“War and oppression have a great impact on the daily lives of ordinary people,” Rosendaal says. “In my research into World War II, I have always looked at this civilian perspective. Thereby it is striking that the experience of war varies greatly from region to region. Themes such as collaboration, persecution and resistance are still topical and give rise to new research, for example into dealing with and processing the war in art and culture.”
Rosendaal will receive a special chair on behalf of the Freedom Museum in Groesbeek. “The chair gives opportunities for more research into the regional history of war and freedom,” according to Rosendaal. “It is important for the university to be connected to society. World War II is benchmark for the norms and values in our society, especially when it comes to democracy and the rule of law. By connecting scientific research and students with the Freedom Museum in this way, the university shows the importance of democracy and the rule of law and the connection between university and the Nijmegen region.”
About Joost Rosendaal
Joost Rosendaal (Oss, 1963) studied History at the Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen (now uu77) and obtained his doctorate at the same university for a dissertation entitled 'Bataven! Dutch Refugees in France, 1787-1795'. He then spent some time as an independent researcher, returning to Nijmegen’s university in 2001 as associate professor of political cultural history. Rosendaal published several books on the Dutch Revolution and, as of 2005, on World War II, focusing on the regional consequences of war.
As an advisor he was involved in the new Freedom Museum in Groesbeek. He is also chairman of the WW2 Gelderland Foundation, the ‘Nijmegen Blijft in Beeld’ Foundation and the Determining Committee for the History Higher Secondary Education (College for Tests and Examinations). In 2023 he was nominated for the honorary title ‘Nijmegenaar van het Jaar’, because of his efforts to make Nijmegen's war history accessible to the general public.