The NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies ImageLab is looking for a Research Intern History’s Darkroom: Imagining and Understanding War, Mass Violence & Visual Culture from WWII to the Digital Age. 

As a Research Intern you will work closely with the NIOD ImageLab research team to successfully implement the “History’s Darkroom” project.  

Rapid developments in visual technology and digital archives continually change how we experience, see, think about, remember and represent war and mass violence. NIOD’s ImageLab analyses the historical significance and affective force of images developed in the ‘darkroom of history’ and remediated in the digital age. The project explores how new technology relates to the visual memory of various wars and genocides in the 20th and 21st century through research that engages critically with images in Beeldbank WO2 (the online Dutch WWII ImageBank), and will in particular focus on these developments in relation to online memory of the Holocaust. In the age of ‘post-truth’ where images are manipulated and re-purposed, there is an urgent need to develop critical visual literacy amongst researchers across disciplines for interpreting images of war and violence.

The ImageLab’s research programme will begin by developing a case study highlighting the research potential (and cultural significance) of Beeldbank WO2: an analysis of photographs representing Jewish people who were forced to wear the Yellow Star during the Nazi regime. Although these compelling images have been at the centre of transnational representations of the Holocaust ever since, they have rarely been studied in depth. The ImageLab will produce an integrated study of the iconic symbol and the personal histories it affected and of current appropriations of the Yellow Star in COVID-19 related protests.

Internship description:
NIOD is looking for a creative and enthusiastic Research Intern who will work closely with the ImageLab research team. Responsibilities will include:

• Identifying historical images in the BeeldbankWO2, checking what metadata is available and what is missing (necessary to provide building blocks for a crowdsourcing project)
• Establishing what kinds of images with yellow stars can be found in collections such as JoodsMonument.nl
• Tracing where and in which context these images have been used/ circulated in publications (photobooks) and exhibitions
• Monitoring and organizing contemporary images by dates and places and gathering reactions for a social media analysis
• Library research

• Research experience (a BA degree in history, visual studies, art and design, cultural/memory/museum studies);
• Good organizing skills;
• The ability to work both independently and in a team;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Dutch;
• Good IT skills and experience with digital design and media, including social media;
• And last but not least: you have an affinity with the mission of NIOD and an interest in visual history and the history of the Second World War and its significance for society today.

Duration of the internship:
The internship at NIOD is for a period of 3 months (3 days a week), starting in December 2021.

The internship fee is €150,-.

NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies

NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (NIOD-KNAW) is an Academy research institute. The NIOD’s expertise lies in the dissemination of knowledge about the Second World War, the Holocaust and genocide. In addition to research, NIOD offers content-rich, intensive services. Both professionals and private individuals can approach NIOD for information or to consult its extensive collection.