Invitation to the Scientific Conference: „Forgeries and Myths in History”

In the autumn of 2025, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk will host the exhibition Fake for Real: A History of Forgery and Falsification, curated by the House of European History in Brussels. Alongside the exhibition, the Museum will organize a scholarly conference focused on this intriguing topic.
 

Throughout history, false narratives have primarily served political agendas, shaping particular visions of the past and influencing contemporary perceptions of events. The falsification of documents, destruction of sources, and creation of fictional accounts have all played a crucial role in crafting official state histories, with profound consequences for how we understand the past. Today, this phenomenon manifests in various forms, from fake news to advanced manipulations of images and sound, such as deepfake technology. The rise of artificial intelligence has only intensified the blurring of lines between fact and fiction, leading some to call our current era the "age of post-truth."

Yet it is important to differentiate between forgery and myth. While historical myths often arise from the repetition of unverified opinions, the need to legitimize authority, over-interpretation, or restricted access to sources, they are not intentional falsehoods. Rather, they represent one of the ways communities shape their identities and historical memory. Unlike myths, forgeries and manipulations are typically associated with disinformation and propaganda, but they have not always been tools of deceit; in certain circumstances, they have served as vital forms of protection – concealing identities during persecution, saving lives, or enabling operations in occupied territories.

The conference seeks to explore the latest research on forgeries and historical myths – both those crafted through deliberate manipulation and those that emerge from incomplete scholarship or a failure to critically assess sources.

List of Proposed Topics:
•    Historical Myths: Past and Present
•    Cases of Source Forgery – Beyond Written Records
•    Negationism as a Form of Deception
•    New Perspectives on Existing Research: Opportunities and Threats
•    Social Barriers to Redefining Sources and Debunking Historical Falsehoods
•    Subjectivity of Historical Sources
•    Is Every Historian a Propagandist?
•    Profiles of Individuals Distorting History
•    Falsehood as a Comfort Zone for Individuals and States
•    Generative AI – Opportunities and Risks
•    Forgery of Iconographic Sources
•    The Psychology of Deception
•    Other Related Topics Relevant to the Conference Theme
 

Submissions and Deadlines:
Applications should be submitted in the form of a completed electronic form to konferencja2025@muzeum1939.pl by 31 May 2025. Selected participants will be notified of their acceptance by 30 June 2025.
 

Conference Format:
The conference will take place from 15–17 October 2025, at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, pl. Władysława Bartoszewskiego 1. Online presentations will not be available.
Speakers are requested to prepare their presentations in Polish or English (simultaneous translation will be provided). Presentations should not exceed 20 minutes.
The conference will be structured into thematic panels, each concluding with a summary by the panel moderators. The event will be live-streamed on the Museum’s YouTube channel, and a recording will be archived on the Museum’s website.
Publication of Papers:
Selected papers will be published in post-conference proceedings and made openly accessible on the Museum’s website.
Submission deadline for full texts: 30 October 2025.
The publication is scheduled for 2026.