Visiting PhD Fellow Manon Mortier

From 27 October to 21 November, we are pleased to welcome Manon Mortier as a visiting PhD fellow at the C²DH.

Manon is a PhD candidate at the Department of History and the Centre for Journalism Studies (CJS) at Ghent University in Belgium. She holds an MA in History from Ghent University and an additional MA in Journalism from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2022). Following her studies, she worked as a freelance journalist for the Belgian press agency.

Her PhD project (2023–2027) investigates how Belgian journalism serves as a platform for historical debate and memory construction. Specifically, she explores the various ways journalism engages with history and examines the role of (public) historians in the news media. Her methodology combines interviews with journalists and historians (forthcoming) and case studies focused on Belgium’s colonial and wartime past (2000–2025).

Manon’s research pays particular attention to the roles journalists and historians play in news reporting on the past. During her stay at the C²DH, she aims to explore the extent to which journalists can act as public historians when communicating about history. She also hopes to reflect on how public history education might benefit from journalistic expertise.

Above all, Manon looks forward to learning more about ongoing projects at the C²DH and engaging in fruitful discussions!