ODIS-2 database launch: Enabling comparative and transnational studies on national movements.

On 29 November 2013, the renewed ODIS-2 database was officially launched at the Flemish Parliament. ODIS-2 is a tool that during the last decade has demonstrated that a modern and multifunctional online instrument can support very different research and cultural heritage initiatives and that it can build bridges that allows scholarly researchers and heritage institutions to collectively produce reciprocal surplus value.

In the framework of the launching, some of the leading partners of the ODIS participated in a discussion on the future role that the resource can play in both international scientific programmes and cultural heritage.

The National movements & Intermediary Structures in Europe (NISE) is an initiative of the ADVN, a government-funded archives, documentation and research centre in Antwerp (Belgium) with more than twenty-five years experience in data management, research and archival collection regarding the Flemish movement and Flemish nationalism. The ADVN still acts as the coordination centre for the platform.

CMC Scientific Board members Xosé Manoel Núñez Seixas and Luc Boeva; gave a speech where they pointed out the main features of the platform and the main aim of the research, heuristic and archival platform, which is to enable comparative and transnational studies on nationalism within a well-defined research area. Mapping out personal and institutional relations between national movements will enable researchers to study political and cultural transfers.

The launch and presentation of these two online tools are of great importance as archiving and historical research are base to gather yesterday’s information, which is today’s resource, helping us broaden our experiences and making us more understanding and appreciative of our human nature and uniqueness. Indeed, by knowing our past, we know the present condition better and therefore we can better understand topics such as Nationalism, Management of cultural and linguistic diversity in complex societies, Multilevel governance, Decentralization, State and constitutional reform, Secession of states and self-determination, Political and economical governance of Sub-Central Governments, Conflict resolution, Human Rights and Peace promotion; which the Centre Maurits Coppieters (CMC) promotes.