Steffi de Jong
About
Steffi de Jong joined the Department of Historical and Classical Studies at NTNU as an associate professor for Public History and History Didactics in 2023. Her research interests include museum studies, cultural memory studies, sound studies, digital history and the history of re-enactment. She is currently working on a project on the origins of re-enactment in the 19th century financed by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, as well as on a project on the representation of history in VR. She has recently finished a project on computer-based representations of concentration and extermination camps financed by the Grimme Forschungskolleg.
Steffi de Jong obtained her Phd from NTNU in 2012. Her book The Witness as Object. Video Testimony in Memorial Museum was published in 2018 by Berghahn Books. Before re-joining NTNU she worked as a lecturer at Maastricht University and as an assistant professor at the University of Cologne.
She has published internationally on the figure of the witness, the museal representation of history, digital Holocaust memory and sound in museums.
Since 2023
Associate professor for Public History and History Didactics at NTNU
2014-2023
Assistant professor at the Institute for Contemporary History at the University of Cologne
2013-2014
Tutor at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University
2008 - 2012
Phd Candidate in the Research Project Exhibiting Europe at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.
Phd Thesis: Musealising the Witness. Video Testimonies in Holocaust and Second World War Museums.
2009-2010
Research stay at the Institute for European Ethnology at the Humboldt University, Berlin.
2007-2008
MA Analysing Europe at Maastricht University and the Jagiellon University in Krakow.
MA thesis: Europe on Show: Exhibiting European Culture and History in Museums.
2006-2007
European Voluntary Service at the Office for International Relations of the Province of Padua.
2003-2006
BA in English Literature and Drama/Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London (First Class Honours).
Research
The history of re-enactment with a focus on performative, immersive and authenticating practices for transmitting and appropriating history through attitudes, artists' festivals, historical processions and archaeological experiments in the 19th century
The history of public history with a focus on the German speaking and Scandinavian countries
The history of the senses with a focus on sound in museums
New media and memory with a focus on the digital memory of the Holocaust
The figure of the witness to history between cultural and communicative memory, public history and oral history
Publications
2023
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Holocausterinnerung in virtuellen Realitäten. Ein Gespräch .
Vigia Tech
Interview Journal
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
The Simulated Witness. Empathy and Embodiment in VR Experiences of Former Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps .
History and Memory
Academic article
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Zeitreisen nach Auschwitz. Die Veränderung des Holocaustgedenkens durch Virtual Reality.
Beiträge zur Geschichte der nationalsozialistischen Verfolgung
Academic article
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Virtual Reality beyond the “Time Machine”. A Manifesto .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Die Zeitzeug*in.
Springer
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Book Review: Hughes, Judith M.: The Perversion of Holocaust Memory. Writing and Rewriting the Past after 1989.
Neue Politische Literatur
Article in business/trade/industry journal
2022
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2022)
Zeitzeugin/ Zeitzeuge.
Digital learning tools
2021
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2021)
Vor Gettysburg. Vorläufer des Reenactments im 19. Jahrhundert.
Walter de Gruyter (De Gruyter)
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2021)
Conference Review: Workshop Reconfiguring History beyond Disciplinarity, Imre Kertész Kolleg Jena, University of Warsaw, 16.04.2021 - 17.04.2021, .
Website (informational material)
2020
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2020)
Book Review: Pinchevski, Amit, Transmitted Wounds. Media and the Mediation of Trauma. Oxford: Oxford University Press, In H-Soz-u-Kult.
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2020)
Witness Auschwitz? How VR is changing testimony.
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2020)
The Future of Objects – The Future of Academic Exchange?. .
Website (informational material)
2019
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2019)
Exhibition Review: Angst. Eine deutsche Gefühlslage?, Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. H-Soz-u-Kult .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2019)
„Eine einzigartige Rundfahrt“. Das Motiv des Reisens in immersiven Medien vom Panorama zum TimeRide. .
Website (informational material)
2018
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
»Wir sollten auch die Lücken in der Überlieferung aufzeigen.«
Steffi de Jong im Interview mit Alexander Kraus zum Umgang mit
Zeitzeugnissen in Holocaustausstellungen.
Campus Verlag
Chapter
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
Museum .
Springer
Encyclopedia article
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
Sentimental Education. Sound and Silence in History Museums.
Museum and Society (M&S)
Academic article
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
The Witness as Object. Video Testimony in Memorial Museums .
Berghahn Books
Berghahn Books
Academic monograph
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
Immersive Räume und empathische Begegnungen. Hologramme und Zeitzeugenvideos als Medien der Holocausterinnerung .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
Lässt sich der koloniale Blick umdrehen? Das Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum befasst sich mit der Pionierarbeit seines früheren Direktors Julius Lips .
