This issue of "L'Homme. Z. F. G." addresses a critical retro-perspective on national memory and academic cultures of the First World War. It specially focuses on the question of how far female and gender historical approaches played a role in the emerging boom in 2012 concerning the scientific and, media-public activities. The conclusions of the surveys regarding Germany/Austria, France/UK, Italy, Portugal and Hungary are various. However, in all examples it becomes clear that - if considered at all - especially female historical subjects were integrated or the analytical potential of the category gender was merely taken into consideration in order to decentralise and reshape historiographical concepts or narratives of the First Wold War.