School on European Memories 2026

Fourth Edition of the School on European Memories

May 4 - 7, 2026.

Jean Monnet House, Bazoches-sur-Guyonne & Paris, France 

Organisers: Jean Monnet House – European Parliament, the European Observatory on Memories (EUROM), the Young European Federalists (JEF Europe), Istituto di Studi Federalisti Altiero Spinelli. Co-funded by the European Commission (CERV programme) and the commemoration programme Spain in Freedom. 50 years.

"Rewriting History: Who owns the Past?"

This edition addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing European democracies: the growing influence of pseudo-historical revisionism and the instrumentalisation of the past for political purposes. Under the guiding question “Who owns the past?”, the School will explore how history is written, transmitted, appropriated, and sometimes distorted in contemporary public discourse.

The programme seeks to:

• Examine the mechanisms and actors behind revisionist and manipulative uses of history
• Analyse the impact of social media ecosystems on the transmission of historical knowledge
• Critically assess the uses and abuses of the recent past by illiberal movements
• Strengthen strategies of resistance grounded in academic research, critical pedagogy, and responsible public communication
• Promote active citizenship as a response to memory manipulation

By fostering rigorous debate and interdisciplinary exchange, the School reinforces the idea that democratic memory is not merely about preserving the past, but about safeguarding democratic culture in the present.

Information for participants

The programme brings together 25 highly motivated young participants for an intensive three-day experience combining academic sessions, interactive workshops, and round tables with scholars and public voices. Discussions will be held in English and will focus on:

• Competing European memory narratives
• The role of social media in shaping historical knowledge
• Strategies of resistance through research, critical education, and responsible public communication
• Active citizenship and democratic resilience

Participants will collaboratively produce new episodes of Talking Memories, the School’s podcast. Through a guided editorial and hands-on production workshop, they will work in small teams to transform the debates and insights emerging during the School into accessible, well-structured, and high-quality public content. This process is designed to strengthen their ability to communicate complex and contested historical issues with clarity, rigour, and a strong sense of public responsibility.

Program

MONDAY, MAY 4

5pm - Arrival at the Jean Monnet House

5.30 pm - Welcome Words

          Martí Grau, Head of service and curator of the Jean Monnet House

          Oriol López, coordinator of the EUROM

          Moritz Hergl President of JEF Europe

          Mario Leone, Director of the Istituto Spinelli (online)

          Nicolae Ștefănuță, Vice-President of the European Parliament (recorded video)

          Debora Righetti, Event, Outreach and Learning coordinator at the Jean Monnet House, European Parliament

6.00 pm - Opening remarks

Setting the scene: memory policies across Europe, by Matteo Bassoli

8.30 pm - Ice breaker activity & Podcast warm-up

Participants will be asked to introduce themselves and briefly reflect on how they have experienced historical revisionism, bringing one concrete example. We will also form working groups for the podcast workshop and will begin recordings.

TUESDAY, MAY 5

9.15 am - Presentation of the works

          Natalia Papageorgiou, Learning officer at the Jean Monnet House, EP

          Fernanda Zanuzzi, Press and communications’ manager, European Observatory on Memories (EUROM)

          Debora Striani, Vice President of JEF Europe

10 am - Lecture 1 - The Uses and Abuses of Historical Revisionism: Fascism, Nazism and Francoism from a European perspective, by Xosé M. Núñez Seixas

11.30 am - Podcast Station Work Organizing groups

12 pm - Visit to the Jean Monnet House

Guided by Martí Grau (Jean Monnet House)

1.30 pm - Workshop Communicating Histories/Y: crafting a podcast script

With Natalia Papageorgiou (Jean Monnet House) and Debora Righetti (Jean Monnet House). The output of this workshop will be the synopsis of the podcast episodes.

2.30 pm - Break & Podcast Script Mentoring

With Fernanda Zanuzzi (EUROM) and Moritz Hergl (JEF)

3 pm - A curator’s insights by Kieran Burns.

Postcolonialism? - an exhibition in the House of European History (online)

3.45 pm | Coffee Break & Podcast Station Work

With Fernanda Zanuzzi (EUROM) and Moritz Hergl (JEF)

4.30 pm | Lecture 2 Who Owns Memory? Holocaust Remembrance and the Limits of Never Again, by Valentina Pisanty

6.00 pm | Podcast recording

With Fernanda Zanuzzi (EUROM) and Moritz Hergl (JEF)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6

8.45 am - Lecture 3 - Hijacking History: How the Past is Rewritten, Weaponised, and Resisted, by Ana Milošević

10.15 am - Break & Podcast recording

With Fernanda Zanuzzi (EUROM) and Moritz Hergl (JEF)

10:45 am - Lecture 4 - The thin line between History and Stories, by Antonio Argenziano

11:30 am - Collaborative workshop

With Debora Striani and Moritz Hergl (JEF Europe)

12.30 pm - Visit to the Maison Louis Carré by Alvar Aalto

2.30 pm - Lecture 5 - Crocodile Tears: Altiero Spinelli and Ursula Hirschmann—Between Memory, Reminiscences, and History, by Piero Graglia 

4.15pm - Podcast recording

With Fernanda Zanuzzi (EUROM) and Moritz Hergl (JEF)

5pm - Closing remarks and ceremony of diplomas

6.00 pm - Bus Departure from the Maison Jean Monnet to Paris

THURSDAY, MAY 7

10.00 am - Historical walking visit

From Hôtel de Ville to the Pantheon

11.00 am - Guided visit to the Pantheon

The visit includes the nave and the crypt of the Pantheon.

12h30 - End of work