Expedition for Peace

The “Expedition for Peace”, is a flagship project within the framework of the Expedition Münsterland. The project is a prominent example for community-based research and took place along the year 2014 and 2015. The aim of the numerous projects of the “Expedition for Peace” was

• to facilitate a participatory approach to common war memories of World War I and
• to identify common ways and means for presentations.

By the purposeful combination of art, science and citizens new and unconventional ways of knowledge transfer and mediation of history could be struck out in new directions.

Formats used within the “Expedition for Peace” were

• exhibitions,
• excursions,
• talks,
• theatre pieces, and
• publications

All formats together based on contributions

• by citizens
• as well as professional scientists.

Numerous actors from heterogenic fields of expertise worked together from the very beginning of the project, the thematic and conceptual setting, to the research work, till the final public presentation. Amongst others a historical bicycle-guide was published, dealing with the history of existing and non-existing peace-memorials in the Münsterland.

The “Expedition for Peace” was ruled out

• in the city of Münster, as well as
• in the urban Hinterland,

involved actors with various backgrounds, brought scientific knowledge to citizens and vise versa and further sensibilised both, habitants of the city and of the rural area for their neighborhood. Forgotten historical places were woken from their long sleep and brought back to people’s attention and interest.

“Expedition Münsterland” A bridge from science to society and from the city to the Hinterland

The idea of Expedition Münsterland, as an outreach strategy was born when reflecting upon the importance of the Westfälische Wilhems Universitys’ (WWU) regional competence. How to apply approved means of the internationalization process for an outreaching regionalization of science activities towards the universities’ urban Hinterland?

Unconventional Research Community

Since 2010, an unconventional research community repeatedly sets off on expeditions supported and moderated by the WWUs’ Innovation Office (AFO) to discover and explore unknown or forgotten places and themes in the rural living environment of citizens of the urban Hinterland of Münster/Germany.

The agenda for the numerous and diverse expeditions is mainly based on the input from citizens and leads to further community-based research by the various university departments.

Key factors of the Expedition Münsterland are

• to increase regional prosperity,
• to stimulate mutual exchange between the region and its university and
• to take on social and ecological responsibility for the urban Hinterland.

Citizen Sciences nowadays play an increasing role within the dialogue between universities, as doors will be opened for an active exchange between science and society, which ideally could lead to a better democratisation of science, meaning here a better mutual understanding of science and society and scientists and citizens. Gaining knowledge largely depends, amongst others on

1. motivation,
2. inspiration and
3. participation.

Those three aspects were actively targeted during the “Expedition for Peace”, a flagship project within the framework of the Expedition Münsterland. The “Expedition for Peace” is a prominent example for community-based research and took place along the year 2014 and 2015. The aim of the numerous projects of the “Expedition for Peace” was to facilitate a participatory approach to common war memories of World War I and to identify common ways and means for presentations. By the purposeful combination of art, science and citizens new and unconventional ways of knowledge transfer and mediation of history could be struck out in new directions. Formats used within the “Expedition for Peace” were exhibitions, excursions, talks, theatre pieces, and publications – all together based on contributions by citizens as well as professional scientists. Numerous actors from heterogenic fields of expertise worked together from the very beginning of the project, the thematic and conceptual setting, to the research work, till the final public presentation. Amongst others a historical bicycle-guide was published, dealing with the history of existing and non-existing peace-memorials in the Münsterland.
The “Expedition for Peace” was ruled out in the city of Münster, as well as in the urban Hinterland, involved actors with various backgrounds, brought scientific knowledge to citizens and vise versa and further sensibilised both, habitants of the city and of the rural area for their neighborhood. Forgotten historical places were woken from their long sleep and brought back to people’s attention and interest.
Dr. Wilhelm Bauhus, Head of the Innovation Office (AFO), WWU Münster/Germany
Anne Harnack, Project Coordination and Project Conception, Innovation Office, WWU Münster/Germany

Links

http://www.uni-muenster.de/Expedition-Muensterland/veranstaltungen/archiv/2014/Expedition_zum_Frieden.html