Practical
Thursday, 12 November, 2026
- 18:00 until 19:30
VUB Main Campus Etterbeek
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Elsene
Building I - Room I.0.02
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Elsene
Building I - Room I.0.02
Free of charge
To mark Armistice Day, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel warmly invites you to a special lecture in the Ties That Bind Us series.
What does the experience of one large city under enemy occupation during a long-past world war teach us about democracy, the international rule of law, and pacifism today? Or, for that matter, about military occupation today?
Historian of war and society Sophie De Schaepdrijver delves into the particular history of occupied Brussels in 1914-1918 to explore contemporary questions.
Following the lecture, Nel de Mûelenaere (VUB) will lead a conversation with Sophie De Schaepdrijver and the audience. Together, they will reflect on occupation and the ways in which civilians respond to oppression, both during the First World War and beyond.
We look forward to welcoming you to this special 11 November Lecture at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
About Sophie De Schaepdrijver
Sophie De Schaepdrijver is the Walter L. and Helen P. Ferree Professor of Modern European History at Penn State University (U.S.A). She is a world-renowned expert on the social and cultural history of the First World War. Her landmark study De Groote Oorlog: Het Koninkrijk België tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog (1997) was awarded the Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord. Her other publications include Gabrielle Petit: The Death and Life of a Female Spy in the First World War (2015) and, co-written with Tammy M. Proctor, An English Governess in the Great War: The Secret Brussels Diary of Mary Thorp (2017).
She is currently writing a monograph with Samuël Kruizinga on German-occupied Brussels during the First World War and is the lead editor of a volume on military occupation across First World War Europe.
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This event is part of the Ties That Bind Us series.
About Ties That Bind Us: transcultural perspectives on social forms
A cross-disciplinary series organised at the Faculty of Languages and Humanities for VUB’s Public Programme
The impact of global and geopolitical crises on European societies is widely felt. Common reactions to these are a growing societal divide and a rise in anti-democratic positions. The public imaginary is rife with a rhetoric dominated by the erection of walls, the demarcation of territory and claims of ownership. Crushed between polarised camps are vulnerable members of our societies – and thus humanity itself. Individuals with their complex identities are categorised into groups whose belonging, right to existence even, is called into question. Understanding the realities of diversity and change as given, the series “Ties that Bind Us” seeks to create a platform for a wide range of perspectives, life experiences and cultures of knowledge about forms of kinship, solidarity and conviviality – or, in other words, a counter-imaginary space to an increasingly widespread, yet dangerously reductive binary thinking.
The world needs you
This initiative is part of VUB's public programme, a programme for everyone who believes that scientific knowledge, critical thinking and dialogue are an important first step to create impact in the world.
As an Urban Engaged University, VUB aims to be a driver of change in the world. With our academic edcuational programmes and innovative research, we contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and to making a difference locally and globally.
