Current Ph.D Theses

According to the majority of studies focussed on 19th century popular historiography the most significant characteristics, compared to academic historiography, are the following ones: Narrative elements are of prime importance to achieve comprehensibility; facts and details are reduced due to their minor importance. Nevertheless, the sources analysed in this project expose results diametrically opposite to the last-mentioned feature. On the contrary, authors of popular historical literature in the 19th century used a highly amount of details within their texts. However, these details are only one part of narrative patterns that can be verified in the corpus. Another significant feature is the high frequency of visuality; linguistic imagery (e.g. metaphors) as well as pictures. From this it follows that popular history realized the potential of visual mediality within the context of knowledge transfer early on. The dissertation project focusses on questions relating to the importance of visuality within the communication of knowledge and therefore connects approaches derived from the Visual Turn and History of Ideas and Knowledge. The project analyses the narrative patterns used by the authors employing computer-assisted techniques and focussing on several narrative levels, both in form and content. The goal of the study is to show how narrative patterns work in the context of knowledge transfer within 19th century popular historiography.

Historical Game Studies is a field that uses various theoretical and philosophical approaches to understand how games produce historical knowledge and representations of the past. However, the bridge between developers and academic historians is generally still very one-dimensional. While studios developing historical games often hire or consult historians, the reason for doing so is usually to provide the developers with a marketable source of information to align the game's representation with a pre-existing popular notion of the past. Rarely do developers want or have the space to explore the construction of historical knowledge itself. This dissertation aims to build a bridge between academic history and historical game development by analyzing how historical theories and their popular reception influence the creation of historical games. This will be done by building on the concept of procedural rhetoric, which analyzes digital games' abilities to transport meaning by focusing specifically on their procedural nature. Thus, understanding historical theory as a conceptual building block in the construction of historical knowledge within digital games allows for the analysis of history on a structural level, including the intersections of their mechanical, visual, and narrative elements. Since a comprehensive overview of historical theories is impossible to provide within a single dissertation project, this work will focus on highlighting dominant theories within the three major historical sub-disciplines: political, social, and cultural history.

My research delves into the marginalization of women in Nazi victim trials, focusing particularly on Sinti and Roma women, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Black women. It investigates the processes of “becoming a victim” through both narratological and praxeological lenses. The study examines the historical and legal responses to these crimes in West Germany from 1945 to the present day. Emphasis is placed on the narratives found in the verdicts of reparation trials and their societal implications. Moreover, the research explores whether “becoming a victim” constitutes a specifically female practice. By looking at the continuity of narratives and marginalization practices, the study aims to uncover the intricate dynamics of gender constructions during the Nazi era and their enduring impact. This work seeks to enhance our understanding of the social and cultural mechanisms that contributed to the marginalization of these women. Additionally, it highlights how these mechanisms persist and affect current societal structures.