The LRE Foundation is pleased to welcome Dr. Jana Wohlmuth Markupová and Dr. Sarah Gensburger as new members of its Historical Advisory Board. With their expertise, both scholars will bring valuable perspectives to the Foundation’s mission of preserving and promoting the memory of the Second World War across generations and borders.
Dr. Jana Wohlmuth Markupová
Dr. Jana Wohlmuth Markupová is an Assistant Professor of Oral History and Contemporary History at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague, where she has played a key role in academic activities for almost a decade. She currently serves as Chairperson of the Czech Oral History Association, Member of the Editorial Board of Biography Studies, and Member of the Academic Senate of the Faculty of Humanities.
Dr. Wohlmuth Markupová is the author and co-author of numerous academic publications, and her scholarship often bridges personal memory and collective experience, highlighting the value of individual stories in understanding broader historical processes.
For Dr. Wohlmuth Markupová, studying contemporary history – defined as the history since 1945 – does not mean moving away from the Second World War, but rather recognising how deeply it continues to shape the world we live in. As she explains,
“It only emphasises the importance of reminding us of its impact on the world we live in, which we may tend to forget, as the last witnesses of these events leave, or rather have already left. I am happy that the LRE Foundation attempts to do just that, and I am excited to participate in these efforts as a member of the Historical Advisory Board.”
Dr. Sarah Gensburger
Dr. Sarah Gensburger is a Full Professor of Political Science, Sociology and History at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Sciences Po Paris. Between 2021 and 2024, she served as President of the Memory Studies Association, the largest international scholarly network dedicated to memory research.
Bringing together political science and history, Dr. Gensburger’s research critically examines public policies of remembrance and their effects on society. As a historian, she is widely recognized for her work on the micro-history of the Holocaust in Paris, using space and geography to study social dynamics during times of crisis.
She is the author of fifteen books, including her latest publication, Appartements témoins. La spoliation des locataires juifs à Paris, 1940–1946 (La Découverte, 2025), co-written with Isabelle Backouche and Eric Le Bourhis. The book, which investigates the dispossession of Jewish tenants in wartime Paris, has been awarded the Albertine Translation Grant 2025.
Speaking about her involvement with the LRE Foundation, Dr. Gensburger notes:
“We need to take stock of the European memory policies and their impact. In this regard, the LRE Foundation seems a perfect place to do so in the best possible way.”
About the Historical Advisory Board
The Historical Advisory Board of the LRE Foundation advises on the definition of the historical scope of the Foundation’s projects and supervises content and research development. By welcoming Dr. Wohlmuth Markupová and Dr. Gensburger, the Board strengthens its commitment to ensuring that the Foundation’s work remains rooted in rigorous scholarship and a diversity of historical perspectives.
