prof.dr. G (Gijsbert) Oonk

Biography

Gijsbert Oonk holds the endowed (Jean Monnet) chair: Europe in Globalizing World: Migration, Citizenship and Identity. This chair promotes education and research in the field of Global History, European Studies and National Identity. The Jean Monnet chairs are an initiative of the European Commission to promote education, research and reflection in the field of European integration studies at higher education institutions. Oonk is director of the Sport and Nation research program at Erasmus University Rotterdam. This interdisciplinary research program focuses on talented athletes with a migrant background within football and the Olympic Games in the context of changing citizenship, multiple citizenship and elite migration. For more information see: www.sportandnation.com

Oonk is also one of the academic advisers of EUROCLIO (European Association of History Educators). The chair will inspire the EUROCLIO program: Engaging History Education through memories and legacies of Europe's favorite sports. This program aims to promote the historical thinking of young people through football. The shared history of Europe generates a strong sense of togetherness and responsibility. This feeling can bring about active citizenship, especially among young people who are often less interested in study and history. Another goal of the project is to write a textbook: The Constitution in Utopia? Towards a just world in ten cases. The intended target groups are students, history teachers in secondary education, journalists and policy makers.