German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C.
Founded on November 18, 1987, in Washington, D.C., as an institute for advanced study in history, the German Historical Institute (GHI) belongs to a long line of German institutions for humanistic study abroad.
The German Archaeological Institute was established in Cairo in 1829. It was followed by the German Historical Institute in Rome (1888), the Institute for Art History in Florence (1897), and the Bibleotheca Hertziana Library in Rome (1913). Initially, the GHI was administered by a foundation that also oversaw the German Historical Institutes in London (1976) and Warsaw (1992). Since 2002, the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C., has been part of the Bonnbased Stiftung Deutsche Geisteswis- senschaftliche Institute im Ausland (Foundation for German Humanities Institutes Abroad, or DGIA). The DGIA also oversees the Oriental Institute in Beirut (1961); the German Institute for Japanese Studies in Tokyo (1988); and the German Historical Institutes in Rome, Paris (1958), London, Warsaw, and Moscow (2003).Although the GHI receives most of its funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Bonn, it is completely independent in its scholarly activities. It receives guidance from an advisory council of German and American scholars, and it reports to the board of trustees of the DGIA. On the American side, the Friends of the German Historical Institute offer scholarly guidance as well as assistance in securing funding from outside sources.
Between 1987 and 2003, the GHI has organized approximately 200 international seminars, symposia, and conferences. More than 3,000 scholars from more than 700 universities and institutes have participated in GHI programs. Many of the institute’s events are aimed toward a broad audience in Washington, D.C. Between 1987 and 2003 the GHI organized more than 200 public lectures and symposia.
The institute’s four book series—published in collaboration with Cambridge University Press (New York), Franz Steiner Verlag (Stuttgart), Berghahn Books (New York), and Rowman and Littlefield (Lan- ham)—have made important contributions to scholarly debates on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. About fifty volumes have grown out of conferences organized by the GHI. Published twice a year, the Bulletin of the German Historical Institute includes scholarly articles, lecture transcripts, and information on institute-sponsored events and research initiatives. More than 6,000 copies of each issue are printed. Additionally, the GHI publishes a series of archival and bibliographic “Reference Guides” that are aimed at facilitating research in German and U.S. history.
Research stands at the center of the GHI’s activities. In addition to helping organize institute programs, GHI research fellows generally pursue postdoctoral projects. Their topics have ranged from the Moravian Indian Mission during the American Revolution to the role of Henry Kissinger in U.S. foreign policy, from the history of philanthropy in Germany and the United States to technology transfer in the postwar period, from the beginnings of democracy in the United States to the politics of European integration, and from the history of the bourgeoisie in Germany to the history of consumerism in the United States.
During its history, GHI has awarded close to 300 travel grants to German and American doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. The institute attaches central importance to the continuous exchange of ideas between young researchers from Germany and the United States. It hosts an ongoing series of transatlantic seminars on various historical periods (from the medieval era to the present day) and topics (e.g., American cultural history, the history of religion, war, the environment, and transatlantic history); the GHI’s Summer Seminar helps American doctoral students prepare for undertaking research in Germany; and each year, the GHI and the Friends of the German Historical Institute award the Fritz Stern Dissertation Prize to two North American historians.
The institute has sought from the outset to support a diverse range of research projects while at the same time giving particular attention to select topics and issues. Each of the directors of the GHI has also set an area of concentration. During the tenure of founding director Hartmut Lehmann (1987-1993), emigration from Europe and flight from persecution were central topics in the GHI’s research program. Under Detlef Junker (1994-1999), the institute’s focus shifted to the cold war and international relations. Current director Christof Mauch has made environmental history and comparative German American history the focus of the institute’s research.
Christof Mauch
See also American Students at German Universities; German Democratic Republic Studies in the United States; German Students at American Universities
References and Further Reading
Junker, Detlef, ed. The German Historical Institute, 1987-1997: A Ten-Year Report. Washington, DC: German Historical Institute, 1998 (GHI Reference Guide No. 10).
Wersich, Rudiger B. “German Historical Institute.” USA-Lexikon: Schlusselbegriffe zu Politik, Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft, Kultur, Geschichte und zu den deutsch- amerikanischen Beziehungen. Ed. Rudiger B. Wersich. Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag, 1995, 321-322.
Zischke, Birgit, ed. The German Historical Institute Washington, D.C.: An Overview of Activities and Programs. Washington, DC: German Historical Institute, 2004.