@matteomillan
Historian of only the most cheerful subjects, such as fascism, paramilitary, armed associations and most recently guns. PI of the ERC funded project EU-GUNS (@euguns.bsky.social). Full professor at the University of Padova and proud citizen of Arcellatown.
Our last panel is chaired by the head of our project, @matteomillan.bsky.social, and includes papers from Laura Schettini and our team member, @roxanebm.bsky.social. The topics are firearms in French households as well as women's self-defence in France and Italy. #euguns #globarms #unipd #sorbonne
EU-GUNS & GlobArms are not slowing down and coming to you with a new event! In cooperation with @arnaudhoute.bsky.social from @sorbonne-universite.fr, @roxanebm.bsky.social, @azzab.bsky.social and @matteomillan.bsky.social are organising a symposium on self-defence and private security in FR and IT.
Dr. @rblakebrown.bsky.social of @historysmu.bsky.social was a visiting professor last month at @unipd.bsky.social in #Italy. His activities included a guest lecture on "Canadian Gun Culture and Firearm Regulation, 1867-1935". @euguns.bsky.social @matteomillan.bsky.social #SMUHistory #artswithimpact
The head of our project, @matteomillan.bsky.social, is now outlining the EU-GUNS project, its goals and lines of research.
#aha2026 #euguns #gunhistory
We're back with our series of staff introductions, and @martinjx2.bsky.social is up next! Born and raised in Stockholm, he studied history at the universities of Uppsala, Edinburgh and Gothenburg...
Bye Bye Chicago.
π£ #STEXEU is hiring an early-career researcher!
The researcher will join the project team, led by Arturo Zoffmann Rodriguez, and focus on historical research on authoritarianism, states of exception, and the crisis of democracy in #Germany in the years 1900-1939.
π ihc.fcsh.unl.pt/en/jr-stexeu...
What a day at the AHA! The EU-GUNS folks put together three outstanding panels on US-Europe gun history. So good!
EU-GUNS & GlobArms are on the road! We are going to Chicago for the annual meeting of @historians.org, the worldβs largest annual gathering of historians, where we will meet new and old colleagues and share our innovative research on the history of European gun cultures, gun control and arms trade.
The second day of the workshop "New Perspectives on the History of Firearms" has begun with Prof. @matteomillan.bsky.social's introduction into the ERC EU-GUNS project.
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
Prof. Sven Reichardt is giving a talk about the use of guns by fascist paramilitaries in Italy and Germany
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
@azzab.bsky.social and @matteomillan.bsky.social's conference starts today! @rblakebrown.bsky.social inaugurates the workshop with a microhistorical investigation on a Toronto-based arms retailer.
The workshop "New Perspectives on the History of Firearms" begins now! The organisers, @azzab.bsky.social and @matteomillan.bsky.social, have welcomed the audience.
If you're in Padova, feel free to join us at Palazzo Liviano! (Pzza Capitaniato 7)
#gunhistory #globarms #euguns #unipd #dissgeaunipd
@historyned.bsky.social then discussed the role of German arms dealers in shaping the entrepreneurial imperial expansion
Domani per chi si trova a Padova
Itβs going to be a very busy week for the EU-GUNS and GlobArms projects! We have planned the following two events at @unipd.bsky.social:
The Boer War (1899β1902) represented a crucial turning point in the education and leisure culture of the British youth. It encouraged the introduction of rifle shooting in schools and youth associations as well as the spread of miniature rifle clubs...
It's time to introduce our expert on the British gun history, Anna Moro! Anna is a PhD student in History at the University of Padua. #euguns #unipd #dissgea_unipd #dissgea
The EU-GUNS project investigates the second life of military rifles and how this seemingly obsolete hardware shaped the relationship between Europeans and guns for decades. #euguns #eugunssnippets #gunhistory #europeanhistory
Old British Martini-Henry rifles β the weapon that helped conquer the British Empire in the second half of the 19th century β were converted into miniature rifles for training young British boys and for use in indoor shooting galleries.
Major manufacturers as well as artisanal gunsmiths converted French Gras and Italian Vetterli rifles into shotguns that were cheap enough to be affordable to many rural hunters and farmers.
An often overlooked consequence of this was that millions of old-model rifles ended up in military stores. Some were sold to non-European countries or used in colonial wars, but hundreds of thousands ended up on the civilian market.
In the last third of the 19th century, major technological changes transformed the world of small arms. The invention of bolt-action rifles and, more importantly, smokeless powder meant that governments had to adopt new military rifle models to avoid falling behind in the arms race.
The next person from our team we would like to present is Assumpta Castillo CaΓ±iz! She earned her PhD from the University of Padova in 2021 with a dissertation on political violence and armed associations in pre-World War I Europe, as part of the ERC project βThe Dark Side of the Belle Γpoqueβ.
A rifleβs journey often extends far beyond the battlefield it was built for.
This image shows members of the Ulster Volunteer Force in Ireland marching in 1914 amid rising tensions over Home Rule. Among their weapons were likely Vetterli-Vitali rifles... #globarms #unipd #dissgea #europeanhistory
Meet our expert on the German gun history, Mathias Foit! He is a graduate of the University of WrocΕaw, Poland, and the Free University of Berlin, where he defended his doctoral thesis. #euguns #unipd #dissgea_unipd
And sometimes, archival research yields surprises! This pistol was manufactured and registered in 1911 by the Basque firm Esperanza y Unceta. Known as the βVictoria,β it is an adapted copy of the popular Browning 1906 model. #euguns #eugunssnippets #unipd #dissgea #spanishhistory
We continue presenting members of our fantastic research team - today, it's our expert on France, @roxanebm.bsky.social! Roxane Bonnardel Mira is a graduate of Paris 1 PanthΓ©on-Sorbonne and University of Tours (France), where she obtained her PhD. #euguns #unipd #dissgea_unipd
We are happy to present the conference which will take place in Naples, 6 and 7 March 2026, on "Violence and Empire"
Here is attached the CFP including a list of themes we are interested into
Deadline for proposals November 16, authors will be notified by January 9
In the coming months, EU-GUNS will further explore the significance of this duality for prewar Swedish shooting sports and the transformation of the role of guns in the public sphere. (Source for the photo: Stockholm City Museum, author unknown)