Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Faculty of Humanities and Social Science - History of Education

Research

Research Profile

Education and 'Bildung' are the two most challenging research fields of our times: they are being discussed controversially, they are politically delicate, and their systematic study is extremely polymorphic. In general, I focus on the question of the effectivity of 'Bildung' and education in socio-political and social contexts. In this context I look at the complexity of intentions, effects and perspectives on different levels and of actors of these processes.

Within the History of Education, my interests are especially in the disparate perspectives, experiences and interpretations of the subjects in pedagogical processes as aspects of a pedagogical historiography as well as the development of trends of 'Bildung' and education in their dimensions of continuities and discontinuities. The most appealing challenge for me is the elaboration of procedural breaks, extraordinary perspectives as well as least expectable patterns of interpretation and action in the pedagogical area.

 

Topical focus

  • Education and 'Bildung' under circumstances of dictatorship (National Socialism and GDR), especially the question of the relationship of political-educational intention and their effect on the side of the subjects
  • Education and 'Bildung' in the area of conflict of minority and majority, especially the question of educational realities and chances for minorities but also the subjective expercience and interpretation patterns of education
  • Photography analysis from an image-scientific perspective, methodological and methodical challenges of the use of photographs as sources for educational historical research, development of serial-iconographical photo analysis
  • Visual research in the field of Education Studies
  • Ego-documents as a source of historical and current research of education with a focus on experience and effect of education and 'Bildung' from a subjective view
  • Transfer of concepts of education and ideals of education in the course of global decolonisation, especially the role of the Eastern bloc countries.

 

Current Projects

 

"Education for all." Self and foreign images in the production and circulation of a central myth in transnational context (Project supervisors: Prof. Dr. Marcelo Caruso & Dr. Jane Weiß, Humboldt-University, Collaborative Project "MythErz").​​

 

Finished projects

 

Educational biographies of successful Sinti and Roma women (together with Dr. Elizabeta Jonuz, University Cologne).

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Photographical practice and educational collaboration in the pedagogical area of the GDR using the example of the "School of Friendship" in Straßfurt: 

900 Mozambican children and adolescents were supposed to be turned into the new socialist minded skilled worker elite of Mozambique in this educational establishment. Around 1,780 photographs from this context were analysed with the help of the serial-iconographical photo analysis. (finished PhD project) 

 

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Study on the educational situation of German Sinti and Roma: under supervision of Daniel Strauß (Romnokher), the educational situation of the German Sinti and Roma was analysed for the first time within this national minority. For that purpose, 275 oral interviews in different areas of West-Germany and Berlin were conducted and qualitatively content-analytically evaluated. The study was methodically supervised by Alexander von Plato. (finished project, publication: Studie zur aktuellen Bildungssituation deutscher Sinti und Roma. Dokumentation und Forschungsbericht. hrsg. von Daniel Strauß. Marburg: I-Verb.de, 2011, 

 

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