Victims. Perpetrators. Data. Entity, Identity, and Documentation in Holocaust Research and Remembrance

Call for Papers

EHRI-ERIC transnational interdisciplinary seminar EHRI-AT und EHRI-DE | September 28 – 30, 2026 at the Former Synagogue of St. Pölten, Austria

Holocaust research in the 21st century faces a dual challenge: while physical traces and eyewitness accounts must be preserved, scholarly analysis is increasingly shifting into the digital space. At the heart of this seminar lies the capture and transformation of names and biographies—the translation of historical identities (victims, perpetrators, and institutions) into digital entities, datasets and metadata. This process is not merely a technical procedure; it is a methodologically complex and ethically sensitive practice that fundamentally alters how we research and remember.

This seminar addresses the fragmentation of records. Deportation lists, police files, and camp records are scattered across archives worldwide and follow disparate standards. The goal of this seminar is to methodologically break down these "data silos." We will explore how innovative digital procedures enable new transnational perspectives on the Shoah while maintaining historical accuracy and the dignity of the individuals involved.

Seminar Structure: Keynotes & Practice Modules

Each of the three thematic modules will be introduced by an invited keynote. For each module, approximately 4–5 contributions (Workshops/Project Labs) will be selected.

Module 1: Transeuropean Entities – Names, Places, and Biographies

  • Keynote proposal: From Name to Entity – Reconstructing Biographical Networks.
  • Focus: Names as the fundamental link. Approaches to Named Entity Recognition (NER) for extraction from multilingual, fragmented sources.
  • Spatial Humanities: Mapping persecution networks and deportation routes using GIS (Geographic Information Systems).

Module 2: Legal Frameworks and Ethical Responsibility

  • Keynote proposal: Navigating the Tension – Data Protection and the Dignity of Victims.
  • Focus: Transnational legal frameworks (GDPR). Methods of anonymization/pseudonymization and the design of ethically adequate metadata models that integrate victim-centered perspectives.

Module 3: Documentation, Archives, and AI Technologies (HTR & LLM)

  • Keynote proposal: Between Efficiency and Evidence – Opportunities and Risks of AI.
  • Focus: Scaling methods for handwritten administrative records and ego-documents. The use of Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) for historical scripts, the limits of AI/LLMs, and practical integration into the EHRI infrastructure.

Participation Formats

We invite proposals for the following interactive formats:

  • Project Lab: Presentation of ongoing projects with a focus on specific methodological or ethical problems.
  • Method Workshop: Hands-on sessions (cc. 90 min.) on specific workflows (e.g., data cleaning, HTR training, GDPR-compliant tools, etc.).
  • Poster Presentation: Showcasing database prototypes or primary source studies.

Modalities

  • Target Audience: Historians, archivists, Digital Humanities (DH) specialists, and IT experts. Applications from doctoral candidates (Pre-Docs) are highly encouraged.
  • Conference Language: English (Keynotes and sessions), German skills are a plus.
  • Submission: Abstract (max. 300 words) and short CV by April 17, 2026, to office@injoest.ac.at. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by mid-May.
  • A completed |online application form|
  • Costs: Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered for the core cohort (selected speakers, workshop leads, and project presenters).