Digital exhibition on the history of the University of Kassel opens

The exhibition, which is part of the 50th anniversary of the University of Kassel, is curated by the Kassel historian of education Prof. Dr. Edith Glaser, who has been emeritus since October 2021. Using 50 visual, written and auditory guiding documents, the exhibition succinctly traces the historical development of the Gesamthochschule/Universität Kassel in a timeline. Each guiding document exemplifies one year of the university's eventful and exciting history, with another four to six sources expanding the annual spectrum in each case. An introductory text precedes each year, casting spotlights on the university's development. "The point here, however, is not to celebrate the history of the university along big names and events," Glaser emphasizes. "Rather, it's important to consider and thus honor all the actors, groups or university departments as they shaped and contributed to the university's development."

Prof. Dr. Ute Clement, President of the University of Kassel is pleased with the exhibition: "I am impressed by the diversity of the materials and the commitment of those who have prepared this testimony to the university's history."

Each decade of the university's history appears in a different lead color. "With this dynamic color concept, we want to contribute to easy orientation and, moreover, symbolically underline the diversity of the university, as it is also expressed in the colorful logo of the university for the 50th anniversary," emphasizes Erik Schäfer, who programmed and visually designed the website of the exhibition together with Sebastian Haydt. Both studied visual communication at the Kunsthochschule Kassel. The team also includes Alexander Kather, research assistant in the Department of Historical Education Research. Together with Glaser, he oversaw the content of the exhibition, wrote explanatory texts, and prepared the content of documents and sources.

The sources come from various archives such as the Kassel City Archive, the Wiesbaden Main State Archive, the Koblenz Federal Archive, the archive of the Hessian Broadcasting Corporation, and several newspaper archives. Glaser and Kather also researched private estates, conducted interviews and searched for publications by contemporary witnesses. "Because the university," says Glaser, "not only produced documents and sources itself. There was also always a counterpart, or a public, which in turn responded to the university with correspondences and contributions."

The digital exhibition is not just a history-culture project. Rather, as Glaser points out, it is intended to be an expandable foundation and building block for a digital archive of the University of Kassel that has yet to be established and will thus be permanently available. In addition, the exhibition should also provide impulses for research on the history and sociology of education at the University of Kassel.

Link to livestream, January 17, 4 p.m: https://vimeo.com/event/1703863/e5aaeccb2f

Link to the digital exhibition on the history of the University of Kassel: Between educational reform and sustainability - 50 years of GhK / University of Kassel in 250 documents (activation Mon. Jan. 17, activation approx. 6 p.m.): https://uni-archiv.uni-kassel.de/

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Edith Glaser
Faculty 01 - Human Sciences
Institute of Educational Science
Tel: 0151 - 40 06 58 89
E-Mail: eglaser[dot]uni-kassel[dot]de

Alexander Kather
Department 01 - Human Sciences
Institute of Educational Science
Department of Historical Educational Research
E-Mail: akather[at]uni-kassel[dot]de