Stefan Berger is Professor of Social History and Director of the Institute for Social Movements at Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum. He is also Executive Chair of the Foundation History of the Ruhr and Honorary Professor at Cardiff University in the UK. Before taking up his current position in 2011 he was Professor of German and Comparative European History at the University of Manchester (2005 – 2011), Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Glamorgan (2000 – 2005), Senior Lecturer in German History and Vice-Director of the Centre for German History at Cardiff University (1991 – 2000), Lecturer in British Social History at the University of Plymouth (1990/91). Before that he was a PhD student and Rhodes Scholar at Trinity College, University of Oxford, between 1987 and 1990. Before that he studied history, German literature and political science at the University of Cologne in Germany. He was awarded a scholarship of the German National Scholarship Foundation following his A levels that he took in 1983. As a conscientious objector he did his alternative to military service between 1983 and 1985.
Email: stefan.berger@rub.de
Website: http://www.isb.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/mitarbeiter/berger/index.html.de
Current project
I am currently developing a new research project that seeks to investigate the memory of industrial pasts and deindustrialisation processes in global perspective. The idea behind the project is to bring together the sub-disciplines of deindustrialisation studies, memory studies, social movement studies and heritage studies. It seeks to bring into dialogue studies from the global south and from the global north. Working with a theoretical frame that brings together theories of agonistic memory, the concept of ‘futures past’ by Reinhart Koselleck and the notion of ‘practical pasts’ by Hayden White, the aim is to produce a monograph that seeks to systematically compare different experiences with memorialisation processes around industrialisation and deindustrialisation in global perspectives. I have applied to the European Research Council to seek funding for this project and I envisage this project to keep me busy for the next ten years.