Website (informational material)
2017
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2017)
Von der Massenschlacht zum Cyborg. Kriegsbilder 1497-1917-2017 .
Website (informational material)
2016
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2016)
Conference review: Theorie trifft Praxis? Museen, Kurator/innen und Universitäten im Feld der Geschichtsausstellung (Theory Meets Pratice? Museums, Curators and Universities in the Field of Historical Exhibitions), Frankfurt am Main, 30.06.2016-01.07.2016, in H-Soz-u-Kult
URL: https://www.hsozkult.de/conferencereport/id/tagungsberichte-6685
.
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2016)
Book Review: Elpers, Sophie & Palm, Anna (eds.) (2014). Die Musealisierung der Gegenwart. Von Grenzen und Chancen des Sammelns in Kulturhistorischen Museen (Musealising the Present. Limits and Opportunities of Collecting in Historical Museums). Bielefeld: transcript, In H-Soz-u-Kult https://www.hsozkult.de/publicationreview/id/rezbuecher-22682.
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2016)
Book Review: von Stieglitz, Leo & Brune, Thomas (eds.) (2015). Hin und Her. Dialoge in Museen zur Alltagskultur. Aktuelle Positionen zur Besucherpartizipation (Back and Forth. Dialogs in Museums on Everyday Culture. Current Positions on the Participation of Visitors). Bielefeld: transcript.
Bayerisches jahrbuch für Volkskunde
Book review
2015
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2015)
Mediatised Memory. Video Testimonies in Museums.
Wiley-Blackwell
Chapter
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2015)
Meijer-van Mensch, Léontine & Tietmeyer, Elisabeth (eds.) (2013). Participative Strategies in Collecting the Present. Berliner Blätter. Ethnographische und ethnologische Beiträge,.
Bayerisches jahrbuch für Volkskunde
Book review
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2015)
Exhibition Review: Polin – Museum of the History of Polish Jews. In WerkstattGeschichte 69, pp.83-88.
WerkstattGeschichte
Book review
2014
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2014)
Einige Überlegungen zum Potential von Zeitzeugenvideos für Zeithistorische Ausstellungen. Kommentar zu Saskia Handro, Musealisierte Zeitzeugen. Ein Dilemma. .
Website (informational material)
2013
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2013)
Im Spiegel der Geschichten. Objekte und Zeitzeugenvideos in Museen des Holocaust und des Zweiten Weltkriegs.
WerkstattGeschichte
Academic article
2012
-
de Jong, Steffi;
Krankenhagen, Stefan;
Scholze-Irrlitz, Leonore;
Storeide, Anette Homlong.
(2012)
Musealising the Witness Video Testemonies in Holocaust and Second War Museums.
Doktoravhandlinger ved NTNU (2012:374)
Doctoral dissertation
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2012)
Who is History? The use of autobiographical accounts in history museums.
Boydell & Brewer
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
2011
-
Jong, Steffi de.
(2011)
Bewegte Objekte. Zur Musealisierung des Zeitzeugen.
Transcript Verlag
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
-
Jong, Steffi de.
(2011)
Is This Us? The Construction of European Woman/Man in the Exhibition It's Our History!.
Culture Unbound. Journal of Current Cultural Research
Academic article
Journal publications
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Holocausterinnerung in virtuellen Realitäten. Ein Gespräch .
Vigia Tech
Interview Journal
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
The Simulated Witness. Empathy and Embodiment in VR Experiences of Former Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps .
History and Memory
Academic article
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Zeitreisen nach Auschwitz. Die Veränderung des Holocaustgedenkens durch Virtual Reality.
Beiträge zur Geschichte der nationalsozialistischen Verfolgung
Academic article
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Book Review: Hughes, Judith M.: The Perversion of Holocaust Memory. Writing and Rewriting the Past after 1989.
Neue Politische Literatur
Article in business/trade/industry journal
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
Sentimental Education. Sound and Silence in History Museums.
Museum and Society (M&S)
Academic article
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2016)
Book Review: von Stieglitz, Leo & Brune, Thomas (eds.) (2015). Hin und Her. Dialoge in Museen zur Alltagskultur. Aktuelle Positionen zur Besucherpartizipation (Back and Forth. Dialogs in Museums on Everyday Culture. Current Positions on the Participation of Visitors). Bielefeld: transcript.
Bayerisches jahrbuch für Volkskunde
Book review
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2015)
Meijer-van Mensch, Léontine & Tietmeyer, Elisabeth (eds.) (2013). Participative Strategies in Collecting the Present. Berliner Blätter. Ethnographische und ethnologische Beiträge,.
Bayerisches jahrbuch für Volkskunde
Book review
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2015)
Exhibition Review: Polin – Museum of the History of Polish Jews. In WerkstattGeschichte 69, pp.83-88.
