What can oral history reveal about fairground life that conventional archives cannot? In conversation with three retired showwomen, historian Véronique Faber and filmmaker Alexandra Rice recorded memories of work, family life and skills learned through practice. Together with Nele Wynants, they reflect on what happens when women remember their working lives collectively – and on how oral history can preserve traces of a mobile and performative culture that might otherwise be lost.

Can large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI) unlock the secrets hidden within historical documents, such as showpeople periodicals? This question propelled researchers from the universities of Antwerp, Luxembourg, and Marburg to explore the potential of LLM/AI in a one-day workshop. On 12 March 2024, scholars from the University of Antwerp (ARIA), the University of Luxembourg (C2DH), and the University of Marburg (Institute for Media Studies) joined forces to conduct preliminary tests for an interdisciplinary research project. This international group of researchers aims…