DeutschResearch
Research Focus
- History and Theory - Theories and Methods of History
- History of Knowledge and Science
- Forms of Forgetting in History
- Gender History, History of Sexuality
- German History in the 19th and 20th century
- US-American History in the 19th and 20th century
- History of Religion
- Dynamics of Order and Perception in Modernity
- Writing History
Habilitation Project: Prussia – A History of Forgetting
The tearing-down, relocation and replacement of memorials, the destruction of cultural objects, the re-naming of cities and streets as well as the reorganization and closing of museums are all part of processes of forgetting. They occur in contexts of political and systemic shifts, during or after wars, on anniversaries or due to social and cultural changes. Yet mostly processes of forgetting are subtle, they happen subconsciously and are unintended. These processes are expressive of how the past and the knowledge about objects, events and individuals undergo change, not least because they (should) not remain honoured and remembered (by the public). But what exactly is historical forgetting? And how does it work to make things and people be forgotten? To put it more precisely – who decides what of the past should be forgotten and how? When does something become forget-worthy? In my new project I use the example of the history of Prussia and its German reception in the 20th century in order to follow up on these questions. The main focus of this project lies on the reinterpretation of objects, the transformation of festivities and spaces, the recourse on traditional values as well as the mediation and reinterpretation of historical knowledge. The goal is to theoretically approach and systematize historical forgetting in a new manner. Further, this project aims to find an answer to the socially relevant question of how processes of forgetting take part in the construction of identity and belonging and how forgetting processes impact the formation of historical understanding and the way the past is dealt and coped with.
Doctoral Thesis (completed): "The Sexualization of Religion – Discourses on Sexuality, Family and Gender in the Methodist Church, 1950-1990“
In US history, religion and sexuality have a remarkable but also tense relationship and religious discourses on contraception, abortion, sexual education, and homosexuality became more and more important during the 20th century. These debates influenced the conceptualization of religious communities in their exclusiveness, the redefinition of family concepts, gender roles and relationships, the regulation of reproduction as well as the negotiation of societal norms and values. Thus, as the study argues, sexuality developed into an essential distinctive feature between different religious communities and built a new demarcation line between liberals and conservatives within individual denominations.