IDEAs Lecture with Prof. Laurence Badel - "Woodward or the 'embedded historian' - From the battlefields to European diplomacy"

On Wednesday 16 September 2026, the Inter-Departmental European Advanced Studies (IDEAs) programme organised the introductory lecture of the annual study trip to Flanders Fields. Historian and Professor at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Prof. Laurence Badel delivered the presentation "Woodward or the 'embedded historian' - From the battlefields to European diplomacy".

Beginning with an overview of Woodward's career, she showed how the First World War marked his path from historian to diplomat. This individual case provided the basis for a broader discussion of the links between history and diplomacy in Europe's collective memory. She argued that the European diplomatic system was forged by the experiences of the world wars and is now being reshaped by the reorganisation of the international order.

'This presentation and the following exchange [aim to] add a new dimension to our collective memory of the First World War, through new ways of thinking about War and Peace, Diplomacy and History. This reflection is precisely what this Flanders Field day is about, as part of the Esprit du Collège which brings us all here: to reflect on our collective past and prepare our collective future.' — Prof. Didier Georgakakis, Academic Coordinator of the IDEAs programme

The lecture was followed by an insightful Q&A session with students of the College of Europe. We warmly thank Prof. Laurence Badel for joining us today and the students for their valuable contributions to the discussion.