refugee and host-community researchers across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
Together, these volumes showcase the power of inclusive storytelling, the transformative role of oral history, and the right of all people—regardless of status or geography—to participate in historical scholarship. The event will feature discussions with contributors, reflections on the research process, and conversations on the intersection of migration, education, and historical inquiry.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with scholars, educators, and researchers who are redefining the boundaries of history and get to know alumni and present members of the Global History Lab!
The event will comprise of presentations and Q and A followed by a chance to network over some refreshments at the end.
Zoom link for online attendees:
https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/83442472165?pwd=1PgcjfMSmPv3XbMSaKVaK7yLc5Ncaw.1
Speaker Bio’s
James Burnard is a recent graduate of Modern History and Politics at the University of Southampton. His research considers patterns of migration, particularly focusing on the period known as ‘the Troubles’ in Ireland, and encouraging oral histories to help better explore the nuances of these patterns.
Gerawork Gizaw has an MA in Development Economics (PA). A development practitioner, teacher/learning facilitator, and environmentalist; he is an enthusiastic wonderer with a strong interest in understanding the human condition, community organization, and development. He was the recipient of Potsdam University’s Voltaire Prize in 2024 and contributor to The Right to Research.
Lasse Maerz received his Bachelor’s degree in History, Politics and Society from the University of Potsdam, Germany, in 2024. He is currently reading for the International Erasmus Mundus Master in Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Universities of Tartu, Estonia, Glasgow, Scotland, and Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. His research interests lie particularly in identity discourses, political contestation around social inclusion and exclusion, and the instrumentalization of the past for these purposes.
Nishitha Mandava is a recent graduate of Modern History from the London School of Economics and Political Science and holds an undergraduate degree in History from Ahmedabad University. Her research interests primarily lie in the colonial, gender and intellectual histories of 20th-century South Asia.
Kate Reed is a PhD student in history at the University of Chicago. She holds an MPhil in economic and social history from the University of Oxford. Her research considers histories of labor, gender, and the family in twentieth-century Mexico. She is co-editor of The Right to Research (2023).
Somapti Sarkar is an M.A student in English Literature at Brac University. She holds a Bachelor degree in English Literature and History from Brac University. She is very fond of exploring the history of migration and statelessness, the thematic aspects of Marxism and the power struggle of our current modern society, implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs-2030) and education strategy, and the lived experience of Bangladeshi rural women as a researcher.
Marcia C. Schenck is professor of global history at the University of Potsdam, Germany. Her research interests include global history, African history, oral history, migration history, and the history of international organizations. Her latest books are the open-access monograph Remembering Labor Migration to the Second World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), the co-edited anthology The Right to Research (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2023) and the edited volume Border-Crossing (Potsdam University Press, 2024)