Insight into the DIZH Research Project «Geschichte(n) für die globale Gegenwart»
The research project by ZHdK and the Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH), funded by the Digitalization Initiative Zurich (DIZH), combines expertises in historical, didactic, curatorial and design disciplines with the aim to develop a new form of digital history education.
What initially appears to be a typically Swiss object reveals complex interconnections upon closer inspection: an Appenzell pipe evokes Alpine romanticism, but also tells of the tobacco trade with the Caribbean, colonial connections, and Switzerland’s «invented traditions». But how can such hidden connections be made visible and tangible for students?
The research project «Geschichte(n) für die globale Gegenwart» [Histories for the Global Present] (running 2023-2026) addresses this question, developping the Müliweg Eins - Das Museum für die globale Gegenwart [Museum for the Global Present]. The central method of this project is «curatorial learning». In a virtual museum, students can view collection objects from all sides, try out bizarre analysis devices, discover formal connections and look up terms. In doing so, they independently examine the collection objects, place them in new contexts, and learn about the global origins of the present.
Finally, the students present their research in their own exhibition. Design is also important in this context: How can the spacial arrangement and staging of objects, pictures and texts render relational connections visible? And what is the advantage of such a constellation compared to linear narratives?
«We cannot simply continue to work with the 19th-century view of history,» says Sophia Prinz, project manager and professor of design theory and history at ZHdK. The central question is: How can history lessons and museums be designed in such a way that global and transcultural relationships become visible and marginalized voices become audible? Through targeted clues and exciting tasks, students arrive at their own insights. The aim is not only to convey historical facts, but also to encourage a certain attitude toward history, to think in terms of relationships and contexts.
«Histories for the Global Present» is a research project of the ZHdK and the PHZH. The project is funded in the second DIZH Project Call. The video documentation of the project is also an initiative of DIZH.
