Frank van Vree (1954) is emeritus professor of History of War, Conflict and Memory Studies at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam and associated researcher at the NIOD Institute of War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies of the Royal Academy of Sciences (KNAW) in Amsterdam. During the academic year 2022-2023 he holds the Chaire du Roi Willem-Alexander pour l'étude des Pays-Bas at the University of Liège, Belgium.

Until 2021 Van Vree was director of the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (2016-2021). Previously he had been Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam (2012-2016) and Professor of Media Studies (2001-2016). Together with prof. José van Dijck and others he laid the foundations of the Medias Studies department as well as its Journalism program. Previously he also held a chair in Media History at the Erasmus University (Rotterdam).

Over the years he was visiting scholar at various institutes abroad, a.o. New York University (2010-2011) and most recently (2022) at the Moritz Stern Institute for Intellectual History, Modern Jewish Studies and Enlightenment Culture of the Universität Göttingen.

Van Vree studied modern history and philosophy at the University of Groningen and received his PhD from the University of Leiden. His research and publications - in scholarly journals as well as newspapers and weeklies – focus on two main fields:  history and memory of war and violence in the 20^th century and the history of Dutch media and journalism culture. Together with Rob van der Laarse (UvA) he initiated a major research program, The Dynamics of War Heritage, Memory and Remembrance , which was granted eleven research positions in 2008-2009 by NWO and ten (semi)public and private funds.

As NIOD director Van Vree had the final responsibility over the program Independence, Decolonisation, Violence and War in Indonesia 1945-1950, a joint project of the NIOD, the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) and the Netherlands Institute for Military History (NIMH). The final conclusions of the program were presented on 17 February 2022 and led to official apologies by the Dutch government to the Indonesian people for the widespread use of extreme violence during that war.

Associated researcher NIOD Institut for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Visiting Professor Chaire du Roi Willem-Alexander pour l'étude des Pays-Bas, University of Liège, Belgium

Em. Professor, Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam

- Memory, History, Respresentation, particularly with regard to 20th century war.

- Historical Culture

- Journalism Culture,  Media History  

Monographies

- Clues. Research into provenance history and significance of cultural objects and collections acquired in colonial situations. Amsterdam 2022 (98 pp.) Jona Mooren, Klaas Stutje & Frank van Vree,

- Site of Deportation, Site of Memory. The Amsterdam Hollandsche Schouwburg and the Holocaust (Amsterdam: AUP 2017) with David Duindam, Hetty Berg

- Gevaarlijk spel. De verhouding tussen pr & voorlichting en journalistiek (AMB 2011), met Mirjam Prenger, Leendert van der Valk en Laura van der Wal.

- De wereld als theater. Journalistiek als culturele praktijk (essay AUP 2006)

- Schuivende grenzen.De vrijheid van de journalistiek in een veranderend medialandschap, NVJ/Prometheus Amsterdam 2004) met Mirjam Prenger

 - De politiek van de openbaarheid.Journalistiek en Openbaarheid (Historische Uitgeverij 2000)

- De scherven van de geschiedenis (essay AUP 1999)  

- Het Lood Voorbij - Sijthoff en de Haagsche Courant (Thomas Rap 1998) with Wim Wennekes a.o.

- De metamorfose van een dagblad. Een journalistieke geschiedenis van de Volkskrant (Meulenhof 1996)

- In de schaduw van Auschwitz. Herinneringen, beelden, geschiedenis (Historische Uitgeverij 1995)

- De Nederlandse pers en Duitsland 1930-1939. Een studie over de vorming van de publieke opinie (Historische Uitgeverij 1989)

Volumes (editing)

- Martin van Gelderen & Frank van Vree (eds.), ‘Een joods kind dat weet van eeuwen heeft’. Anne Frank als vluchtelinge, schrijfster en icoon. Amsterdam: Prometheus 2022 (397 pp.)

- Gert Oostindie a.o., Beyond the pale. Dutch extreme violence in the Indonesian War of Independence, 1945-1949. Amsterdam University Press 2022 (578 pp)

- Jodenvervolging in Nederland 1940-1945: Loe de Jong over de Sjoa in Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog . Ed. & introduction C. Kristel, B. Smits & F. van Vree, Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verbum 2018.

- Performing the Past. Memory,History, Identity (Amsterdam University Press 2010) with Karin Tilmans & Jay Winter      

- De dynamiekvan de herinnering. Nederland en de Tweede Wereldoorlogin een internationaal perspectief (Bert Bakker Amsterdam 2009) with Rob van der Laarse       

- Journalistieke Cultuur in Nederland (AUP 2002) with Huub Wijfjes, Jo Bardoel & Chris Vos    

- History of Concepts. Comparative Perspectives (AUP 1998) with Iain Hampsher-Monk & Karin Tilmans [Chinese translation 2010]

- Volkseigen. Ras, cultuur en wetenschap in Nederland 1900-1950 (Walburg Pers 2000) with Barbara Henkes & Martijn Eickhof   

- Tekens en teksten. Cultuur, communicatie en maatschappelijke veranderingen vanaf de late middeleeuwen (AUP 1992) with Henk Kleijer & Ad Knotter