ARCHIVES GENERALES DU ROYAUME ET ARCHIVES DE L'ETAT DANS LES PROVINCES

description of organisation

CegeSoma (The Study- and Documentation Centre for War and Contemporary Society / Studiecentrum Oorlog en Hedendaagse Maatschappij / Centre d'Etudes et de Documentation Guerre et Sociétés contemporaines), the fourth operational directorate of the State Archives, is the Belgian centre of expertise for the history of 20th century conflicts. Its areas of interest are mainly related to the First and Second World Wars, including their long societal impact and legacy. Its main tasks are fundamental historical research and involvement in societal debates, the development of public history projects, the conservation and valorisation of documentation, and the digitisation of collections. The target audience is very diverse: CegeSoma addresses all those who are interested in the contemporary history of Belgium (and more specifically in its periods of conflict), whether it is the general public or a more academic audience, even schools.
CegeSoma organises diverse activities related to its core themes in its conference room. These include ‘Public History Meetings’, national and international conferences, inter-university seminars, , study days for local history associations and a day more specifically dedicated to the presentation of the best Master's theses on 20th century conflicts from Belgian universities.
Besides its institutional website, CegeSoma has also developed a thematic website (Belgium WWII) which is a virtual platform on Belgium and its inhabitants during the Second World War. Composed of short notes on significant events, key figures, or issues related to the war, this website is aimed at the general public and attempts to provide concise but documented answers to essential questions relating to collaboration, justice and resistance in wartime, for example.
CegeSoma also publishes the Journal of Belgian History, which is the main illustrated scientific journal dedicated to the history of contemporary Belgium (19th and 20th centuries). This journal includes articles, critical reviews of scientific publications, an overview of recent doctoral research and a 'debate' section.
The CegeSoma team also includes project researchers who study the history and memories of contemporary conflicts, or sometimes the more technical aspects of valorising digitised heritage collections.
A special effort is made to digitise and enhance the archives and make them accessible to the general public through the preparation of inventories and databases.
A reading room allows the general public to consult documentation, whether it be books, magazines, certain archives or recordings of interviews with witnesses of the Second World War or photographic archives. A researcher is always available to help if necessary.
We aim to contribute to a better knowledge of history and the mechanisms of remembrance, for the widest possible audience.