Managing Large-Scale Public History Projects: The Case of Stadt.Geschichte.Basel

How can regional history be researched, published, and shared with the public in the digital age? How do scholars balance accessibility, rigor, and sustainability when building long-term digital infrastructures? In this lecture, Dr. Moritz Mähr will present Stadt.Geschichte.Basel (2017–2026), one of the largest public history projects in Switzerland. With ten volumes in print and a digital portal designed to serve both the public and researchers, the project exemplifies the challenges and opportunities of large-scale historical collaboration. Topics will include: Strategies for combining offline and online public history Designing digital portals for multiple audiences Metadata sensitivity and the ethics of historical sources Long-term governance and sustainability of digital infrastructures Students and faculty interested in public history, digital history, archival studies, or interdisciplinary collaboration are especially encouraged to attend.