European Moments is a research and public engagement project based at Oxford University that explores how Europeans across different generations understand their place in the continent's evolving story. Led by Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies at Oxford, the initiative brings together young Europeans to investigate formative experiences that have shaped European identity and consciousness.
The project operates through multiple formats, including recorded interviews, podcasts, and written documentation that capture diverse European perspectives on defining historical and contemporary moments. Rather than presenting a singular European narrative, European Moments seeks to document the complexity of lived experience across the continent, examining how individuals from different backgrounds and nations relate to shared or divergent European concerns.
The team conducts interviews with a wide range of Europeans, asking participants about their most formative, best, and worst European moments. This participatory approach acknowledges that European identity is not monolithic but emerges from countless personal stories and collective memories. The project recognizes that younger generations in particular grapple with questions about European unity, national identity, and the continent's future direction in ways distinct from those who lived through postwar reconstruction or Cold War division.
By combining academic rigor with accessible public engagement, European Moments functions simultaneously as a research initiative and a media project that seeks to broaden public dialogue about Europe's past, present, and future. The work reflects ongoing scholarly interest in understanding how Europeans across generations construct meaning from historical change and envision their continental future.