"A special way of dealing with history is to use you as an object of utility." The sentence sounds sober, he refers to his ironic provocation, but on the energy, the Guy Marchal, in his exploration of popular images of history drive. However, he was never as heroic "myth-breaker", but as a researcher who wanted to explain why certain ideas have shaped to this day the image of a distinctive Swiss history.

It is the assistance time, horror was in the case of František, the Guy Marchal prompted to deal with our familiar and still fascinating master narratives. His habilitation thesis treated as early as 1976, the come tell of Schwyz, and the upper Hasler. The Text "The answer of the farmers" in 1987, explained why the confederates since the age of 15. Century a history of the image used in the the memory of blood-thirsty battles and demonstrative piety found in a curious way: The "Old confederates" saw in their victory a sign that they were the "chosen people of God" of the Old Testament.

the Latter, an offset piece of, the many national stories fired up, as Guy Marchal, in the context of a European research programme later was able to demonstrate forms. It was never our intention to make the fervor of Confederate history drunkenness ridiculous, but to explain that Patriotic noise should be under scientific control is still possible.

research curiosity

In Marc's neck of the researches were not confined to the late middle ages, but he turned to the Modern. The history of the 19th century. and also 20. Century there was, as you know, the old stories in a new, well chosen national concept of a genuinely Swiss history. The extensive article "The history of the "Old confederates" through the ages of 15. Century testifies to the end of the Second world war" (2003), this yielding extension of Marc's neck field of research.

in addition to this multifaceted scientific work, Guy Marchal also took important organizational tasks: The reorganization of the Swiss society for the history and the establishment of the faculty of Humanities at the University of Lucerne, where he had been since 1989, the Department of General and Swiss history held.

After his retirement in 2003, Guy Marchal of his research curiosity could run wild. On the road – for example, on a container ship from Hamburg to South America he explored the continents and worlds, he had not yet met. His long-standing wife, Monika, the "first reader with cheerful irony and cogent criticism accompanied him".

He also wrote "controlled fiction"

those Who experienced the two of them together, always felt their mutual sympathy, coupled by respect and joy about the willfulness of the other. In their travels, the visual talent of a Guy Marchal, whose photographs always hit the right Moment showed itself. The sense of images and colors can be found today in the case of your son, Eric Marchal again, the lives of his sister Mi Hwa in Basel.

in Spite of severe disease, Guy Marchal retained his alertness, and his Forschungselan. In December 2019 Gustloff in the trash", a "research crime "appeared", wherein Marchal traced the murky Nazi past of a married brother-in-law of his father, who convinced himself was on active service.

The narrow source location prompted the author, also "controlled fiction" insert. He wanted to clarify that historical research is always trying to accomplish a connection from facts and fiction faction to. If this is done openly and explicitly, the history is still a verifiable science.

At the last visit at the bedside at the end of February Guy had a Marchal relaxed and satisfied. His Knowledge of the imminent parting, he shared with Monika, and the two of you experienced in a touching way, the stoic Ideal of Galene, of the serene calm sea of the soul. On 3. March died, Guy Paul Marchal at the age of 81 years.

* Claudius Sieber-Lehmann is a lecturer in medieval history at the University of Basel.

Created: 08.03.2020, 17:25 PM