The "Même pas peur! between education, experience and commitment

This article is taken from the "Tomorrow Learn" column in Omalius magazine's June 2024 issue.

Under the direction of Professor Isabelle Parmentier, it is the fruit of two collaborations. On the one hand, future historians have benefited from the expertise of Julie Duchêne, FRESH/FNRS doctoral student at PolleN (Pôle de l'histoire environnementale de l'Université de Namur) and the ILEE Institute (Institute of Life, Earth and Environment) at UNamur. Through innovative, interdisciplinary research, she decided to examine the history of the wolf in Wallonia from the 18th to the 20th century. As scientific curator of the project, Julie Duchêne contributed historical, paleogenetic and ethological data to build the exhibition.

On the other hand, the HECTOR podcasts "Histoire(s) du grand méchant loup" (series 4 - episode 1) and "Les diplomates" (series 4 - episode 2) by Céline Rase, PhD in history, served as a starting point for the construction of the exhibition's red thread. As an additional source, these podcasts brought a narrative dimension to the exhibition.

By combining Julie Duchêne's scientific data with Céline Rase's evocative stories, the project was intended to be both instructive and cultural. The exhibition reflected a chronological evolution showing the variations in the image of the wolf throughout history, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. And it did so in order to highlight the debates linked to the current situation of the wolf's return today.

The exhibition "Même pas peur! Une évolution de l'image du loup à travers les siècles" offered much more than a simple immersion in the history of the wolf in Wallonia. This ambitious educational project embodies the fusion between scientific research and the popularization of knowledge, while offering students a professionalizing experience. "The exhibition project has two pedagogical objectives, details Isabelle Parmentier, professor of history and exhibition coordinator. "The first is to explore a mode of communicating scientific knowledge that is more focused on the general public. The second objective is to enable learners to immerse themselves in a more accomplished form of realization.Indeed, this goes far beyond academic work. Here, there's a public to be visited, guided tours, various aspects for which the result must be professional. Our aim is to provide training in the scientific mastery of historical research, but from a different pedagogical angle, where everyone can give free rein to their imagination and explore all kinds of avenues that prove fruitful in the context of such a project.". In designing and producing the exhibition, the aim was to reflect on how to make historical information understandable and engaging for different audiences.

To design the exhibition, a team of nine male and female students were involved in the project. "It was very enriching because it allowed us to learn more about subjects we wouldn't see during our degree course," shares Cécile Bourdon, a third-year bachelor's student in history at UNamur and involved in the project. "In history, we usually deal more with human history than animal history. By creating this exhibition, we had the opportunity to combine this learning with a fundamental objective of the historian's profession: the popularization of science. Managing a project like this is an asset for our future career. It's very interesting to have this kind of training as part of our curriculum.".

This professional immersion experience also enabled participants to develop skills directly linked to the reality of the field. "Resilience was one of the qualities to have during this project. Knowing how to bounce back from the unexpected is something we often had to do.But satisfaction takes over once we perceive visitors' smiles as they leave the exhibition." explains Théo Di Pillo, a third-year bachelor's student in history, also involved in the project. "We were able to think about and design the exhibition from A to Z: which audience to target, how to write the texts, what tone to use to communicate to the general public, etc. It was a stimulating but rather anxiety-provoking project at the same time, as we wanted everything to be perfect," add Cécile Bourdon and Théo Di Pillo.

This original project has won over several Belgian institutions and will tour at Pairi Daiza, in spring 2025 and then at the Musée Gaumais in Virton, from October 2025 to January 2026.

Finally, the exhibition is not just a one-off experience. It is part of a wider movement to support wolf research in Wallonia, illustrating the importance of scientific research in understanding and preserving our environment. By encouraging the public to support this research financially, the exhibition creates a tangible link between the past and the present, inviting everyone to contribute to the sustainable management of our ecosystem.