While the current learning content of the reader used in the introductory course in Ancient History offers an excellent overview of the status of ancient historical research, it needs diversification. Over the last decade, developments in modern society have changed the intellectual and public discourse on European history (e.g. MeToo, BLM) faster than we have been able to map and reflect upon in our teaching. Publications like Not All Dead White Men (Donna Zuckerberg), Confronting the Classics (Mary Beard), and Classical Controversies: the Reception of Graeco-Roman Antiquity in the 21st Century (eds. Kim Beerden & Timo Epping – a joint project of Leiden University and the National Museum of Antiquities) all show how the field of Classical History have responded to those changes. It is important to incorporate this 21st-century vision in our education.

The ultimate goal is to stimulate discussion about the consequences (and risks) of interpretation, the political use of history, and the advantages of seeing the world from a perspective that might seem alien at first. The project will, hopefully, not just sharpen the students’ own academic insight into historical discussions, but also help creating more awareness generally of the need for us, as faculty of Humanities, to stimulate the conversation about an inclusive society.

This project is facilitated by the JEDI Fund of the Faculty of Humanities.