Places of Memory and Legacies – in an Age of Insecurities and Globalization (Trajectory from research to book publication, Springer, 2020)

Spaces of memory are keystones in shaping the geopolitics of positive or else negative emotions. This presentation unites concepts of place and memory. especially their contemporary significance as with World War One and its legacies still unfolding in cultural and political landscapes. Such places hold a powerful potential for democratic consensuses building and education when used for ethical purposes, or else negative ends vis-à-vis territorial and power paradigms that can nourish contemporary populisms. Working with these concepts, led to a ‘book project’ involving 26 authors from a wide range of standpoints - geographically, discipline-wise, age-wise, culturally and linguistically. This ensured an array of research perspectives and source materials in the original languages. The range of approaches and methodologies greatly enhanced the overall research that culminated in a book publication, supported by EUROGEO and Springer in December 2020.