WerkstattGeschichte
Book review
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2013)
Im Spiegel der Geschichten. Objekte und Zeitzeugenvideos in Museen des Holocaust und des Zweiten Weltkriegs.
WerkstattGeschichte
Academic article
-
Jong, Steffi de.
(2011)
Is This Us? The Construction of European Woman/Man in the Exhibition It's Our History!.
Culture Unbound. Journal of Current Cultural Research
Academic article
Books
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
The Witness as Object. Video Testimony in Memorial Museums .
Berghahn Books
Berghahn Books
Academic monograph
Part of book/report
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Die Zeitzeug*in.
Springer
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2021)
Vor Gettysburg. Vorläufer des Reenactments im 19. Jahrhundert.
Walter de Gruyter (De Gruyter)
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
»Wir sollten auch die Lücken in der Überlieferung aufzeigen.«
Steffi de Jong im Interview mit Alexander Kraus zum Umgang mit
Zeitzeugnissen in Holocaustausstellungen.
Campus Verlag
Chapter
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
Museum .
Springer
Encyclopedia article
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2015)
Mediatised Memory. Video Testimonies in Museums.
Wiley-Blackwell
Chapter
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2012)
Who is History? The use of autobiographical accounts in history museums.
Boydell & Brewer
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
-
Jong, Steffi de.
(2011)
Bewegte Objekte. Zur Musealisierung des Zeitzeugen.
Transcript Verlag
Academic chapter/article/Conference paper
Report
-
de Jong, Steffi;
Krankenhagen, Stefan;
Scholze-Irrlitz, Leonore;
Storeide, Anette Homlong.
(2012)
Musealising the Witness Video Testemonies in Holocaust and Second War Museums.
Doktoravhandlinger ved NTNU (2012:374)
Doctoral dissertation
PRODUKT
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2022)
Zeitzeugin/ Zeitzeuge.
Digital learning tools
INFORMASJONSMATR
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2023)
Virtual Reality beyond the “Time Machine”. A Manifesto .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2021)
Conference Review: Workshop Reconfiguring History beyond Disciplinarity, Imre Kertész Kolleg Jena, University of Warsaw, 16.04.2021 - 17.04.2021, .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2020)
Book Review: Pinchevski, Amit, Transmitted Wounds. Media and the Mediation of Trauma. Oxford: Oxford University Press, In H-Soz-u-Kult.
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2020)
Witness Auschwitz? How VR is changing testimony.
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2020)
The Future of Objects – The Future of Academic Exchange?. .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2019)
Exhibition Review: Angst. Eine deutsche Gefühlslage?, Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. H-Soz-u-Kult .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2019)
„Eine einzigartige Rundfahrt“. Das Motiv des Reisens in immersiven Medien vom Panorama zum TimeRide. .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
Immersive Räume und empathische Begegnungen. Hologramme und Zeitzeugenvideos als Medien der Holocausterinnerung .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2018)
Lässt sich der koloniale Blick umdrehen? Das Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum befasst sich mit der Pionierarbeit seines früheren Direktors Julius Lips .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2017)
Von der Massenschlacht zum Cyborg. Kriegsbilder 1497-1917-2017 .
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2016)
Conference review: Theorie trifft Praxis? Museen, Kurator/innen und Universitäten im Feld der Geschichtsausstellung (Theory Meets Pratice? Museums, Curators and Universities in the Field of Historical Exhibitions), Frankfurt am Main, 30.06.2016-01.07.2016, in H-Soz-u-Kult
URL: https://www.hsozkult.de/conferencereport/id/tagungsberichte-6685
.
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2016)
Book Review: Elpers, Sophie & Palm, Anna (eds.) (2014). Die Musealisierung der Gegenwart. Von Grenzen und Chancen des Sammelns in Kulturhistorischen Museen (Musealising the Present. Limits and Opportunities of Collecting in Historical Museums). Bielefeld: transcript, In H-Soz-u-Kult https://www.hsozkult.de/publicationreview/id/rezbuecher-22682.
Website (informational material)
-
de Jong, Steffi.
(2014)
Einige Überlegungen zum Potential von Zeitzeugenvideos für Zeithistorische Ausstellungen. Kommentar zu Saskia Handro, Musealisierte Zeitzeugen. Ein Dilemma. .
