PaRDeS 30 (2024) Online, edited by Björn Siegel, Andrea Sinn & Oskar Czendze
Biographical studies have always been central to the field of history, but the relevance of biographical research seems to have increased in recent years, calling for a deeper analytical study and a critical re-evaluation of the newly developing “biographical turn.” Especially in an increasingly digitized world, including in academia, life stories seem to offer new perspectives through which personal narratives, cultural phenomena, or literary works can be examined, understood, and presented. Furthermore, these sources raise new questions about the interests and perspectives of the author(s), the reliability and subjectivity of the individual, as well as the constructiveness and authenticity of associated texts and sources. While these questions might be universal, they are inherent in Jewish history and culture. The worldwide spread of digitization offers answers to some of these questions, but also leads to new demands and difficulties in the study of biographies. Therefore, in the digital age, biographical research is a complex but promising method for expanding knowledge about phenomena such as Jewish (forced) migration, the Holocaust, the development of diasporas, exiles, and transnational networks, but also questions of acculturation, representation, remembrance, and the formation of memory.
The thirtieth issue of PaRDeS thus turns to the present and the future and opens up new perspectives on research into the past. In keeping with the anniversary, the magazine has been given a new design and a new technical format that presents the content even more clearly and publicly in the real and digital world.
Our gratitude goes to the supporting institutions, such as the VJS itself, the Institute for the History of German Jews, the Hamburgische Wissenschaftliche Stiftung, the Universitätsverlag Potsdam and Elon University. In addition, special thanks go to the authors as well as the guest editor Prof. Dr. Andrea Sinn (Elon University) and the co-editor (Bookreviews) Oskar Czendze.
Access here:
e-Paper: https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/67222
Web-Shop for printed version: https://shop.verlag.uni-potsdam.de/en/shop/through-their-eyes-biographical-research-in-the-digital-age/
Link via Google Books: https://books.google.de/books/about?id=nydfEQAAQBAJ