Nel de Mûelenaere

I am an associate professor of contemporary history and head of the history program at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. My teaching focuses on the history of warfare, historical research methods, and the philosophy of history. My research investigates the lived experiences of the Belgian people during and after the two world wars, employing an integrated approach that combines social, cultural, and political perspectives. One strand of my work explores the interactions between international philanthropy and social welfare during and after the First World War. Another research line examines the experiences and impact of resistance in Belgium during the Second World War.

I co-founded the 'Traces of the Resistance' chair (2024-2028) on collaboration with the non-profit organization Heroes of the Resistance. This chair aims to promote and share academic and citizen science on the Belgian resistance during the Second World War, as well as make this knowledge accessible to the public. Our collaborative project, 'Last Words', investigates the farewell letters of resistance members who were executed during the war. https://www.laatstewoorden.be/

I held visiting fellowships at UC Berkeley (2022) and Cornell University (2019) and was the academic co-director of the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (2020-2022).  I obtained a PhD in political history (2016) from Antwerp University. My disssertation explored forgotten militarization processes in Belgian society between 1890 and 1914, and was published by Leuven University Press in 2019.  has previously worked at NISE- National Movements and Intermediary Structures in Europe and CegeSoma – the Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society (Belgium).