Jürgen Osterhammel facts for kids
Jürgen Osterhammel (born in 1952 in Wipperfürth, Germany) is a famous German historian. He is an expert in the history of China and world history. He used to be a professor at the University of Konstanz and is now a professor emeritus, which means he has retired but is still highly respected.
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Jürgen Osterhammel's Education and Career
Starting His Journey in History
Jürgen Osterhammel began his studies in 1976 at the London School of Economics in England. There, he worked with Professor Ian Nish. In 1980, he earned his PhD in modern history from the University of Kassel in Germany. A PhD is a very high university degree that shows someone is an expert in their field.
Teaching and Research Roles
After getting his PhD, Osterhammel became a fellow at the German Historical Institute in London in 1982. From 1986 to 1990, he taught political science at the University of Freiburg in Germany.
He then became a professor of modern history at FernUniversität Hagen for seven years. This is a special university where students learn from home, and it has many students in Germany. He also taught at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva before moving to the University of Konstanz in 1999. In 2001 and 2002, he was a fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. In 2014, he was chosen as a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, which is a great honor for scholars.
Other Important Activities
Jürgen Osterhammel was also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Volkswagen Foundation. A Board of Trustees helps guide an organization, making sure it uses its resources well for good causes, like supporting research.
Awards and Recognitions
Jürgen Osterhammel has received several important awards for his work:
- In 2010, he won the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. This award is given to scientists and academics in Germany for their amazing achievements in research.
- In 2014, he received the Sigmund Freud Prize.
- In 2017, he was honored with the Pour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts.
- In 2018, he received the Balzan Prize for Global History. He won this award because of his important contributions to studying global history and helping to define what that field is all about. The award also recognized his careful research and his ability to connect different historical events in a balanced way.
Areas of Historical Study
Jürgen Osterhammel focuses his research on several key areas:
- Colonialism: This is about how one country takes control over another country or region, often exploiting its resources and people.
- Eurasian history since the 18th century: This looks at the history of Europe and Asia together, starting from the 1700s.
- History and theory of historiography: This is the study of how history is written and how historians do their work.
- World or global history: This involves looking at history from a worldwide perspective, understanding how different parts of the world are connected.
