Research

Research Priorities: German and European history since the 18th century, the history of economic endeavours, of industrialisation, of workers and labour, of the European Bourgeoisie and of capitalism, historiographical comparatistics, and problems in the theory of historiography

Jürgen Kocka is a German social historian. As one of the most influential contemporary scientists he is concerned with, amongst other things, the history of capitalism. Here, he considers both its social and economic achievements as well as its crises and contradictions. He not only investigates economic proceses but also changes in working conditions and liveworlds. Furthermore, he studies the development of social classes, stratas, and groups.

Jürgen Kocka considerably shaped German historiography since the 1970s. He helped a novel, society-centered view on history to break through. As one of the co-founders of the so-called Bielefeld School, he established historical social studies as an alternative to traditional historiography. His global approach to research delivered new impulses to the field of comparative historiography.

Career

• since 2009 Senior Fellow, Leibnitz Centre for Contemporary History, Potsdam, Germany
• 2009-2015 Guest Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
• 2007-2009 Research Professor, Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
• 2001-2007 President, Berlin Social Science Center (WZB),  Berlin Germany
• 1988-2009 Professor of History of the Industrial World, Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, Berlin Germany
• 1973-1988 Professor of Social History, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
• 1973 Habilitation, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster Germany
• 1968 PhD, FU Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• 1965 MA in Political Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
• 1960-1967 Studies in History, Political Science, German Philology, Sociology, and Philosophy, Mahrburg/Lahn, Germany (1960/61), Wien, Österreich (1961), FU Berlin, Germany (1961 - 1964, 1965 - 1967), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA (1964/65)

Functions

• 2016-2022 Member, Senate, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
• 2009-2021 Permanent Scientific Member, Internationales Geisteswissenschaftliches Kolleg “re:work“, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Germany
• 2008-2011 Vice-President, Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Science and Humanities (BBAW), Berlin, Germany
• 2000-2005 President, International Committee of Historical Sciences (Comité international des sciences historiques) (CISH)
• 1998-2009 Director, Centre for Comparative History of Europe, Berlin, Germany (since 2004: Berliner Kolleg für Vergleichende Geschichte Europas)
• 1993-1997 Director, Arbeitsstelle für Vergleichende Gesellschaftsgeschichte, FU Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• 1992-1996 Founder and Director, Research Focus, “Contemporary History”, Potsdam, Germany, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Munich, Germany (since 2009: Leibnitz Centre for Contemporary History, Potsdam, Germany)
• 1991-2000 Permanent Scientific Member, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• 1990-1992 Member, German Science and Humanities Council
• 1983-1988 Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF), Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

Honours and Memberships

• since 2012 Honorary Fellow, St Antony’s College, Oxford, UK
• 2011 Holberg Prize, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
• 2011 Honorary Doctorate, Russian State University for the Humanties, Russia
• 2010 Honorary Doctorate, European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy
• 2009 Order of Merrit, First Class, Federal Republic of Germany
• 2005 Bochumer Historikerpreis, Stiftung Geschichte des Ruhrgebiets, Bochum, Germany
• since 2003 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• 2000 Honorary Doctorate, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
• since 1993 Member, BBAW
• 1992 Leibniz Prize, German Research Council (DFG)
• 1988 Honorary Doctorate, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands