This post was automatically translated from the German original at
HistOS lädt ein | Forum HistOS im Sommersemester 2026: Quo Vadis?!.
The “Forum HistOS – More than just History/Histories” is entering its third semester. Since its founding in the summer semester of 2025, it has established itself as a cross-epochal space for dialogue within the Historical Seminary of the University of Osnabrück: a place where students, student assistants, and staff reflect together on what constitutes the discipline of history, what it is capable of, and what it ought to achieve. In doing so, the Forum has deliberately embraced diversity. In the winter semester of 2025/26, the range extended from Thomas Vogtherr’s lecture on medieval sites of knowledge in Osnabrück, through a roundtable discussion on the societal relevance of historical scholarship (with Barbara Hanke, Christiane Kunst, Christoph Mauntel, Christoph Rass, and Siegrid Westphal), to Markus Zagermann’s insights into conflict archaeology of the Roman period. Lectures, discussion panels, internal conversations: this breadth of format was intentional and remains so.
At the same time, after several semesters, a fundamental question arises: how should things proceed? This is precisely the point of departure for the opening session on 15 April 2026. Under the title “What is to be done?! Perspectives of the Forum HistOS,” the first session of the summer semester invites all those interested to take stock together and to develop future directions: which formats have proven their worth, and which have not? Which topics should the Forum address going forward? How can a space be designed that is equally productive for first-semester students and long-standing members of staff? This is not a matter of organisational routine. It is a question of what such a forum can contribute to a Historical Seminary that understands itself as an academic community of teaching, learning, and research.
Two further sessions will follow on 20 May and 17 June 2026. All sessions take place on Wednesdays at 18:15 in Room 15/130.
Those who are not yet familiar with the Forum, or who have so far observed it only from a distance, will find 15 April a good point of entry. Precisely because this evening is dedicated not to formal presentations but to collective reflection, new voices are particularly welcome. Ultimately, the Historical Seminary thrives on the willingness of its members to look beyond the boundaries of their own period, and the Forum HistOS provides the framework for doing so. We look forward to welcoming all those who join us on 15 April to take part in the discussion.