BGHS.NEWS

Linie 4 for the 10th time!



In May and June 2026, ‘Linie 4’ – the BGHS’ public lecture series organised in collaboration with VHS Bielefeld – took place for the tenth time. Whether the topics were Vikings, museums, a time out of joint or medieval military historians, the four excellent lectures attracted more or less big audiences, but always enthusiastic and keen to engage in discussion.

And it wasn’t just the audience at the VHS who were enthusiastic, but also the BGHS doctoral researchers giving the talks, who had the opportunity to present parts of their research in a way that was accessible to a non-academic, yet highly interested, audience. For Anastasia Serikova, whose talk explored the question of how museums exhibit ongoing wars, Linie 4 was a particularly positive experience, as she says.

“I had the opportunity not only to talk about my research in an academic way, but also to practise making my presentation easier to understand, more colloquial and visually appealing. It was also good for me that there weren’t that many people in the audience. That helped me relax and made me feel less nervous.” (Anastasia Serikova)

Marcus Wystub, who in his talk asked whether our times are out of joint, found this first step into science communication to be an enriching experience.

“Questioning oneself about what one is actually doing is a skill that is generally required within the academic system. However, doing so whilst striving for accessibility to a wider audience is also possible within the scientific system, though not necessarily required. In that respect, I believe that Linie 4 offers an experience which, to my knowledge, I could not have had in any other way. And at the same time – this is the impression I was left with after the talk – there are actually so many other ways in which it could have been different. More humour, more playfulness, more lightness. Even serious research could possibly be presented in this way. I would have liked that for my own lecture too. How that can actually be achieved remains a mystery to me.” (Marcus Wystub)

Well, Marcus, that’s a puzzle we’ve all got to crack. Ole Bunte has successfully taken this approach with his lecture on war narratives of the 15th century. As he says, the lecture helped him to summarise his research topic succinctly.

“It was also great to be able to use a writing style that was completely different from the ‘normal’ academic one (and to add a touch of humour now and then). The preparation by the BGHS was excellent. The presentation itself went very smoothly, as did the discussion afterwards. I learnt a great deal there about how to communicate one’s findings outside a purely academic context.” (Ole Bunte)

The doctoral researchers not only presented themselves and their research superbly to the people of Bielefeld, but also served as representatives of the BGHS in the very best possible way. Many thanks for that! And we’re already looking forward to next year, when Linie 4 will be back.