Conflict, reconstruction and memory – new research group

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A new research group at Swansea is to focus on conflict, reconstruction, and how conflict is commemorated, across all kinds of different societies, from the ancient world to contemporary Russia, harnessing the expertise of researchers in different subjects.

The group, entitled CRAM, short for Conflict, Reconstruction and Memory, draws together experts from different departments, including: history and classics; languages, translation and communication; and political and cultural studies.

The group also plans to collaborate with other universities, centres of learning and research and non-academic institutions.  The aim is to promote the study of conflict, post-conflict reconstruction, and the memory and commemoration of conflict.   

The scope of the group’s work is revealed by the breadth of subjects currently being researched by members, which include:

•    How is the Holocaust remembered?
•    European policing
•    The Nazi past in German crime fiction
•    Militarisation in Russia under Vladimir Putin
•    Political violence in interwar France
•    Historical sites in war zones
•    Targeted killings by the US before and after 9/11

400 x 637‌Picture:  a bullet-shattered mirror in a Sarajevo street, 1992.  Copyright Mikhail Evstafiev. 

Dr Chris Millington, senior lecturer in history at Swansea University and co-convenor of the CRAM group, said:

“Conflicts - whether military, political or civil - have helped to shape, and continue to re-shape, our world, and the memory and commemoration of these are constantly in the public eye.

CRAM brings together academics from different backgrounds who all have an interest in studying conflict, and the aftermath and commemoration of conflict.

It's exciting to have a forum in which to discuss ideas with colleagues from different departments and institutions, and we hope it will provide the basis for future collaborative projects.”

CRAM has already held a successful launch event and research seminars with visiting speakers.  More activities like this are planned, along with joint research projects and bids for funding.  

It all forms part of a vibrant interdisciplinary research culture in Arts and Humanities at Swansea.

Find out more about research in Arts and Humanities

More information about CRAM - Conflict, Reconstruction and Memory