معرفی
Gerben Zaagsma is an Assistant Professor in Contemporary and Digital History at the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), University of Luxembourg. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at the Lichtenberg Kolleg, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, working on the Anne Frank Diaries Project (2013-2017). He holds a PhD in Modern (Jewish) History from the European University Institute (Florence), with a thesis published as Jewish volunteers, the International Brigades and the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) (Bloomsbury, 2014-2015).
- Research Focus: Digital Humanities, Digital History, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Yiddish Studies, Cultural Heritage Digitization, Politics of Digitization, Transnational Networks.
His work explores the intersection of technology and historical research, particularly how digitization transforms archival practices and knowledge production. Recent projects include the History of Digital History between East and West workshop (2026) and analyses of digital archives' ethical implications. He contributes to debates on data mining, digital literacy, and hybrid historiography, blending traditional and digital methodologies.
Publications highlight trends in digital history, Yiddish diaspora, and digitization's global inequalities. He has reviewed works like Jason Lustig's A Time to Gather and Adam Crymble's Technology and the Historian, emphasizing critical engagement with digital tools.
- Teaching: Lecturer and workshop leader in Digital Humanities, with courses on search and data mining (University of Luxembourg, 2014), digital sources, and historical computing.
- Presentations: Delivered 60+ talks globally (2010-2024) on topics like digital archives, Yiddish cultural heritage, and ethics of digitization.
