Zoe KONSBRUCK

Zoé Konsbruck is a doctoral researcher and conducts research on the history of deindustrialisation in Luxembourg. Her PhD project examines the period between 1970 and 2000, with a particular focus on the social and political consequences of industrial decline in the steel towns of southern Luxembourg and the Greater Region.

Her research analyses how local actors – including politicians, workers, residents, and trade unionists – perceived, experienced, and responded to processes of industrial transformation. It also explores the role of municipalities in shaping national and European crisis policies during the steel crisis, highlighting local agency within broader political and economic frameworks.

In addition to her academic work, she is one of the co-developers of Rust & Research, an educational card game designed to make the history of deindustrialisation accessible, tangible, and interactive. Set in Luxembourg, the game explores the transformation of the Belval steel site from an industrial centre into a contemporary university campus, inviting players to engage with the social, economic, and spatial dimensions of industrial decline and urban reconversion.

She is also a Europaeum Scholar, selected for a two-year interdisciplinary, policy-oriented programme connecting doctoral researchers from universities across Europe.