Prof. Dr. Johannes Paulmann

As a historian of Europe, I am interested in the diverse forms and practices of social interaction and coexistence. How did living together – with, against or next to each other – change in modern history? What were the historical conditions for different ways of organizing social relationships? How do past ideas of living together continue to have an effect in the European present in its global references? Above all, processes of differentiation and mobility have repeatedly posed challenges to societies by reinforcing social, cultural and political boundaries and conflicts, but also by facilitating new connections across internal and external social boundaries. I have dealt extensively with these questions in my book "Globale Vorherrschaft und Fortschrittsglaube: Europa 1850 - 1914" (C.H. Beck-Verlag 2019).

I have been Director of the Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) and Professor of Modern History at JGU since 2011. From 2012 to 2023, the IEG's research program focused on the central theme of "Negotiating Differences in Modern Europe". The coordination and collaboration with the international postdocs working at the institute provides me with constant inspiration for my own research. The collaboration with my colleagues at JGU in the CRC Human Differentiation is not only closely related to the topic, but also has an impact on the Leibniz Institute's program due to its interdisciplinarity.

Before coming to Mainz, following my studies in Munich and Leicester, I led a nomadic academic life with stays in Tübingen, London, Munich, Bremen and Mannheim. I enjoyed occasional visiting positions in London, Oxford, Paris and Montréal. In my research, I have moved thematically from British social history to the cultural history of European foreign relations and monarchies to the history of international relations and organizations, most recently with a focus on the history of humanitarian aid.

Foto: Stephanie Füssenich