A research project devoted to the Polish city of Lublin shows how odours and the way they are perceived provide new insights into everyday history and beyond. Social and political change is often, quite literally, “in the air”. Continue reading “How a smell may evolve into a stink”
Autobiographies as a source are often viewed with scepticism in theatre research. A project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF has now demonstrated their value. Such self-portrayals dating from before 1945 provide new perspectives on German-speaking theatre. Continue reading “Self-portrayal as a source of knowledge”
Musical life in the late Middle Ages was vibrant and varied, and this applied also in the Austrian region. Scientists from Vienna are now creating a bridge between the music and everyday life of that period, thus facilitating a better understanding of the era. Continue reading “The sound of medieval music”
In a project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, historians have reconstructed a century in the “history of love” on the basis of letters. From the 19th century bourgeoisie to the “sexual revolution” of the the late 1960s and onwards, political realities have always had a strong impact on private lives. Continue reading “100 years of love in letters”