Save the date: KNHG Webinar ‘Nature-inclusive Perspectives on Living Past’ (in Dutch)

Help us brainstorm the new national research theme at the intersection of ecological history, heritage, people and nature!

May 13, 2025 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. via Zoom

How can historical heritage research contribute to more sustainable ways of relating to people, animals, plants, water and other forms of nature? To combating the global climate crisis? Come to the KNHG webinar on May 13 and contribute your thoughts on the new research agenda of Living Past!

Reason

In 2026, as part of the National Science Agenda (NWA) and more specifically from the Living Past route, NWO will publish an ambitious research agenda for large-scale inter/transdisciplinary research projects at the intersection of ecological history, heritage, people and nature (budget approx. 6 million euros). The research agenda – whose content will be sharpened in the coming months – aims to convince both climate scientists and Dutch society at large how knowledge from and about the past can enrich the future.

Target audience

This KNHG lunch webinar (organized in collaboration with the Living Past route) is intended for all historians, especially those who in some way research and/or teach about the history of interactions between humans, animals, plants, water and other forms of nature – including the impact of human actions on biodiversity and climate – or those who are engaged in applied history.

Goals

• Inform: What is the National Science Agenda, the Living Past route and the ORC program? What content choices have already been made for the 2026 Call? What questions are still open?
• Integrate: Which historians are currently active in the research and teaching fields of ecological history, heritage and environmental issues? How can we collaborate better, as historians among ourselves, but also with heritage researchers and other scholars (also in HBO) and with professionals in the field?
• Inspire: What could and would we all learn from the new research agenda, and from each other? What can students, scholars and various professionals and groups in society learn from this?
• Agenda-setting: How would you and we as historians like to sharpen the content of this national research agenda in the field of ecological history? What key questions are still missing? What are the key blind spots?
• Meeting: Who are involved in the Living Past route? How can historians play a greater role not only now but also in the future in the agenda-setting of this pathway within the NWA?

Program

The program includes a brief explanation by Prof. Dr. Inger Leemans (the figurehead of the Living Past route), a network visualization of the research field, an inventory of core dilemmas, a number of breakout sessions on substantive key questions, and a reflection on the main conclusions from these sessions.

Register

Interested in learning more about this research agenda of the Living Past route? Get to know other historians in this research field? Would you like to give active input to the research call? Gain new insights?

Then sign up quickly at info@knhg.nl (deadline May 1). Participants will be sent a discussion paper and zoom link a few days before the webinar. The webinar will be in Dutch.

Notes

What is the National Science Agenda (NWA)?

The purpose of the National Science Agenda (NWA) is to use knowledge to make a positive, structural contribution to tomorrow’s society by building bridges today. The aim is to achieve scientific breakthroughs and societal impact. The NWA aims to achieve this through an annual funding round for Research on Routes by Consortia (ORC).

What is the NWA route Living Past?

The Living Past route is one of the 25 routes of the National Science Agenda. This route is concerned with promoting research and activities in the field of historical and heritage research. The starting point of this route is that research into the past and into the effect of the past in the present can provide new knowledge and insights and inspire creativity and collaboration.

What is the Research Route Sustainability and Temporality?

Within the Living Past route, Sustainability and Temporality is one of the lines of research. This line of research helps find concrete solutions to sustainability problems. This involves not only how we deal with the traces of the past in the future, both material and immaterial, but also related time-related issues. Within this line of research, the new call for 2026 is currently being developed.