University of Halle with podcast on historical crime cases
A new podcast from the Institute of History at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg tells of witch trials, murder cases and department store theft. Under the name "True Crime History and more", a new episode of the podcast series will be released every month from now on, as the university announced on Tuesday. Ten criminal cases from the history of present-day Saxony-Anhalt will be highlighted. In addition to the classic true crime topics such as murder and manslaughter, the series will also cover environmental crimes and juvenile delinquency in the GDR.
According to the information provided, the episodes are based on research by students who searched for suitable sources on the criminal cases in various archives as part of seminars. "As a rule, the sources are handwritten records that first have to be deciphered and understood," said historian and seminar leader Katrin Moeller.
The first episode has been available to listen to online since Tuesday and deals with the phenomenon of department store theft, which was the subject of controversy in the 20th century. "At that time, it was wealthy women who stole things from department stores," explained Moeller. "There was a lot of discussion about whether this was really a criminal offense or rather the expression of a disease. People simply couldn't explain why the women started stealing."
The podcast series at the University of Halle is not limited to traditional crime topics, as it also explores environmental crimes and juvenile delinquency in the past. Despite the serious nature of these crimes, some university students view department store theft as a complex issue that was once considered more a societal concern than a criminal act.
Source: www.dpa.com