Website (informational material)
Teaching
Courses
Knowledge Transfer
2024
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Lecturede Jong, Steffi. (2024) Re-Discovering the Past by Re-enacting it: German Artist Festivals. Forening for Kulturforskning Konferanse Hest og Høytid , Oslo 2024-01-24 - 2024-01-26
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Lecturede Jong, Steffi. (2024) Die Ära der Zeitzeug*in. Vergangenheit, Gegenwart, Zukunft. Stadtmuseum Frankfurt Presentation for the members of the project Zeugenschaft? #Erinnerungslabor , Frankfort (Online) 2024-02-06 -
2023
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Academic lecturede Jong, Steffi. (2023) together with Juliane Tomann and Christoph Sommer, organizer of the panel Immersed in the Past: Historizing Practices of Embodied History, with the pape “A World History in Pantomimical Representations. Attitudes as a Form of Public History”, at the International Conference of the Memory Studies Association, Leicester . Memory Studies Association International Conference of the Memory Studies Association , Leicester 2023-07-04 - 2023-07-07
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Academic lecturede Jong, Steffi. (2023) „Wiederbelebte Vergangenheit. Frühe Reenactments im 19. Jahrhundert in und außerhalb Kölns“ (The Recovered Past. Early Reeanctment in the 19th century in and around Cologne), at the conference, Fokus Karneval: Zwischen Festkultur, politischer Spannung und immateriellem Kulturerbe (Focus Carneval: between festival culture, political tension and immaterial heritage), Cologne . Fokus Karneval: Zwischen Festkultur, politischer Spannung und immateriellem Kulturerbe 2023-10-27 - 2023-10-28
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Academic lecturede Jong, Steffi. (2023) Presentation on the “Post-Witness Era” as part of the Workshop Connecting with the Past – Art, Memory, Place, at the Falstad Centre . orkshop Connecting with the Past – Art, Memory, Place 2023-06-29 - 2023-06-30
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Academic lecturede Jong, Steffi. (2023) “Digital Reconstructions of Concentration Camps”. Univerity of Bonn Digitization of Memory Practices and Heritage 2023-05-23 -
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Interviewde Jong, Steffi; Meershoek, Peter. (2023) Concentratiekamp als virtualreality-ervaring: waar ligt de grens tussen wat wel en niet kan?, in The Parool . Amsterdam Amsterdam [Journal] 2023-05-04
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Lecturede Jong, Steffi. (2023) Wiederbelebte Vergangenheit. Frühe Reenactments im 19. Jahrhundert in und außerhalb Kölns. Könlisches Stadtmuseum/ Historisches Museum Köln Fokus Karneval: Zwischen Festkultur, politischer Spannung und immateriellem Kulturerbe , Köln 2023-10-27 - 2023-10-28
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Interviewde Jong, Steffi; Schmitz, Larissa. (2023) Modernes Erinnern an den Holocaust. Köln Köln [Radio] 2023-11-09
2015
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Academic lecturede Jong, Steffi. (2015) von Hologrammen und sprechenden Füchsen - Holocausterinnerung 3.0 . #erinnern_kontrovers 2015-07-09 - 2015-07-10
2011
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2011) Exhibiting Memory - Video Testimonies in Second World War and Holocaust Museums. Stiftung Niedersäschische Gedenkstätten Social Memory and Survivor Communities: Bergen-Belsen in Comparative Perspective , Bergen-Belsen Memorial and Hannover 2011-02-03 - 2011-02-05
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2011) Exhibiting History/Exhibiting Memory. Some reflections on the use of video testimonies in Holocaust and Second World War Museums. German Historical Institute Washington From Mass Murder to Exhibition: Museum Representations in Transatlantic Comparison , Washington 2011-11-18 -
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2011) The Figure of the Witness in Second World War Museums. Exhibiting Europe Exhibiting Europe Conference , Oslo 2011-04-07 - 2011-04-07
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2011) Musealisierte Erinnerung. Zur Figur des Zeitzeugen in zeithistorischen Museen ausserhalb Deutschlands. BKGE Zeitzeugen im Museum , Schlesisches Museum Görlitz 2011-10-12 - 2011-10-14
2010
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2010) Musealising the witness. CHIMERA CHIMERA workshop Making European Cultural Heritag , Manchester 2010-03-17 - 2010-03-19
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2010) Video Testimonies in History Museum. KULVER Kulver seminar-workshop Re-visioning the museal objects between things and signs , Oslo 2010-12-02 - 2010-12-03
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2010) Authentische Schauobjekte? Zeizeugeninterviews in zeithistorischen Museen. Bergische Universität Wuppertal Erzählte Authentizität - Authentizität des Erzählens , Bergische Universität Wuppertal 2010-07-15 - 2010-07-17
2009
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2009) "Whose history? The figure of the witness in museums". Institut für Philosophie The figure of the witness , Frei Universität Berlin 2009-07-10 - 2009-07-11
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Academic lectureJong, Steffi de. (2009) Musealising the witness: The staging of First-Person Testimonies in European Second World War Museums and Exhibitions. Museums and Galleries History Group Museums and Biographies , National Gallery, London 2009-09-11 - 2009-09-12